St Philip’s joins forces with South Korean delegation for AI project
St Philip’s School were delighted to host a delegation of teachers from Daejeon, a province in South Korea known for their expertise in technology, as part of a joint initiative with Kingston University, Kingston Local Authority, Achieving for Children, the Department for Education and the South Korean Education Authorities. On 24th June 2024 a Memorandum of understanding was signed between Kingston University and Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education with the shared vision of transforming education on a global scale by preparing future generations for the challenges and opportunities of Artificial Intelligence.
A group of 14 educators came from South Korea and took part in a conference on Artificial Intelligence in education hosted by Kingston University. Maths teacher Ms Mangat joined the conference alongside other teachers from the Kingston area to collaborate with the South Korean delegation.
They discussed the potential uses of AI in the classroom and also looked at possible pitfalls or problems that might arise from its use. Ms Mangat worked with a team of three teachers from South Korean to devise a lesson plan using AI that could be delivered to pupils at St Philip’s. The lesson was about 2D shapes and introduced the work of the artist Kadinsky who could hear sound and colour in shapes. The pupils were then introduced to an AI programme called Suno which could create music after a few simple prompts such as the type of music – pop, jazz, rock, classical – and key words or phrases such as ‘a square has four faces and corners or vertices. The AI then came up with music and lyrics helping to explain the ideas of 2D shapes. The pupils showcased their favourite AI composition and everyone agreed it was a really fun lesson.
As well as helping Ms Mangat deliver the AI lesson, the South Korean teachers also had a tour of the school with Mr Walsh and observed some lessons including a microscope practical in a science lesson. The teachers from South Korean, said it was interesting to see that the lessons at St Philip’s was very similar to one that would have been taught in their own school.
Teachers from Daejeon joined the St Philip’s teachers for networking over lunch then later that week Mr Walsh and Ms Mangat attended the closing event at Kingston University where groups fed back about the work they have been carrying out.
This is a pilot project and we have also had the opportunity to connect with a SEN school in South Korea. We hope it will develop into greater collaboration in the future and we are also excited about developing the use of AI in lessons at St Philip’s.
