Can AI replace human tutors? In a large survey recently undertaken by Superprof, most students and tutors stated that AI tutors will never be good enough to replace human tutors. But Open AI recently released its new flagship model, ChatGPT 4o, featuring enhanced multimodal capabilities. The big step forward here is the model’s ability to interact with users across audio, vision, and text in real time. This move aims to make the AI experience more human-like, and as a result of these new abilities, ChatGPT 4o has been touted as a replacement for tutors.
But here’s the heart of the issue: Can ChatGPT 4o and its competitors inspire the same passion for learning as a human tutor with emotional intelligence? Can AI trump EI?
Without a doubt, the focus on tutoring has accelerated as schools struggle to meet the escalating needs of students today. Research shows that tutoring can have a strong positive impact on student learning outcomes, especially for students who are struggling academically. But to achieve these results, tutors must master four essential skills, which, to date, elude artificial intelligence:
- Use emotional intelligence (EI) to understand and respond to unique student needs
- Personalize teaching for different learning styles
- Foster critical thinking and problem-solving
- Motivate and inspire a genuine love of learning
1. Emotional intelligence is essential
Emotional intelligence (EI) is an essential skill for any tutor to develop because it can help them respond to their students’ unique needs. This enables them to build strong relationships and create a supportive learning environment. Emotionally intelligent tutors have greater empathy, allowing them to better understand and share their students’ feelings. Tutors can then work productively with a diverse range of students and encourage authentic interactions.
2. Personalized teaching engages students
One-to-one tutoring offers highly personalized instruction tailored to the individual needs and learning pace of the student. As a result, students are often more engaged in tutoring sessions because the content is directly relevant to their learning styles. This personalized approach also allows for targeted interventions that address specific gaps in knowledge.
Tutors who understand their students’ interests can use this information to adapt their teaching methods. This focused attention helps improve the retention of information and can lead to better overall learning outcomes. Personalized instruction can also create a greater sense of accountability on the part of students towards their tutors, which makes them more likely to continue with their studies.
3. Tutors must foster critical thinking and problem-solving
Fostering critical thinking in students is challenging but achievable with intentional tutoring strategies and practices. To do this, tutors can present students with real-life scenarios or challenging problems that require analysis and creative solutions. They can also encourage students to think critically by asking questions such as “Why did you write that?” or “How would you prove that?”
This type of Socratic instruction can teach students the competencies they will need to navigate a changing world, including problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration. Such skills are often referred to as 21st-century skills, soft skills, or deeper learning, and they will be in high demand in the coming years.
4. Effective tutors inspire a genuine love of learning
Individualized attention from a tutor significantly boosts a student’s confidence and motivation. As students experience success and improvement, their self-esteem tends to improve, fostering a more positive attitude toward learning. Effective tutors identify what inspires and excites each student, and this can help fuel their enthusiasm and encourage a love of learning.
ChatGPT 4o and its competitors are rapidly moving beyond text-based interactions. Students will soon be able to ask AI programs about anything they want to learn, and the programs will offer personalized learning paths, using human-sounding voices and language. But no matter how life-like they sound, AI algorithms are based on probabilistic thinking. AI can’t intuitively understand each student’s unique learning style and challenges. It can’t offer personal insights, provide role models, or share lived experiences.
Effective tutors have mastered the four skills that inspire, enrich and sustain genuine learning. Keeping these skills in mind can help educators stay focused on what’s best for students to prepare them for the unpredictable world AI is forging.
