Halifax<\/a> and Chignecto-Central regional centres for education have guidelines in writing, while in the Cape Breton-Victoria district, use of AI varies by grade level and teachers must \u201cuse their judgement.\u201d<\/p>\nThe Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education said it \u201cfollows provincial curriculum and guidance\u201d from the Department of Education, and has an educational technology team to support teachers and school staff.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The South Shore and Tri-County regional centres for education said they are focused on ensuring students learn the fundamentals, while they are \u201cactively monitoring the emergence of AI in education to identify potential opportunities.\u201d\u00a0 <\/p>\n
The Strait Regional Centre for Education is finalizing a plan to provide AI guidelines and resources for students and staff. The Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial does not currently have a policy, but has appointed a committee to develop one.<\/p>\n
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Chris Boulter is the senior executive director for Nova Scotia’s Department of Education and Early Childhood Development. (CBC)<\/p>\n
Chris Boulter, senior executive director for the Department of Education, said the government strives to ensure students across the province have similar experiences no matter where they live. <\/p>\n
Asked whether the department will develop provincewide guidelines for AI in classrooms, he said it’s an “ongoing conversation.” He said officials are monitoring what other jurisdictions are doing.<\/p>\n
Boulter emphasized the department’s primary focus is to ensure students have literacy, math and critical thinking skills. <\/p>\n
“We feel that sets them up very well to use artificial intelligence to improve their learning,” he said. “But again, I can’t stress enough, those foundational skills have not gone away because of AI. If anything, it’s caused us to really double down on our efforts.”<\/p>\n
Peter Day, president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union, said many of his members have reverted to in-class assessments on paper because it\u2019s not uncommon for students to hand in work that\u2019s been obviously generated by a chatbot.<\/p>\n
He said AI cannot exist in the school system without guardrails in place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Peter Day is president of the Nova Scotia Teachers Union. He says many teachers have gone back to in-class assessments because some students use AI chatbots to complete their assignments. (Grey Butler\/CBC)<\/p>\n
He compared it to students being taught how to safely use a bandsaw in an industrial arts class before they’re given free reins to try out the tool.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t see AI as that much different. I think we really need to be showing students how AI works and what an appropriate use for it would be.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But in order to teach students how to use AI responsibly, Day said teachers have to feel confident in their own skills. Apart from a voluntary summer technology camp, he said there is no provincewide professional development focused solely on AI for educators. <\/p>\n
Boulter said professional development is currently available through regional centres for education, but work is underway to develop more learning opportunities for teachers through the province.<\/p>\n
Johan Woodworth, an assistant professor who teaches courses on AI integration and literacy at Mount Saint Vincent University\u2019s education program, said educators have to be \u201cjudicious\u201d with how they allow their students to use AI.<\/p>\n
Not only can it replace critical thinking and shortcut learning, he said, but it can also produce outputs that are biased, misleading or even factually incorrect.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Johan Woodworth is an assistant professor with Mount Saint Vincent University’s education program. He teaches courses on AI integration and literacy. (Eric Wiseman\/CBC)<\/p>\n
Woodworth also insists that a provincewide policy is needed. Like Day, he said teachers need more time and resources to become familiar with the tools.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust knowing about a technology doesn\u2019t mean that you could pedagogically integrate them into a classroom,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He pointed to New York City<\/a> \u2014 home to the largest school district in North America \u2014 where officials recently imposed a one-year moratorium on generative AI up to Grade 8, while chatbots in schools have been banned for all grades.<\/p>\n\u201cThe tech industry wants us to believe that AI in early education is not only inevitable, but that it is necessary. We do not see it that way,\u201d New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a press conference in September.<\/p>\n
Woodworth argues that a similar approach could benefit Nova Scotians, giving teachers an opportunity to catch up with the booming technology while policymakers evaluate best practices and develop rules.<\/p>\n
Poste is pushing for that kind of pause through Skills Before Screens, which has launched a petition calling on the province to follow New York\u2019s lead.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think there\u2019s always a place you can find an opportunity where it could be beneficial. It\u2019s just, do those benefits outweigh the risks?\u201d Poste said.<\/p>\n
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