Many students today feel confused about why they are learning certain things in school. They often ask, “When will I ever use this?” This feeling points to a real problem in how schools teach and students learn.
Lessons may look clear on paper, but don’t always connect to what students need or care about. With rising pressure and more tools like AI, the classroom feels busy, but not always meaningful. This gap makes it harder for students to stay interested and feel motivated.
To better understand what’s missing, we turn to two experts. Maya Bialik founded QuestionWell AI, a tool that helps teachers write better questions using AI. She has taught in classrooms and is now doing a PhD on AI in education.
Peter Nilsson is a teacher, school leader, and founder, editor of The Educator’s Notebook, co-founder of Athena Lab, a project that builds knowledge for the education field.
He also writes a weekly newsletter that shares useful insights with teachers. Maya and Peter co-wrote a book that examines how AI is changing how we teach and learn.
In this article, we’ll explore what breaks the student learning experience. We’ll also look at how AI affects it, what risks come with it, and how schools can use it better.
Why Does the Student Learning Experience Feel Disconnected?
Many students struggle to see the point of what they’re learning. They ask, “Why do I need this?” This feeling often comes from a gap between what schools try to teach and what students take in.
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Three Types of Curriculum
There are three parts to every lesson:
- The intended curriculum is what the school plans to teach.
- The taught curriculum is what the teacher delivers in class.
- The received curriculum is what the student takes away from it.
These don’t always match. A teacher might plan a great lesson, but the student may understand something else. Or the student may just memorize facts instead of learning how to think or solve problems.
Limits in the Student Learning Experience
Even when students do well in class, they often can’t use that learning elsewhere. This is called transfer learning. It’s a common problem.
The brain tends to keep skills in one box. For example, solving equations in math doesn’t mean a student will use the same logic in everyday life.
Schools often believe that some subjects help with thinking in general. But unless the teaching supports this, the skills don’t carry over.
Why It Feels Pointless
Today’s students face more pressure than before. They try to keep up with high demands and big goals. Many just want to finish the work and move on. They stop caring if the task feels like a checklist, not something useful.
Schools need to show students the purpose behind each lesson to make learning feel worth it. When students see how learning fits into their lives, they’re more likely to care and grow.
Teaching Philosophies and the Student Learning Experience With AI
Education means different things to different people. Some believe its main goal is to teach academic skills. Others want students to grow as individuals, find purpose, or prepare for future jobs.
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Some also see school as a way to build a better society. These views guide how people teach, what they focus on, and how they feel about tools like AI.
The Four Teaching Philosophies
- Academic Focus: This view aims to build strong subject knowledge. It values reading, writing, math, and science skills.
- Humanistic Approach: Here, the goal is personal growth. Learning should help students feel more fulfilled and confident.
- Pragmatic Purpose: This sees school as job training. Students learn skills they can use in careers and everyday life.
- Social Mission: This view uses school to create a fairer society. It encourages awareness and action on social issues.
Most people hold more than one of these views. The balance can shift depending on the school, the teacher, or the setting. That’s where misalignment can happen.
A student may want job skills, but the teacher may focus on theory. A teacher may care about values, while a student just wants good grades.
How AI Affects the Student Learning Experience
People’s views shape how they see AI in education. For example, someone with an academic focus may like AI for its rich content but worry that it replaces teachers.
A humanistic thinker may see it as helpful or harmful, depending on how it’s used. A social view may raise concerns about fairness or bias.
That’s why it helps to know what we value most. Clear goals can guide how we use AI in ways that support real learning.
Risks AI Brings to the Student Learning Experience?
AI offers many tools that help teachers plan lessons and give students support. It can help with writing, researching, and organizing work. But while AI can do a lot, it also brings risks that affect how we think and connect with others.
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The Growing Use of AI Companions
One big concern is that people use AI for social connection, not just help. Many, especially young people, use AI chatbots like friends. This can be good or bad.
- Some users, like older adults, find comfort and joy in AI companionship.
- Others may replace real human contact with AI, leading to loneliness or harm.
A sad case showed how a teen turned to an AI friend in a crisis and got the wrong response. This highlights the risk of trusting AI for deep emotional support.
How Ease Affects the Student Learning Experience
AI always agrees and responds quickly, which sounds helpful. But real learning often happens when we face challenges and disagreements.
In group work, talking through problems helps people grow. If students only rely on AI to make things easy, they miss chances to build important skills.
Finding the Balance
The key is to use AI to help learning, not avoid hard parts.
- Use AI to get ideas and then think about what fits best.
- Don’t let AI do everything just to finish fast.
AI itself isn’t good or bad. It depends on how we use it and what kind of learning we want. If used well, AI can support growth. If not, it might take away important parts of learning.
Can AI Improve the Student Learning Experience?
AI can help students stay motivated. It can tailor lessons to fit each student and make learning more fun. That way, students might spend more time on their work than before. But there is a big difference between motivation and just being engaged.
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Motivation vs. Engagement
Engagement means spending time on a task. Motivation means wanting to do it because it matters to you. AI can keep students engaged with games or interactive lessons.
However, sometimes it encourages quick rewards like social media does. This can make students focus on small wins instead of learning deeply.
Addictive Design in the Student Learning Experience
Many apps use tricks from psychology to keep users hooked. They offer rewards at random times, so you keep trying. This keeps students interested but might not help them truly learn or care about the subject.
Using AI Wisely in Learning
Real learning needs more than just engagement. Students must feel:
- Control over their learning (autonomy).
- Confident they can succeed (competence).
- Connected to others (relatedness).
AI can help with these if it is made right. It can give students challenges they can handle and help them improve. But if AI focuses only on quick wins, it may harm real motivation.
Learning Happens in Stages
First, students need a lot of practice and clear steps. Later, they apply what they know in new ways. AI tools should match these stages. They help with practice and mastery and also with higher-level thinking.
AI is a strong tool, but it has risks. Knowing how motivation works helps us use AI to support true learning, not just hold attention.
Conclusion
The student learning experience often feels disconnected because students don’t see the value in their learning. When lessons seem like a list of tasks instead of something useful, students lose interest.
To fix this, learning must feel meaningful. Students should know how each lesson connects to their lives. Moreover, different teaching styles add to the gap.
Some teachers focus on facts, while students may want real-life skills. Others care about values, but students just want to pass. These differences affect how students feel in the classroom.
AI can help if used the right way. It can guide students and offer tools that match their pace. However, using AI only to make things easier can harm real learning. Students grow more when they think deeply, face problems, and work through them.
That said, true learning needs more than time and tools. It needs purpose. Students must feel that learning helps them move forward. They also need support, clear goals, and a sense of progress.
Ultimately, the student learning experience improves when students feel heard, supported, and involved. If they care about what they’re learning, they try harder and learn more. That’s how school can make a lasting difference in their lives.
FAQs
How does classroom design affect the student learning experience?
A noisy or crowded classroom makes it hard to focus. Good lighting, seating, and space help students stay alert and comfortable.
Can peer relationships improve the student learning experience?
Yes. When students feel accepted and supported by classmates, they take more interest in learning and feel safer to share ideas.
How do school breaks affect the student learning experience?
Short breaks help the brain reset. They allow students to come back to tasks with better focus and energy.
What role do parents play in the student learning experience?
Support at home makes a big difference. When parents show interest, students often feel more motivated and valued.
How does grading impact the student learning experience?
Grades can push students to work hard, but too much focus on scores can cause stress and reduce real learning.
