ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN PRIMARY SCHOOL: NEW OPPORTUNITIES CREATED BY COVID-19

Abstract

The idea of using the capabilities of artificial intelligence for the needs of the educational process is not new for modern pedagogy, but its development before the Corona time was rather fragmented. The conditions of the pandemic, self-isolation and protracted quarantine forced to look for new opportunities and forms to continue the educational process in this situation. And here the possibilities of organising the educational process for all levels of education using artificial intelligence came to the fore. The purpose of this article is to analyse the forms of using the capabilities of artificial intelligence to organise the educational process for primary school students, that became more active because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The scientific novelty: Particular attention is paid to the humanities` teaching in elementary school – the area that has traditionally been considered unsuitable for using artificial intelligence as a method and form of teaching. In the process of writing the article, empirical and theoretical research methods were used, that is typical for scientific studies of this kind.
As the result, it can be noted that the Quarantine caused by the COVID-19 pandemic played a favourable role in expanding the range of possibilities for using artificial intelligence in the field of education, even in those areas that were traditionally considered to be unsuitable or non-effective for it due to the peculiarities of educational tasks. During the quarantine period caused by COVID-19, computer and AI became an organic and obligatory participant of the educational process, even in primary school. Many students due to temperament, personal features of character, etc. found this form suitable for them.
The study is made as a part of «A Comparative Study on Professional Development of Primary School Teachers in China and South Korea» research program (registration number ZKNUC2017038).