The Future of Education

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) can facilitate personalised activities tailored to students’ specific needs, promoting greater engagement and meaningful learning. This paper presents a case study reporting on the application of generative AI in the planning of inclusive and personalised teaching practices for a 14-year-old boy diagnosed with an Intellectual Disability (ID), within the context of Specialised Educational Support (AEE), enrolled in year 8 of primary school at a state school in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. These actions were developed as part of the Pilot Project: Development of the EduEsp Pocket Guide prototype to assist in teaching practices with students with ID and/or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), developed under the Institutional Programme for Introduction to Teaching (PIBID) at the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM-Brazil), in partnership with the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR-Brazil) and the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB-Portugal). Whilst preserving the anonymity of the student and the school, specific student information was used as a reference for developing targeted prompts that simulate learning situations and guide the creation of individualised activities and teaching strategies tailored to the student, contributing to the development and implementation of Individualised Education Plans (IEPs). The results indicated significant potential for the integration of AI and pedagogical planning in enhancing teaching practices, reducing barriers to learning and promoting greater educational equity, thereby contributing to the training of teachers to work in technology-mediated inclusive contexts. In addition, the study included a critical analysis of different available technologies, as well as the selection of consistent theoretical frameworks to guide the ethical and safe use of AI in education. This aspect has recently been corroborated by the Brazilian Artificial Intelligence Plan (PBIA), which helps define guidelines for the safe use of AI in education and encourages research to demonstrate its effectiveness.