Reclaiming Teaching Time: How AI Can Support Educators and Learners

Te Hurinui Karaka-Clarke, Associate Professor of Education, The University of Waikato

Hurinui Karaka-Clark is an academic specializing in Māori education, indigenous pedagogy, and educational leadership. His work promotes culturally responsive teaching and supports Māori learner success. Through research and advocacy, he advances the decolonization of education and the integration of Te Ao Māori perspectives in curriculum and policy.

Teachers enter the profession to engage, inspire, and make a difference in students’ lives. Yet increasing administrative burdens such as report writing, planning, and data entry have become a major cause of burnout, diverting teachers from their core purpose. In this context, artificial intelligence (AI) presents an opportunity to rebalance priorities and reclaim time for teaching and learning.

AI is here to stay. Like calculators and computers before it, AI was first met with hesitation, but is quickly becoming integrated into everyday life. Schools and educators have a choice: ignore its influence or engage with it critically and constructively. Used well, AI can support, not replace the human, relational, and cultural dimensions of education.

Evolving Perspectives on AI

Initial concerns around AI in education often focus on academic integrity, data privacy, and depersonalisation. These concerns are valid. However, when implemented with robust safeguards, AI can assist teachers with repetitive tasks, such as drafting reports, summarising student achievement, and generating lesson ideas or differentiated resources. By reducing time spent on routine administration, teachers can focus on relationship-building, responsive teaching, and student wellbeing.

The Scale of the Challenge

Workload pressure is well documented in Aotearoa. The Education Review Office (ERO, 2021) described teachers as "time poor," and OECD data (2020) shows New Zealand educators spend more hours on non-teaching tasks than the global average. Despite stable retention rates (around 88–90%), a 2023 NZEI Te Riu Roa survey found that over threequarters of teachers felt overwhelmed, and more than half had considered leaving the profession. High workloads and limited planning time were key contributors to this dissatisfaction.

Attrition disproportionately affects early-career teachers and those in rural or lower-decile schools, contexts where continuity and connection are most important. Alleviating unnecessary workload can help retain these professionals and enhance outcomes for all learners.

AI as a Support Tool: Not a Shortcut

AI has the potential to give educators back what they value most: time. Automating the more routine aspects of teaching enables teachers to reinvest their energy into supporting learners. This includes time for lesson planning, student engagement, whānau communication, and cultural responsiveness, none of which can be fully replicated by technology.

“AI will never replace the relational depth, cultural wisdom, or pastoral care that teachers bring to their work. But it can become a valuable tool, one that handles time-consuming tasks so teachers can focus on people, not paperwork”

Ethically and strategically applied, AI can enhance rather than erode professional judgement. For example, teachers might use AI to generate a draft report comment, then refine it to reflect the student’s progress, personality, and context. This hybrid approach respects professional expertise while reducing repetition.

Key Safeguards for Ethical Use

To ensure AI supports education in a safe and values-aligned way, five critical safeguards should guide its implementation:

1. Clear and Transparent Rubrics

AI-generated outputs should be guided by robust rubrics aligned with curriculum goals. These must be regularly reviewed by teachers and include indicators relevant to student engagement and learning, not just content knowledge. Educators should remain the final decision-makers, ensuring comments and materials reflect each learner accurately and appropriately.

2. Institutional Hosting of AI Tools

Where possible, AI should be hosted on school-controlled platforms. This reduces reliance on third-party software and ensures compliance with New Zealand’s privacy standards. Local hosting also promotes autonomy over how AI is used and allows for tailored implementation.

3. Protection of Confidential Information

No identifiable or sensitive student data should be entered into open AI platforms. Teachers must anonymise prompts e.g., “a Year 10 student working at curriculum level 4 in science” to safeguard privacy. Policies should be embedded into digital citizenship programmes and staff training, supporting ethical and responsible practice.

4. Respect for Data Sovereignty

Whether data belongs to individuals, schools, or communities, it should be stored and governed locally, with consent and transparency. This includes consulting with relevant communities, particularly where data may relate to identity, culture, or language. Ethical use of AI involves not only protecting data but treating it with respect and care.

5. Professional Development and Policy

Schools should invest in ongoing professional learning to support teachers in using AI tools effectively. This includes developing school-wide policies on AI use, outlining expectations, and ensuring cultural, ethical, and pedagogical considerations are central. Teachers should be encouraged to explore AI with curiosity while also being equipped to set boundaries.

Looking Ahead

AI will never replace the relational depth, cultural wisdom, or pastoral care that teachers bring to their work. But it can become a valuable tool, one that handles time-consuming tasks so teachers can focus on people, not paperwork. Used well, AI can help teachers feel more present, supported, and energised in their roles, ultimately benefitting learners across all contexts.

Schools and educators must remain at the centre of decisions about how AI is integrated. Just as earlier innovations changed the educational landscape, AI presents an inflection point. The question is not whether it will become part of teaching, but how and whether we will shape its use in ways that are equitable, ethical, and people-centred.