这项预注册试验的结果表明,AI 可以成为强大的教学伙伴——不是取代教师,而是扩展他们的覆盖范围。这项研究是我们 持续努力的一部分,旨在为 AI 对教学与学习的影响建立全球证据基础。
超越答案引擎:保护批判性思维
一个常见的担忧是,生成式 AI 可能成为学生的捷径,使他们绕过深度学习所必需的、虽有挑战却至关重要的认知努力。Guided Learning 正是为解决这一担忧而设计的:它建立在我们 LearnLM 项目多年研究与实践的基础上,以教学法为根基,并经过专门调优,优先帮助学生建立理解而非直接提供答案。
塞拉利昂的数据表明这一方法是有效的。对试验期间超过 113,000 次交互的分析显示,学生在 91.4% 的对话中使用该工具来构建概念理解,而非仅仅寻求答案。Gemini 在 76% 的消息中通过提出引导性问题作出回应,仅在 2% 的情况下提供直接的解答。这种“苏格拉底式”互动确保认知上的重担仍然由学生自己承担。
由教师主导的干预
这项试验的成功建立在 AI 与教育者的合作关系之上,教师始终稳居这一体验的中心。教育者设计课程、设定目标,并组织推动学习进程的课堂讨论。
在焦点小组访谈中,教师们表示 Gemini 也促进了她们自身的专业成长。通过使用这款工具备课,她们发现了讲解分数等熟悉主题的新方法。许多教师形容自己从“授课者”转变为“引导者”,在教室里走动,支持学生 pairs 在各自的学习旅程中探索。
为了帮助其他人实施类似的项目,我们正在发布一份 教师培训指南,其中包含与 Fab AI 合作制作的材料,以及本研究使用的具体方案。
衡量影响
定量结果十分显著。使用 Guided Learning 的学生相比对照组,数学成绩提高了 +0.258 个标准差。从实际角度看,这相当于在八周的试验期内取得了约 1.2 至 1.7 年的典型学习进步。
在试验期间,教师在约一半课程中使用 Gemini 以达到 12 小时目标课堂的学生,进步更为显著——约相当于 1.8 至 2.5 年的学习进步。参与度也非常高:69% 的学生达到或超过了使用目标,远超自愿使用教育技术产品 5% 的典型比例(即著名的“5% 问题”)。这意味着学生不仅参与其中,而且更喜欢来上课了。
超越数字本身,我们还观察到了行为上的深刻转变。学生们表示他们更喜欢数学了,并在常规教学之外主动投入学习。关键的是,随着时间推移,他们的对话和提问变得更加以学习为导向,从寻求直接答案转向技能培养。具体而言,技能培养类的提问在最后一周上升到了 90%——高于第一周的 68%——而寻求答案类的问题则从 25% 下降到 10%,这证明学生们不只是想要答案,他们更想理解得出答案的过程。
为了进一步了解引导式学习对学生学习的影响,我们正在全球范围内开展一系列额外的预注册随机对照试验(RCT)。为了推进开放科学并及时分享洞见,我们还将发布一份关于与 Fab AI 开展 RCT 方法论的操作手册,帮助其他人根据自身需求和场景开展更快、更具可扩展性的研究——以获得与技术进步同步的、可靠的本地化证据。随着后续 RCT 的结束,我们将继续发布研究结果和经验教训,构建更全面的跨国证据基础,希望能为学习生态系统中负责任的 AI 开发提供参考。此外,我们对全球 AI 学习联盟(GAILA)的支持将通过集体行动加速兑现这些承诺及其他目标。
前进之路
尽管这些结果令人鼓舞,但它们也凸显了“成绩差距”的挑战。虽然大多数学生都从中受益,但那些在试验开始时数学能力就较强的学生获益最多。这凸显了一个重要需求:提供能为最需要帮助的学生带来最大提升的工具。
展望未来,我们计划将这些试点扩展到其他国家,并更深入地探索元认知和关系智能等领域,以获取一个更全面、能探究学习微妙复杂性的视角。通过将教师引导学生课堂的关系基础与 AI 的个性化、脚手架式支持能力相结合,我们可以帮助确保技术成为一座桥梁,为所有人带来有意义的学习机会。
The results from this pre-registered trial suggest that AI can be a powerful pedagogical partner — not by replacing teachers, but by augmenting their reach. This study is part of our ongoing effort to build a global evidence base for the impact of AI on teaching and learning.
Beyond the answer engine: protecting critical thinking
A common concern is that generative AI could become a shortcut for students, potentially bypassing the challenging yet essential cognitive effort required for deeper learning. Guided Learning is designed to address this concern: it’s built from years of research and work in our LearnLM efforts to be pedagogically-grounded and specifically tuned to prioritize building understanding over providing direct answers.
The data from Sierra Leone suggests this approach is working. An analysis of over 113,000 interactions exchanged during our trial revealed that students used the tool to build conceptual understanding in 91.4% of conversations, rather than simply seeking solutions. Gemini responded by posing scaffolding questions in 76% of its messages, providing direct solutions in only 2% of cases. This "Socratic" interaction ensures that the cognitive heavy lifting remains with the student.
A teacher-led intervention
The success of this trial was built on a partnership between AI and educators, where teachers remained firmly at the center of the experience. Educators designed the lessons, set the objectives, and facilitated classroom discussions that drove learning.
In focus groups, teachers reported that Gemini also supported their own professional growth. By using the tool for lesson preparation, they discovered new ways to explain familiar topics like fractions. Many described a shift from "lecturers" to "facilitators," moving through the classroom to support pairs of students as they navigated their own learning journeys.
To help others implement similar programs, we are releasing a teacher training guide with materials created in collaboration with Fab AI, including the specific protocols used for this study.
Measuring the impact
The quantitative results were significant. Students using Guided Learning saw a gain of +0.258 standard deviations in their math scores compared to the control group. In practical terms, this represents roughly 1.2 to 1.7 years of typical learning progress achieved within the eight-week trial.
Students in classrooms where their teachers incorporated Gemini into roughly half their lessons to meet a target of 12 hours during the trial saw even higher gains—roughly 1.8 to 2.5 years of progress. Engagement was also remarkably high: 69% of students met or exceeded usage targets, far surpassing the five percent typical for voluntary educational technology (famously known as “The Five Percent Problem”). That means students were not only engaged but they enjoyed coming to class more.
Beyond the numbers, we also saw a profound shift in behavior. Students reported enjoying math more and actively engaged with learning beyond regular instruction. Crucially, over time, their conversations and questions became more learning-oriented, shifting toward skill building instead of seeking direct solutions. Specifically, skill-building queries rose to 90% by the final week — up from 68% in the first week — while solution-seeking questions dropped from 25% to 10%, proving students didn’t just want answers, they wanted to understand how they got there.
To further understand the impact of Guided Learning on student learning, we are conducting a series of additional pre-registered RCTs globally. In the interest of advancing open science and disseminating timely insights, we are also releasing a playbook on our approach to RCTs with Fab AI to help others run faster, scalable studies aligned to their needs and contexts — to uncover robust localised evidence that keeps pace with technological advances. We will continue to publish our results and learnings as we conclude subsequent RCTs to construct a more comprehensive, cross-country evidence base, which we hope will inform responsible development of AI across the learning ecosystem. Additionally, our support of the Global AI for Learning Alliance (GAILA) will accelerate these commitments and others through collective action.
The path forward
Though these results are promising, they also highlighted the challenge of the "achievement gap." While the majority of students benefited, those who entered the trial with stronger math skills benefited most. This underscores an important need: to offer tools that deliver the strongest gains for the students who need it most.
Looking ahead, we plan to expand these trials to other countries and probe more deeply into areas like metacognition and relational intelligence to capture a more holistic view that explores the nuanced complexity of learning. By combining the relational foundation of a teacher-led classroom of students with the personalized, scaffolding capabilities of AI, we can help ensure that technology serves as a bridge to meaningful learning opportunities for all.