Australian education technology company Teacharo has launched Teacharo Go, a voice-first artificial intelligence assistant designed to reduce teachers’ administrative workload, giving educators more time to focus on teaching.
The launch comes as schools continue to grapple with teacher shortages and concerns about workload. According to the Australian Education Union, almost 83 per cent of Australian schools are experiencing teacher shortages, while Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) workforce data shows teachers work a median 50-hour week, with around half that time spent on activities other than teaching. AITSL data also shows only 55 per cent of beginning teachers received a formal induction in 2023.
Founded by former teacher and principal Janet Moeller, Teacharo Go enables teachers to record verbal instructions between classes, after playground duty or while travelling home. The platform then researches, drafts and formats lesson plans, classroom activities, parent communications and other administrative tasks for teachers to review when they return to their desks.
Moeller said Teacharo Go was developed to support teachers, particularly those entering the profession without consistent mentoring or induction.
“Each term, thousands of Australians become ‘the teacher’ for the first time with little or no support,” she said.
“They carry full responsibility for a room of students, often with no mentor, no induction and no colleague down the hall.”
Unlike many AI tools that require teachers to sit at a computer, Teacharo Go has been designed around voice commands, allowing teachers to capture ideas and requests while away from screens.
“Many schools do not want teachers to have their phones out during class,” Moeller said. “Teacharo Go is designed for teachers to quickly speak instructions when they are away from students, then put the phone away and go back to the students. The assistant is working on drafts, even when it is in the teacher’s desk or handbag.”
Moeller said the platform was intended to support, rather than replace, teachers’ professional judgement.
“Like a good assistant, it never makes the decision for the teacher,” she said. “Instead, it makes suggestions, shows its sources, honouring the professional judgement of the teacher.”
According to the company, Teacharo Go has been developed around the Australian Curriculum and retrieves Australian curriculum documents, school policies and other local education resources when generating content.
Teacharo Go does not store student names, records or histories. The company says data remains in Australia and is not used to train AI models, allowing individual teachers to use the platform without requiring a school-wide rollout.
Teacharo also offers a separate school version for work involving student data. According to the company, data remains with the school, is stored in Australia and can integrate with Microsoft and other school platforms.
Teacharo Go is now available through an initial closed beta program, with teachers able to register their interest ahead of a broader rollout.
For more on how Teacharo is built for Australian teachers, contact Janet Moeller on 0457 347 970.