A La Trobe University project is using an AI-powered social robot to help teachers practise managing challenging conversations with parents before they encounter them in the classroom.
Teachers are being given the opportunity to rehearse difficult conversations with parents using an AI-powered robot designed to simulate emotionally charged interactions.
Known as Fletch, the social robot has been developed by researchers at La Trobe University to help pre-service and early-career teachers build confidence in handling challenging conversations, including disagreements over student grades and suspensions.
Researchers have interviewed experienced teachers about their interactions with challenging parents and used these real-world scenarios to develop Fletch’s personas.
During training, the robot takes on the role of a disgruntled or concerned parent and responds to the teacher using AI. Its reactions can change according to how the teacher handles the conversation, allowing participants to practise different approaches to de-escalating conflict.
Professor Therese Keane, lead researcher from La Trobe’s School of Education, said teachers were often not formally prepared for difficult or emotionally charged interactions with parents.
“Pre-service teachers and those entering the profession receive little formal preparation for managing difficult or emotionally charged conversations with parents,” Professor Keane said.
The project comes amid concerns about verbal aggression and work-related violence in Australian schools, with Professor Keane warning that exposure to aggression can contribute to teacher stress, burnout and retention difficulties.
She said the technology was designed to give teachers practical strategies and confidence before they encountered similar situations in the workplace.
“This project addresses that gap by equipping pre-service and early-career teachers with practical strategies and confidence to de-escalate challenging interactions, helping them enter the profession better prepared to build positive partnerships with families,” she said.
Practising before the pressure
For schools, the technology could offer another way to approach professional learning around parent communication, particularly for teachers who are new to the profession.
Recently retired Melbourne principal Mr Henry Grossek, who spent 57 years in schools, said he had seen verbal aggression towards teachers increase during his career.
He said the opportunity to practise difficult conversations in a safe environment could help teachers develop skills before they were tested in real situations.
“This is a skill that teachers new to the profession need to practice in a safe and non-threatening environment,” Mr Grossek said.
“Fletch gives all teachers a chance to build their confidence and clear messaging before they get to the classroom.”
Fletch is an example of what researchers describe as an “embodied artificial agent”, combining AI with social cues, communication and behaviours designed to support interaction with people.
La Trobe said the robot would primarily be used to prepare its pre-service teachers before they enter the profession, while several Victorian schools have also signed on to use Fletch to train existing staff.
The initial rollout will involve several Melbourne schools, with Professor Keane hoping to expand the research.
The project is part of La Trobe’s broader work in applied AI through its La Trobe AI Institute, which is focused on developing and applying artificial intelligence across education, research, industry collaboration and university operations.