From near death to next level learning: Ross Paraskevas’s AI revolution

Just implicit three years ago, Ross Paraskevas was 25 minutes distant from death. A sudden anaphylactic absorption to prawns — something he’d eaten safely for years — astir ended his life.

“I had a small absorption astir ten years ago, conscionable some rashes,” helium recalls. The doc who treated him did not think overmuch of it, nevertheless a chemist told maine to transportation an EpiPen, but helium brushed it off.

“The adjacent time, I didn’t cognize it would astir beryllium my last.”

On that day, arsenic paramedics guided his wife implicit the phone, helium heard their words done the phone’s loudspeaker, “Don’t permission him unsocial — you whitethorn request to execute mouth-to-mouth soon.” Paraskevas was rushed into intensive care.

“I was meditating, trying to power my breathing,” helium says. “But the doc told maine afterwards I was 25 minutes from death. What frightened maine astir wasn’t dying — it was leaving my children behind.”

That near-death acquisition would spark a travel that would merge his passions for education, philosophy, and technology.

An pedagogue astatine heart

Paraskevas, present 52, has agelong been an educator, tech specialist and having taught astatine university and spent decades mentoring successful business. “I studied acquisition and concern studies,” helium says. “I ne'er got afloat into traditional teaching, but I’ve ever had that pedagogue mindset — mentoring, guiding, helping radical think critically.”

It was that mindset — combined with his idiosyncratic realisation of the transience of life, arsenic a genitor — that inspired TeachingBlox, an AI-driven learning level designed to transform the way children learn. “I built it for my daughter,” helium explains.

“She wasn’t passionate astir maths. It was ever a chore. But I saw however AI could marque learning engaging by connecting it to her interests, and everything changed.”

The AI programme will spouse you with immoderate philosopher, oregon idiosyncratic and marque it enjoyable.

Learning that adapts to you

TeachingBlox isn’t a elemental tutoring app, says Paraskevas — it’s an AI companion that adapts to each student’s personality, interests, and learning style. Paraskevas describes it arsenic “learning that thinks with you, not for you.”

The system works by analysing planetary best-practice curriculums. Teachers oregon parents tin upload acquisition plans, and the AI customises lessons to lucifer the student’s level, learning style, and areas of interest. For example, if a kid loves Barbies, arsenic his girl does, oregon dancing, the AI mightiness weave those themes into maths problems oregon subject explanations. Paraskevas recalls his daughter, who erstwhile dreaded maths, present laughing arsenic she solved problems while talking astir her favourite topics.

“It changed her narration with learning,” helium says. “She was engaged, excited, and adjacent looking astatine clip otherwise — it was nary longer a chore.”

And much important, it does necessitate quality guidance, parents tin show advancement via a dashboard, seeing show analytics, strengths, weaknesses, and adjacent predicted affectional engagement.

The AI besides detects frustration, oregon nonaccomplishment of focus, then accommodate lessons accordingly. “It’s astir giving penetration to teachers and parents, so learning tin beryllium much personalised,” helium says.

Ross Paraskevas with TeachingBlox, his AI-powered learning level that adapts to each student’s property and interests — “learning that thinks with you, not for you,” helium says. Photo: Luis Enrique Ascui

Philosophy meets tech

Paraskevas draws inspiration from Socrates and Plato, utilizing their Socratic method arsenic a guiding principle. Teaching Blox employs “scaffolding” — encouraging students to question, think critically, and signifier their ain understanding alternatively than memorising answers.

He reminds those are sceptical, that “Socrates thought that writing would extremity quality knowledge.”

“It asks questions, it does not conscionable to springiness answers,” helium says.

“It helps students think, evaluate, and prosecute with analyzable ideas. But the quality constituent is captious — nary AI tin regenerate a teacher’s guidance and motivation compass.”

Ethics, helium stresses, is cardinal to the platform. “We’ve built successful safeguards to assistance children understand close from wrong,” helium says.

“It’s not perfect, but the extremity is to usher students toward captious thinking and ethical reasoning — conscionable similar a quality teacher would.”

Not a replacement, it’s an enhancement

Paraskevas is wide that his programme “is not astir replacing teachers”.

“It’s astir enhancing their quality to teach, assisting them. Teachers present person information they ne'er had before: when students larn best, why they struggle, what excites them. AI empowers teachers to prosecute much effectively.”

The level is being piloted successful schools successful India and Dubai, with autarkic probe measuring engagement and show outcomes. Early results amusement that students are much confident, expressive, and engaged successful subjects similar maths and science. “They’re talking, exploring ideas, asking questions — and enjoying it,” Paraskevas says.

Building for a planetary classroom

Paraskevas says that TeachingBlox permits parents to bring the AI into their homes, while the team is exploring partnerships with schools worldwide.

“We’re testing it very carefully,” helium says.

“We want teachers connected board, information analysed, and credibility established earlier scaling. The extremity is to heighten education, not disrupt it recklessly.”

The level is flexible capable for children aged 10 and supra and supports program from superior schoolhouse to Year 12. Students tin larn maths, science, history, languages, and doctrine — each adapted to their learning style and interests. “It’s gamified, scaffolded, and personalised,” helium says. “Students level up arsenic they learn, gathering skills and assurance successful a way traditional method can’t ever achieve.”

A idiosyncratic mission

Despite the commercialized potential, Paraskevas’s ngo is personal. “I ne'er planned to commercialise this,” helium says.

“It was calved from my near-death experience. I wanted to springiness my daughters, and different children, a amended narration with learning. That’s what motivates maine each day.”

He views AI arsenic a tool to heighten humanity. “It’s astir unlocking potential, creativity, and thinking,” helium says. “Humans are susceptible of so overmuch much than we realise. If AI helps us larn better, think deeper, and make more, then it’s worth embracing.”

His travel from a life-threatening aesculapian exigency to pioneering AI successful acquisition is simply a story of resilience, vision, and optimism. “I telephone it my post-death revelation,” helium says with a smile. “I realised that whatever clip I person left, I want to physique something that helps others unrecorded and larn better.”

As helium looks to the future, Paraskevas is focused connected research, partnerships, and continuing to refine the platform. “We’re learning each day,” helium says. “The AI isn’t cleanable — nary teacher is. But combined with quality intervention, it tin transform learning, engagement, and captious thinking. That’s the aboriginal I’m gathering toward.”

Paraskevas, says AI successful acquisition isn’t astir replacing humans, it’s astir enhancing their capacity. And for the children of today — and tomorrow — it could beryllium the quality betwixt learning arsenic a chore and learning arsenic a passionateness and joy.