We’ve all heard the predictions: in an age of artificial intelligence, educational standards will crumble. Students will no longer be required to conduct research, write essays, or think critically. ChatGPT will handle everything for them.
That is akin to experts predicting that the internet, television, and even radio will kill schools. Or that the calculator’s arrival would signal the end of mathematics training.
I am not downplaying the disruptive effect of ChatGPT and similar products. Artificial intelligence raises severe ethical and privacy problems, as well as the possibility of unsettling prejudice and disinformation, and obviously signals profound change in the ways we work and live. Even as we grapple with the pandemic’s long tail, educators have been struck by the transformative—and in many ways unknown—power of an AI chatbot.
I’ve had a front-row seat while schools developed policies, instructed teachers, and taught kids on this subject. It’s spurred me to consider how I might best prepare my own children—one still in preschool, the other finishing kindergarten—for this new educational environment.
The solution is not to deny the existence of these technologies; it is also not to allow them to “do the work for you.” The goal should be to teach youngsters to think critically and creatively in preparation for the world they will inherit. And the good news is that ChatGPT can assist.
Praise the Process Rather than the Outcome
We grew up hearing teachers advise us to “show your work” when we were working on a math problem. “Show your work” should become the new standard for all disciplines and assignments. Whereas professors may have traditionally assigned a humanities paper and assessed it, often depending on algorithms to detect cheating, they will now aim to create a more immersive learning experience. They will request that students explain their work, either live in class or via recorded video: why they developed their thesis statement, how they found their evidence, and how they might enhance their argument.
My math teacher has always made cheat-proof assignments: he gives pupils the solution and has them complete all of the procedures to get there. Teachers already enable students to use ChatGPT, but they require them to explain what prompt they chose for the bot and why, as well as how they can criticize the bot’s response. Parents can do the same, applauding the process rather than just “getting it right.”
Examine the Sources
Many educators have determined that students can utilize ChatGPT as a source as long as it is credited, and they can even score how well the chatbot performed. Parents can practice this at home using whatever sources their children are already exposed to.
My 4-year-old kid just expressed an interest in learning all about icebergs. I gave him a quick definition before pulling out my iPad to search a photo. He became ecstatic when a video appeared. But it was simply what the internet had offered me, with questionable sourcing. We progressed. I found Encyclopaedia Britannica’s page—the one for children—while sifting through search results and read the content to my son. We examined the image. We were able to see a diver’s undersea iceberg research thanks to a better video search. Then it’s off to the library to look for literature about icebergs.
I had triangulated various sources to provide my kid with a somewhat complete picture of his topic of interest, rejecting some and magnifying others. Children must witness how we evaluate everything a device offers and piece together diverse types of input with a human touch.
Make it Your Own
Schools will stress qualities that AI cannot teach as they move away from cookie-cutter assignments: conversation, group work, empathy, and reflection. Prepare youngsters for situations and skills that are unique to humans. Many schools already assess pupils on their capacity to engage in appropriate give-and-take with others. Reinforce these abilities at the dinner table. Help children grasp cooperation and collaboration from an early age, rather than dismissing it as a frivolous playground talent. And be an example of empathy.
Exposing children to great literature allows them to come into contact with and digest the gamut of emotions they may encounter in life. ChatGPT cannot compose one type of essay: a personal narrative about your child’s life, complete with their reflections on it. ChatGPT already writes excellent college essays, but it does not know your child.
Remind Children that the Bot Cannot Always Assist Them
I arrived to a homestay in Paris as a teenager one summer. I’d had six years of French training, yet I was lost. My “host brother” and his buddies were talking about an impending vacation in rapid-fire colloquial French—and I couldn’t understand a word of it. But, from where I was in Paris, I could only rely on my language skills. Even today’s simultaneous translators would have jeopardized my goal of connecting with people and having meaningful experiences through fluency. In that French apartment, the only solution was to be a little uncomfortable and learn what was required at the time. As parents, we should emphasize the many occasions in life where avoiding technology is the key to success.
