5 answers
Adelaide
Student
Harwich, Massachusetts
1
Question
Updated
160 views
How do I balance the use of rapidly changing AI tools in my future classroom while also protecting and developing fundamental thinking and learning skills for my students?
AI is ever evolving and continues to threaten childrens love for learning as well as the ability to think for themselves. This can destroy student's independence in learning making simple tasks harder and harder to complete on one's own.
Login to comment
5 answers
Sandeep Khandelwal
Software Engineer
132
Answers
San Ramon, California
Updated
Sandeep’s Answer
Hello Adelaide
AI can be helpful in the classroom if it’s used as a support tool rather than a replacement for learning. One approach is to encourage students to first think through problems on their own, then use AI to explore different explanations, check their work, or expand their understanding.
The goal should be to teach students how to think critically and ask better questions, while also helping them understand how to use AI responsibly. This way, AI becomes a learning assistant rather than something that replaces independent thinking.
AI can be helpful in the classroom if it’s used as a support tool rather than a replacement for learning. One approach is to encourage students to first think through problems on their own, then use AI to explore different explanations, check their work, or expand their understanding.
The goal should be to teach students how to think critically and ask better questions, while also helping them understand how to use AI responsibly. This way, AI becomes a learning assistant rather than something that replaces independent thinking.
Rahul Basu
Consulting
2
Answers
Atlanta, Georgia
Updated
Rahul’s Answer
Great question and I think a lot of us are thinking through this. My suggestion - Learn how to work WITH AI - how to make your quality of work better, which tool, how to use the tool, do the stuff which you think is not value added for you but is needed. But underlying all of this - It is your thought process, your knowledge, your experience which the AI can never replace. Hone and grow that critical and deep thinking - Do continue to focus on your core education.
Liam Rielly
Data Center Technician
180
Answers
Manassas, Virginia
Updated
Liam’s Answer
I like this! Make tasks for the class and give them specific tools they can use to answer the questions. They can only use the tools provided to come up with the answers and they need to figure out how to use them and deliver them within the time frame of class. On top of no AI, no google, and no wikipedia, in fact no internet tools at all. You can spend a class showing them how to use a tool and them have them use that the next class, or they have to figure it out as they go.
Change up how they do tasks. One class is individuals, one class pairs, one class teams, one class half the class vs the other, one class never the same as the other. Change the quality of the tools up. Get one class where you have them list all of the characters in a book, or chapter, but its different versions of the same book or textbooks from different periods of time. Bring in art supplies and have them make diagrams of something, everyone gets a different art supply. I am making all of this up but I am thinking of anything in my schooling that made a task difficult for me and using that as a variable for the task, do the same with your experience.
I had a science class that wanted us to get a specific article written in a small newspaper from my town. It was usually a fun fact and then it was checked with science, we were asked to summarize it. The problem was it wasn't always science related, but the assignment was to always talk about how it was linked to science. This was discouraging to me because, well the assignment didn't make sense! Take that barrier away and allow students to turn in whatever they come up with and give them a wide and long landing strip for their work. Don't critique but allow them to explain why they submitted what they did. If someone makes a goof effort or a goof project, allow them to explain themselves out of it, make that a known rule. This will show that "hey you might not be good at drawing or gathering data, but you are good at explaining the core theories and subject content verbally". Allow that diversity, allow students to control what they do, allow them to explore to understand. This is the core of learning!
Having really been in a classroom before computers were a standard and watching movies on a film projector (yes I am that old!) makes me suspicious of the classrooms now. I know most schools today all students have a tablet or laptop and submit their work that way. This is what makes AI such an easy thing to slide under the radar (or intentionally in front of the radar!). If you really want to remove any sort of interaction with AI, don't have anything electronic facing the students while in class. Deprive them of the opportunity to use anything electronic to find an answer to the task. Create the tasks with a low bar to completion, give a high reward to those who complete it. I know that last statement infuriates some parents, but those parent's kids just sat through 10 ads, 5 AI slop videos, to watch 1 cute cat yawn in the end on some short length video platform on their phone. Be realistic with parents and administrators.
Creative teachers usually inspire students. I think a lot of educators today feel pressure to force test scores to prove content knowledge and that most schools have given up completely on diverse teaching methods because of pressure from parents and administrators. Prove your work too! Be that cool teacher, and no not the one that plays guitar and sings their lessons! Be the teacher that tells someone "hey, you have a brain in there and it does amazing things! all I am asking is you share it with us a little!"
I have taken to writing on this site a bunch recently. I have had some amazing (truly amazing) teachers in my life and I have had some terrible ones as well. I feel like my time in school was not the best partly due to a lack of effort on my part, but also because at some really bad times I had teachers that were completely uninspiring. Every time I am on this site I read "should I go to college for___" or "is AI going to get rid of my job" or "I really love something but it won't make money" and really want to jump in and help out to calm artificial anxiety induced from teachers who feel like they have to scare kids into college or kids out of living for themselves.
To sum it up, there is an ENTIRE WORLD of things for students to do that are not AI. You can control your classroom, it just might be difficult for you to show your ideas to parents and administrators. Please push and use your brain to influence them that your students are smart, delightful, capable people who are just not data regurgitating zombies. Teach your kids it's ok to not be good at something, make them not afraid of coming up with an answer for themselves and disagreeing with a source that says other.
Change up how they do tasks. One class is individuals, one class pairs, one class teams, one class half the class vs the other, one class never the same as the other. Change the quality of the tools up. Get one class where you have them list all of the characters in a book, or chapter, but its different versions of the same book or textbooks from different periods of time. Bring in art supplies and have them make diagrams of something, everyone gets a different art supply. I am making all of this up but I am thinking of anything in my schooling that made a task difficult for me and using that as a variable for the task, do the same with your experience.
I had a science class that wanted us to get a specific article written in a small newspaper from my town. It was usually a fun fact and then it was checked with science, we were asked to summarize it. The problem was it wasn't always science related, but the assignment was to always talk about how it was linked to science. This was discouraging to me because, well the assignment didn't make sense! Take that barrier away and allow students to turn in whatever they come up with and give them a wide and long landing strip for their work. Don't critique but allow them to explain why they submitted what they did. If someone makes a goof effort or a goof project, allow them to explain themselves out of it, make that a known rule. This will show that "hey you might not be good at drawing or gathering data, but you are good at explaining the core theories and subject content verbally". Allow that diversity, allow students to control what they do, allow them to explore to understand. This is the core of learning!
Having really been in a classroom before computers were a standard and watching movies on a film projector (yes I am that old!) makes me suspicious of the classrooms now. I know most schools today all students have a tablet or laptop and submit their work that way. This is what makes AI such an easy thing to slide under the radar (or intentionally in front of the radar!). If you really want to remove any sort of interaction with AI, don't have anything electronic facing the students while in class. Deprive them of the opportunity to use anything electronic to find an answer to the task. Create the tasks with a low bar to completion, give a high reward to those who complete it. I know that last statement infuriates some parents, but those parent's kids just sat through 10 ads, 5 AI slop videos, to watch 1 cute cat yawn in the end on some short length video platform on their phone. Be realistic with parents and administrators.
Creative teachers usually inspire students. I think a lot of educators today feel pressure to force test scores to prove content knowledge and that most schools have given up completely on diverse teaching methods because of pressure from parents and administrators. Prove your work too! Be that cool teacher, and no not the one that plays guitar and sings their lessons! Be the teacher that tells someone "hey, you have a brain in there and it does amazing things! all I am asking is you share it with us a little!"
I have taken to writing on this site a bunch recently. I have had some amazing (truly amazing) teachers in my life and I have had some terrible ones as well. I feel like my time in school was not the best partly due to a lack of effort on my part, but also because at some really bad times I had teachers that were completely uninspiring. Every time I am on this site I read "should I go to college for___" or "is AI going to get rid of my job" or "I really love something but it won't make money" and really want to jump in and help out to calm artificial anxiety induced from teachers who feel like they have to scare kids into college or kids out of living for themselves.
To sum it up, there is an ENTIRE WORLD of things for students to do that are not AI. You can control your classroom, it just might be difficult for you to show your ideas to parents and administrators. Please push and use your brain to influence them that your students are smart, delightful, capable people who are just not data regurgitating zombies. Teach your kids it's ok to not be good at something, make them not afraid of coming up with an answer for themselves and disagreeing with a source that says other.
Christopher Wein
Vice President, Tax Strategy & Transformation
10
Answers
Annapolis, Maryland
Updated
Christopher’s Answer
This is a very deep and complex problem and the answers here are very insightful. I want to add another perspective here from my life that has helped me as a professional, coach and father. Teaching the concept that you control technology and that technology does not control you. My son - who is 12 - does not know a world without technology but last year him and I sat down and build a computer together so that he can play online games with this friends. During that process he learned that he controls the computer, that chips, boards, wired and plugs power this object that connects him to the internet and all the technology out there. He told me that it helped him understand that he could just disconnect or connect something and that could change everything that he experiences. I found his comment insightful and want to share it here as I believe this realization needs to happen for his generation and seeing AI as a partner, tool or helping hand start with understanding what it is, where it comes from, why its here and what can it do to make the world a better place. Good luck!
TJ Robideau (US)
Computer repair and network mangement
2
Answers
Shoreview, MN
Updated
TJ’s Answer
First thing is think of Gen AI as a tool. It’s something to help and not a replacement for learning. You can ask the question when should children use calculators. It’s situational. Some times it’s bad, some times it’s good. Gen AI has many uses, one thing to know is when it’s useful. Also know its flaws, it doesn’t give the same consistent answers if you ask it questions, data may be out dated. It may not understand the question and give wrong data, it may hallucinate, ect. Teach them what it can do and how it can help and not to rely on it. It’s great for double checking things but should still know to be critical on what answers it does give. Again think of Wikipedia is it good yes but is it something you should question and verify.