( Image by jcomp on Freepik)
As I began to prepare for my upcoming talk at the Festival of Education, Wellington College I took a pause to read some of the FB posts on the “Home Education and Home Schooling HELP and Support UK” Group. Consistently this group reflects families who have opted out of the traditional schools and reach out to one another for support and ideas. This is an example of a common post:
Following are several comments with suggestions as to which programs to consider and support for the family. All the while two things strike me. # 1- why not use ChatGPT as a study partner? #2- well my own perspective that if one removes their child from ‘traditional school’ would one not want to pursue other options than the exams. For the purposes of this post I will focus on #1.
There is a lot of perspectives, curiosities and concerns around the upcoming AI tools. One thing is for certain- the ‘cat is out of the bag’ similar to when calculators were introduced followed by smart phones. I have read some excellent articles that explain the political landscape that AI brings to the table and will share these in my talk (another post.). Serj Hunt wrote a brilliant article that explains what AI is and ideas for how teachers can use it. I will be expanding on this also and believe that this article should be part of the ‘cannon’ for teacher training beginning NOW. We can’t afford to not teach our learners how to use these tools ethically.
In my Outschool classes I have been having a play with using ChatGPT to assist in collecting evidence for argumentative writing. It has been curious how few students ages 11-16 have really had a play with the tools. Some have used it to completely write their assignments whereas most are really unsure about it and how to use it ethically. Hence I have created a new course that will teach these skills.
Core to our new CTL Academy Global program will be the use of AI for teaching and learning. I envision facilitating students ages 12+ on projects related to the UN Sustainable goals and they will have several tabs open as they build their designs and capture their ideas supported by evidence. Students will learn to navigate having open a ChatGPT window with a Google Doc and Google Slides tabs. For those in the US we might use GoogleBard as well. These will all be part of the learning folded in to the projects with Global Social Leaders, CollegeBoard, GetLit Words Ignite, Fishtank and other curricular tools.
For families looking for the ‘simple’ tutor with a child that is curious and self directed wishing to do their GCSE exams then I would consider teaching them how to engage with ChatGPT to be that tutor. It is available 24/7, has an infinite bank of material and will be willing to check one’s answers, explain how to solve the problems and provide one with problem sets. Some kids may prefer engaging with an AI than a person, or find the AI to be non-judgemental and supportive. I had a play with using the tool for GCSE maths preparation.
Here is the script that was produced from my ‘conversation’ with ChatGPT about GCSE maths. The orange is my text and the green band marks the beginning of the AI.
I am sure there are other tools and AI programs that will be even more specific but for now I believe learning how to use this AI could help to level of the playing field of who has access to individualized tutors if one wants to prep for exams. Using the AI for project based learning will be much more fun- but that is another topic.
What do you think?
UPDATE: 27July23
I presented at the Festival of Education to a packed room- it felt good that so many are interested in the topic and are willing to engage. Within the setting we had a mix of educators, school leaders and researchers all at different levels of experience using AI in education and their own lives.
Here is a link to a video I created capturing the presentation I shared. Afterwards I connected with a veteran educator who provides support to schools and educational institutions on digital strategy. He put together this very nice SWAY presentation that helps to set the ground rules for the kinds of policy organizations need to consider. Much of his work comes from the research done by UNICEF in 2019 which I found fascinating. What I liked most about what he shares is the grid below which can serve as a framework .
Lastly here is a link to a student/staff use policy we wrote with the help of Chat GPT 3.5. It is important that this is in place before relying too much on the tools.
It would be great to know more about your interests and experiences using AI. Please feel free to share in the comments. Thanks.
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