Teach with expert insights on AI, curated by your trusty Teacher’s AIde

Hello and welcome back to Teacher's AIed, where we unravel AI complexities faster than a high schooler can 'accidentally' mute the teacher on a video call.

“Trust the Process” - Productive Struggle and AI

While AI can undoubtedly be a powerful tool to enhance education, there's a growing concern that it might inadvertently stifle a critical aspect of learning - productive struggle.

We know the process of learning isn't just about the destination (e.g., getting an A on a test); it's about the journey. It's about grappling with challenging concepts, making mistakes, and learning from them.

The question for educators becomes: how can we ensure that students are struggling with content appropriately to learn instead of turning to some readily available resource too quickly for assistance?

In recent months, many solutions have been suggested:

• One policy solution is to ban AI outright. However, as we mentioned in our “To Allow AI, or Not Allow AI. That is the Question” post, if AI provides a net benefit for students, then teachers should thoughtfully incorporate it into the learning process. Maybe this allows students to leverage AI for portions of an assignment but not for its entirety.

• Another solution would be to tackle AI misuse through plagiarism detection programs. Though many have tried, I have yet to hear of an effective plagiarism detection program - they just cannot accurately determine if something was written by a bot or by a student.

However, the most viable solution relies on teachers and schools creating and communicating clear AI policies. For more on creating AI policies, take a look at our “AI Misuse: Mentionable, Therefore, Manageable” post.

AI should be seen as a supportive tool in the classroom, not a replacement for the teacher or the learning process itself. It can assist with tasks like data analysis, providing personalized feedback, and automating administrative chores, but it should not overshadow the essence of learning.

Teachers as Guides

Teachers play a pivotal role in guiding students through the process of learning. They can foster an environment where students are encouraged to explore, experiment, and overcome challenges. This hands-on experience, with occasional struggles, is what molds students into resilient and creative thinkers.

As educators, it's our responsibility to strike a balance between leveraging AI's capabilities and keeping learning at the center of education. Let's ensure that our classrooms remain places where students not only produce results but also thrive through the process of learning.

We know that this is much easier said than done. It's a delicate balancing act, but it's one we owe to our students and ourselves.

If you know educators grappling with these questions, share this newsletter with them so they can join us in this important conversation.

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Class dismissed!

Lewis Poche & Kourtney Bradshaw-Clay