Daily Herald opinion: Making a real impact: Teachers show carefully used AI can have a place in suburban classrooms
A recent front-page story about local schools using artificial intelligence technology in the classroom surely inspired flashbacks for some to the days when math problems were done solely by hand, term papers were researched with library books and college must-haves included a typewriter and slide rule.
Even if your school experience was more recent, you might wonder why teachers would encourage the use of generative AI when it’s clearly a tool tech-savvy teens can wield to cheat.
That’s a valid concern, and educators understand AI’s fascinating yet frightening potential. But today’s suburban school leaders also appreciate the need to look beyond fears as they prepare for AI’s risks and embrace its rewards, Alice Fabbre’s story Tuesday showed.
As an example, Fabbre described AI at work in an algebra class at Schaumburg High School. Jeremy Harkin’s students use ChatGPT to answer his question of the day. Then, they discuss what they found.
It’s the first year for the program and just one way suburban teachers are integrating AI in high schools across the region.
The shift is important: AI is here, and it’s vital that students learn to use it correctly and ethically.
Aurora-based Indian Prairie District 204 started using AI in high school classrooms this year. The introduction was rolled out after educators crafted a policy to guide the use of AI.
The goal, the district states, is to use AI to enhance, not replace, interactions between teachers and students.
“It’s forcing us to dig deeper and think about how we’re creating authentic experiences,” Nader Najjar, District 204’s assistant superintendent of equity and innovation, told Fabbre. “If (the assignment) is something that can be plugged in and printed out, what’s the purpose?”
While schools don’t want students using AI to write a paper, they might encourage them to tap into it for feedback or to help generate ideas. And if teens are struggling with algebra, they can ask ChatGPT to provide practice problems.
Educators, of course, must recognize and do everything they can to prevent abuses of AI by both students and teachers. It must be a supplemental tool, not a replacement for the hard work, creativity and imagination that are key components of a well-rounded education.
But today’s children, and their children, will live in a world that will make use of AI in ways those of us who went to school in simpler times can only imagine. They must be prepared for that future — and for the ethical challenges ahead.
Algebra teacher Harkin acknowledges the potential for cheating, but sees the other side of the AI equation.
“They’re going to find the bad things about it,” Harkin said of his students. “But if we teach them how to use it correctly, there’s a lot of benefit to it.”
The key is in using AI correctly — and cautiously.