AI and Schoolwork

Generative AI enhances learning and fosters critical thinking when used responsibly.

Sep 25, 2024

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By Pierce Labrie
Pierce Labrie is a high school student member of ConnectSafely’s Youth Advisory Council.

Being one of the most rapidly rising fields, Generative AI has naturally found its way into the realm of schoolwork. The debate around Generative AI in school has been rampant, and there are many pros and cons to using Generative AI. Although AI takes away some of the critical thinking skills that schools focus on so heavily because of the ease of asking any question and getting an answer back immediately without having to think for yourself, AI is more beneficial for schoolwork than detrimental because of the enhanced learning opportunities.

This past year, my history teacher assigned us a pretty difficult task for homework: we were assigned a delegate from the Constitutional Convention, and we had to research this delegate and answer a slew of questions to help prepare the class for a mock convention. Some students had an extremely easy time getting the information they needed because they had delegates like James Madison. Meanwhile, I had John Rutledge, and finding any information about his beliefs was nearly impossible. Arriving at class the next day, my history teacher did the unexpected: he encouraged us to use Microsoft’s CoPilot AI to find out about our delegate’s beliefs. After using CoPilot, I learned so much about John Rutledge because I was able to understand his views on particular subjects and how he would propose counterarguments, being able to ask what Rutledge would think of topics that I come up with. The amount of information that I received from CoPilot allowed me to argue Rutledge’s views and even take his perspective and debate topics that were not debated during the actual convention. Had I not used AI, I would have been stuck researching for hours trying to find any information about Rutledge, and I would not have been able to so seamlessly integrate his views into the mock convention. Therefore, the use of AI significantly expanded my knowledge of Rutledge in a way that research would not have been able to.

Another example of how using Generative AI has aided my learning is earlier this year when I was stuck trying to complete C\calculus homework. I was staring at the blank document for around 30 minutes while I was trying to remember how to do integrals, with the looming difficulty of having to do ten problems while I couldn’t even start the first one. After a while, I decided to ask ChatGPT how to solve an integral with a step-by-step explanation. ChatGPT perfectly explained how to solve an integral problem, and I was able to apply the steps that ChatGPT gave to the rest of my homework. I flew through the problems. I never struggled with integrals again because I always remembered the steps that ChatGPT gave on how to solve them. Thus, using Generative AI helped me understand how to complete my math homework. I was also doing the problems myself, so I was still completing the homework the intended way.

These two examples show that if used correctly, Generative AI can be extremely helpful in schoolwork. Understandably, some students will use Generative AI as a substitute for actual learning and critical thinking. However, if students choose that path, then they will be extremely unprepared when it comes time for the next assessment, so the burden will be on them. Also, using AI as a substitute for one’s work is extremely hurtful to the teacher who put time and effort into creating the assignment, and using AI to complete the whole assignment shows a lack of caring. Passing off a response from AI as your own is still a form of plagiarism and should be avoided just as much as passing off someone else’s work as your own is. The main remedy for this is understanding that using AI in this way is only more detrimental to one’s learning and understanding than it is beneficial. On the other hand, when used responsibly, AI can expand learning opportunities and provide help while still provoking critical thinking. Therefore, I believe that Generative AI should be embraced by educators in the same way my history teacher embraced it, and schools should re-think any bans on Generative AI so students can get explanations of difficult topics that are understandable and applicable even while they are at home.

Opinions expressed by members of ConnectSafely’s Youth Advisory Council do not necessarily reflect those of the council as a whole or ConnectSafely.


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