Shane Epping for BI
- High school teachers said that AI has helped them save time creating lesson plans and projects.They want their students to learn how to use AI, but with guardrails.Teachers said they're concerned that an over-reliance on AI could get in the way of original work.
Christina Parks, a high school English teacher, described artificial intelligence as a "gift" and a "timesaver" for educators.
For students, however, she worries that correcting and reworking AI-generated answers can be a time waster.
"It takes more time for you to read what ChatGPT busts out, think about it, and then say, 'How would I say what ChatGPT says in my own words?'" Parks told Business Insider.
Parks teaches at Upton High School in rural Wyoming. The school, with just 82 students, stands out from other public schools in the US due to its personalized learning model and its focus on preparing students for the workforce and the military in addition to traditional college prep, depending on their interests.
Like most schools across the US, Upton is contending with the rise of AI and new technology in classrooms. Parks said that ChatGPT has been helpful for her with tasks, including creating lesson plans; something that would have taken her three weeks in the past can now be completed in a matter of minutes with AI.
Shane Epping for BI
With her students, she's putting up guardrails.
"I understand that it's out there. I'm trying to create thinkers, and if I can get them to use that tool, and use it in a way that they can think, then so be it," Parks said. She encouraged her students to input new vocabulary into ChatGPT to see how the AI would use that word in a sentence or conversation, helping them better understand the word's use.
Surveys have shown that AI is helping teachers save time and personalize lessons, but data is minimal on its effectiveness in helping students learn. Still, the Trump administration is pushing AI development in education, and teachers told Business Insider that AI isn't going away, so guiding students on how best to use it will give them an advantage.
It's a learning curve, Parks said, and it's one she's working to embrace.
"I'm not so scared of it anymore," Parks said, adding that she was "fighting against something, and we need to turn it around and use it as a tool."
'It's changing everything for us'
Shane Epping for BI
Nick Johnson, Upton's social studies teacher, said AI has been instrumental in helping teachers ensure that their lesson plans are tailored to the proficiency standards that students are required to meet.
"It used to take me so long," Johnson said. "With AI, within 30 minutes, I can curate something. It's changing everything for us as far as making it really tie into the standards."
How to best adapt to the new technology is a dilemma teachers are contending with at the college and graduate level as well. Business Insider previously spoke to Alex Green, a Harvard professor, who said he's concerned that AI in classrooms will harm students' abilities to communicate and thus their job prospects.
Green said that classrooms need educators who are focused on "opening up space for ideas about its judicious use in the classroom."
Shane Epping for BI
Joseph Samuelson, Upton's principal, is facing those issues head-on. He said that when he sees a student using AI, he'll confirm with them that they're turning in original work. He said he encourages using it as a resource; he described a situation in one classroom, where students were debating a topic, and the teacher allowed students to first debate AI to pick out flaws in their arguments.
The most important thing, Samuelson said, is that students aren't using AI as a replacement for thinking.
"We want kids to learn how to use it," Samuleson said. "We don't want you to be necessarily reliant. We still want you to be able to think for yourself, but it is a tool. How can you best utilize the tool to get the most out of what you produce?"
