Fantastic stuff. I've been repeatedly chagrined by folks who want to roll this stuff out so quickly and thoughtlessly. There will inevitably be uses for this technology, but being a substitute tutor or teacher is so far down the list of potential benefits that it's surprising how much energy there is around this vision for generative AI.
Thank you John, that means a lot coming from you -- you've been doing so much to raise awareness of these issues in education. I am honored to fight this fight at your side.
Thanks for this, Ben. Of the points you mentioned, the one that resonates most with me is the need to set up frameworks before we experiment and engage with AI this fall. We may have some ideas about how to use this stuff, but providing some basic lists of questions to help instructors think through their pedagogy in the light of generative AI feels important. Any existing resources come to mind before I write my own?
Thank you Josh, and folks who see this, subscribe to Josh's Substack -- it's excellent.
In terms of frameworks, well, the forthcoming document Cognitive Resonance will be releasing is aimed at helping educators think through their pedagogy in light of generative AI. But you've seen a draft, so you must have something else in mind?
That doc will be fabulous for helping people answer some of the fundamental questions surrounding LLMs in education. It feels to me like a map of the key questions that need to be answered about what genAI is and highlight the key tensions in educational situations.
What I am thinking about here is essentially a sidecar to that. A list of questions that an instructor would use to guide them in applying those principles to their course. In essence, it would be little more than a pedagogy diagnostic tool but with a specific slant toward engaging genAI.
Some questions I’m thinking about in this vein…
- What are the learning goals my course? Which ones are impacted by genAI and why? How will I respond (modify the assignment, provide more rationale, etc.)
- What are the ways that genAI might provide new opportunities for exploration in the classroom? What learning goals would those opportunities support?
- How might I as an instructor leverage genAI? How might I use genAI to strengthen my ability to pour effort into the interactions I’m most interested in having with my students?
- How is genAI being discussed in my discipline? How might I involve my students in that discussion?
- How will I and my students reflect about our use of genAI?
- How might I rethink other aspects of my pedagogy to make them more aligned with learning goals?
I’m just shooting from the hip here, but I’m wondering if a simple checklist of questions like this might be an effective way to guide instructors through a reflective exercise in preparation for the fall. This is inspired in part by some comments on my latest post where folks were suggesting that more concrete examples might be helpful. I’m thinking that a list of questions with some responses from various instructors might help us think through these issues in more tangible ways.
Hey Ben I agree with you that AI should not be used in schools but what about at home? I may have missed your explanation of that point if so I apologize—but that is my main concern as an educator.
Fantastic stuff. I've been repeatedly chagrined by folks who want to roll this stuff out so quickly and thoughtlessly. There will inevitably be uses for this technology, but being a substitute tutor or teacher is so far down the list of potential benefits that it's surprising how much energy there is around this vision for generative AI.
Thank you John, that means a lot coming from you -- you've been doing so much to raise awareness of these issues in education. I am honored to fight this fight at your side.
Thanks for this, Ben. Of the points you mentioned, the one that resonates most with me is the need to set up frameworks before we experiment and engage with AI this fall. We may have some ideas about how to use this stuff, but providing some basic lists of questions to help instructors think through their pedagogy in the light of generative AI feels important. Any existing resources come to mind before I write my own?
Thank you Josh, and folks who see this, subscribe to Josh's Substack -- it's excellent.
In terms of frameworks, well, the forthcoming document Cognitive Resonance will be releasing is aimed at helping educators think through their pedagogy in light of generative AI. But you've seen a draft, so you must have something else in mind?
That doc will be fabulous for helping people answer some of the fundamental questions surrounding LLMs in education. It feels to me like a map of the key questions that need to be answered about what genAI is and highlight the key tensions in educational situations.
What I am thinking about here is essentially a sidecar to that. A list of questions that an instructor would use to guide them in applying those principles to their course. In essence, it would be little more than a pedagogy diagnostic tool but with a specific slant toward engaging genAI.
Some questions I’m thinking about in this vein…
- What are the learning goals my course? Which ones are impacted by genAI and why? How will I respond (modify the assignment, provide more rationale, etc.)
- What are the ways that genAI might provide new opportunities for exploration in the classroom? What learning goals would those opportunities support?
- How might I as an instructor leverage genAI? How might I use genAI to strengthen my ability to pour effort into the interactions I’m most interested in having with my students?
- How is genAI being discussed in my discipline? How might I involve my students in that discussion?
- How will I and my students reflect about our use of genAI?
- How might I rethink other aspects of my pedagogy to make them more aligned with learning goals?
I’m just shooting from the hip here, but I’m wondering if a simple checklist of questions like this might be an effective way to guide instructors through a reflective exercise in preparation for the fall. This is inspired in part by some comments on my latest post where folks were suggesting that more concrete examples might be helpful. I’m thinking that a list of questions with some responses from various instructors might help us think through these issues in more tangible ways.
Hey Ben I agree with you that AI should not be used in schools but what about at home? I may have missed your explanation of that point if so I apologize—but that is my main concern as an educator.