ChatGPT is invading the classroom: why teachers should embrace the tool

Perhaps there are smarter ways education can work with ChatGPT. The Greek philosopher Socrates was already concerned about the impact of writing on young people’s memory and storytelling skills.

Although completely understandable, his concern turned out to be unfounded. Teachers have been very successful in incorporating not only writing, but also things like calculators, spell-checkers, and Wikipedia into the learning process for young people. How can ChatGPT also become an educational tool that can improve learning? We offer 3 strategies for teachers.

1. Make use open and transparent

Explicitly direct students to use ChatGPT. Let the students create a script using ChatGPT and let them work on it. Ask them to explain the “claims” they entered. Then ask them to think about the text that was generated: where things could be done better, what needs to be done differently.

In the end, let them make an improved version of the text based on their reflection. Students can see why ChatGPT gets a lower rating for a task than if they were holding a pen themselves.

2. Focus on weaknesses in technology

Like any other AI solution, ChatGPT’s algorithm is trained on information found on the Internet. The latest information in the database on which ChatGPT has been trained dates back to 2021.

Therefore, allow students to work on current topics, or hide topics about which there is little information available online, or require them to incorporate a minimum of recent sources into the text. Encourage them to check the input they are getting from ChatGPT against other sources.

3. Use the tool as a brainstorming aid

ChatGPT can produce a lot of text at any given time, but the content of that text is as valid as it is incorrect. At the same time, these “hallucinations” of technology can be very inspiring. It can help students come up with ideas that they couldn’t come up with on their own, but often times they’ll be better able to retain those really valuable ideas. Or they can build on these ideas. Start a brainstorming process with ChatGPT and then push them to beat the algorithm and get really creative.