From anthropocentrism to technocentrism, humanity’s journey of multifarious triumphs is certainly worth revelling in. I am no conservationist to talk about the impacts of this progression on the planet, but I am concerned about how its ramifications could be on the skill-building of the students of the 21st century.
Ever since ChatGPT was made available, there have been debates on its benefits and limitations for people from different walks of life, especially academics. And the outcome of these debates is varied. At the risk of sounding old school, as an educator, I am much concerned that it not only diminishes students’ autonomy but also risks their agency.
As emerging pedagogical research highlights the significance of nurturing and honing thinking skills to better prepare students for the unprecedented challenges in the future, the ever-evolving AI impedes any chances of cultivating or sometimes even exercising those cognitive abilities. As rightly depicted in the 2008 award-winning movie Wall-E, over a period of time, humans gradually become unthinking masses lacking enterprise. Many of the assignments that most students submit are entirely churned out from, or influenced by, ChatGPT. But one may ask, “Haven’t students relied on technology even before the advent of AI? So what is the fuss about?”
Earlier, technological aid meant only Google search, which provides students with a gamut of options to sift through and find reliable and relevant information. To locate the appropriate source, students will engage in extensive reading of various resources. This process serves as a valuable learning experience, as students will actively make conscious choices, enhancing their research and other cognitive skills.
Rusty memory
Remember the bygone days when we seamlessly could recall the phone numbers of our loved ones? As our memories have become rusty, we rely on Google Calendar to remind us of the special days of our dearest ones. The acts of recalling and remembering have largely become redundant and our bond with gadgets is “till death does us part”.
In the realm of education worldwide, the widely recognised stages of learning, by Bloom’s taxonomy, are remembering, understanding, applying, analysing, evaluating and creating. While the first three stages are teacher-facilitated, the next three foster student autonomy. Unfortunately, ChatGPT is facilitating students in all these stages and is reducing the students’ ability to think, explore and produce. What, now? Can we control students using the AI tool?
Definitely not! While some public schools in New York City banned ChatGPT from their networks and devices, this alone is not going to solve the issue. Let us accept the fact that AI chatbots such as ChatGPT will continue to be a significant part of our lives. Hence, we need to learn to navigate our lives amid these digital genies. We must recognise and acknowledge the glaring reality, the proverbial “elephant in the room”. So, what we could do is to encourage students to be more conscious learners. Tell them to use the tool consciously, checking if what is generated is precisely the information required and assessing the reliability of content (beware, if your question is not specific, what you get is not relevant). Before turning to the digital friend, have faith in yourself. Ask yourself if you know how to get around this problem and you would be surprised.
There are myriad benefits of technological advancements, but let us not allow technology to come in the way of education and cripple the intelligence of the next generation. Dependence is fine, but not to the extent of submission. In the pursuit of automation, let us not give up on ourselves.
maithri.venkat@omegaschools.org
