By Jacqui Byrne, Founder of FlexSchool
“If we react with fear, then we aren’t modeling the critical thinking skills our students need when we are not there to guide them.”
When ChatGPT prompted panic in much of the educational world, FlexSchool’s leadership team chose to do what we do with any new policy discussion: we took it to the students when we returned to school in early January. Our students are neurodiverse, gifted, and twice-exceptional (both gifted and special needs at the same time), making their interesting perspectives anything from outrageous to profound. As a frame for our discussion about ChatGPT, we asked them to figure out how ChatGPT’s capabilities, limitations, and risks fit into the larger picture of our school community, our Core Values, and our society. While many educators are still debating ChatGPT/other generative AI and the possible fallout, our students have moved on, so we would like to share their thoughts and our resulting AI policy.
Evolution of student discussion (grades 5–12):
“No way, sick! I didn’t think it would be able to do that.”
“We asked about cold fusion, and it correctly described it, but didn’t have the latest breakthrough for its use to create energy.”
“I think that AI is very cool. Although it could be used for cheating in school, it is also important to further AI to understand what it is capable of and its consequences.”
“If this response was posted online as news, there would be a bunch of nerds saying ‘Um, actually...’”
“Sometimes if you look at it, you’re going to be like, that’s not right – something’s a little off. That looks like If we react with fear, then we aren’t modeling the critical thinking skills our students need when we are not there to guide them. the uncanny valley for writing.”
“Not any more dangerous than Cliff Notes.”
“Even though the app generates original writing, it is based purely on what has been previously written. ChatGPT is basically like a Frankenstein of plagiarism.”
Discussion on the broader question of AI:
“AI can never be put into a position to choose in matters of justice because you can’t program empathy.”
“The human brain is essentially just a super powerful computer, so if the brain can do it, an AI could eventually do it.”
“Justice is not really about what someone deserves, but rather what needs to happen so that the population feels that justice was served. When the judge, jury and executioner don’t have feelings, the population may feel that its decision doesn’t represent their idea of justice.”
Our job as educators is to prepare students for what they will face in the real world, which is changing at an ever-increasing rate. If we react with fear, then we aren’t modeling the critical thinking skills our students need when we are not there to guidethem. If we react with fear, then tech lockdowns and greater controls at schools create a conflict between adults – vigilant and assuming the students will try to cheat – and students – anti-authority and assuming the adults don’t respect them enough to ask their opinions. In our experience, students take policy and issue discussions very seriously and are capable of seeing nuance. Not only do students follow policies they themselves created, but they do so with grace because they understand all perspectives. That is also how we want students to discuss topics as adults in the workplace and in communities.
Based on student and faculty input, our current new policy is below. Generative AI is exciting and has potential unforeseen consequences so our policy will evolve. Reacting with fear will prevent us, and our students, from thinking clearly.
I wrote this opinion without ChatGPT to prove I still could.
FlexSchool Policy
(decision based on student and faculty input)
Generative AI tools are and will proliferate online, including the text generator ChatGPT and image generator/editor Lensa, which have taken the Internet by storm since December of 2022, although these are just a few of many. These tools can both help and hinder student learning.
Situations when students can use a text bot as support:
Struggling writers can use a text bot to model writing and editing but will reveal that they used a text bot. If they can't remember how much they used it, the teacher will ask the student to answer the question verbally, without being able to look at what they/ChatGPT have written.
Students can use a text bot after they have finished an essay to confirm that they have included all relevant information in their own writing.
Students and teachers can use ChatGPT/Lensa to experiment with different writing and art styles and perspectives. In addition, teachers can ask students to create an outline from an essay written by a text bot or deconstruct generated art and design.
Guidelines and consequences when generative AI tools are not used ethically:
Students are not allowed to present work they have not produced, regardless of the source and including a bot. If work other than their own is included in an assignment they are submitting as their own work, it must always be attributed to the source.
If a teacher has a concern about the authenticity of an assignment, the student will be given the opportunity to prove they are the author or artist (through time-stamped edits, hand-written outlines, etc.) or they will verbally describe the evolution of their thoughts such that the teacher knows they are familiar enough with all of the material to have written or otherwise produced it themselves.
The consequence of not following these guidelines is that the teacher will ask the student to redo the assignment during a proctored study hall. A second incident will be considered an academic lapse under our Restorative Practice guidelines.
About the author:
Jacqui Byrne, Founder, FlexSchool
Jacqui Byrne is the visionary behind FlexSchool, learning communities for gifted and twice-exceptional (2e) students – with a 100% live online campus and physical campuses in NJ and NY.
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About FLEXSCHOOL:
A Gold level member of THE G WORD’s Global Partnership Network, FlexSchool is a unique learning network designed specifically for gifted and twice exceptional (2e) middle and high school students. At this time two campuses serve the Tristate area, one in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey and another in Bronxville, New York.