How High Schools are Both Combatting and Embracing ChatGPT
Written by Erica Edman (C’25)
When I sat down to write this article, the first thing I did was type in ChatGPT, “Find me sources about how high schools are dealing with ChatGPT.” Immediately, half of my research was done for me. I rarely write a paper, discussion post, or presentation without first consulting ChatGPT. A study from Wharton even showed that ChatGPT would receive a passing grade on a typical final exam in an MBA course. In a world where AI is accessible to the public and becoming more useful by the day, schools are scrambling to figure out how to both embrace the new technology and prevent students from cheating.
ChatGPT has been incorporated into high school curriculums in a variety of ways. Some schools use it as a virtual teaching assistant to help answer student questions and provide additional support outside of the classroom. Others have integrated ChatGPT into language courses, allowing students to practice conversational skills with a machine learning model that can simulate real-world interactions.
One high school English teacher from Oregon, Cherie Shields, has been experimenting with her students using ChatGPT to assist their writing. Shields assigned the class to create outlines for their essays using the AI tool that compared and contrasted short stories from the 19th century. Shields believes that the assignment helped her students both learn how to interact with AI and deepen their understanding of the readings.
Donnie Piercey, a fifth grade teacher from Lexington, Kentucky, has enjoyed incorporating the AI tool into his classroom. During one class, Piercey had his students play “Find the Bot” where each kid wrote a paragraph about Muhammad Ali and then had to sort through their peers’ writing to find which one was written by ChatGPT. According to Piercey, “As educators, we haven’t figured out the best way to use artificial intelligence yet. But it’s coming, whether we want it to or not.”
However, as with any technology, there are risks associated with the use of ChatCPT in high schools. One of the main concerns is the potential for students to rely too heavily on the tool, leading to a lack of critical thinking skills and an over-reliance on technology. This could have negative impacts on students’ ability to problem-solve and think creatively; skills that are essential for success in higher education and the workforce.
In February 2023, New York City made the decision to block the AI platform from any devices and networks owned by schools throughout the city. According to Jenna Lyle, a spokesperson from the New York City Department of Education, ChatGPT prevents students from acquiring critical thinking and problem solving skills which are “essential for academic and lifelong success.”
So if I told you that some portions of this article were written by ChatGPT, would you believe me? Take the time to look back on this article and see which paragraphs you think were written by the AI platform. I’ll give you a hint: there are two.
Whether educators like it or not, ChatGPT and AI are the future. The technology is going to improve and it will only become more difficult to distinguish a human’s work from AI’s. While teachers and schools can decide to either adopt the technology or attempt to combat it, it is clear that the field of education is forever changed.