By Shaun Fuchs, Founder and CEO of Centennial Schools

When the first calculator made its appearance, shock and horror greeted its use. Now you wouldn’t see students complete a maths exam without it. The same goes for every new tech innovation that has come along since, and the latest - ChatGPT - is no different.

Much has already been written and speculated about ChatGPT, weighing up its positives and negatives in equal measure. ChatGPT is a natural language processing tool driven by AI technology which allows you to have human-like conversations and much more with a chatbot. The language model can answer questions and assist you with tasks like composing emails, essays, and developing code.

What sets ChatGPT apart from older chatbots, is that ChatGPT was trained using reinforcement learning from human feedback, and therein lies its power. It’s also why we’ve chosen to utilise it in our school.

ChatGPT is underpinned by technology, and technology is central to our teaching methodology.  Rather than kick against it, we’re embracing how this new technology can give our students the tools they need to further their education and provide them with real world skills.

In a 2021 Unesco report on Education and AI, researchers noted that AI technology is increasing the range of high-skill jobs that require ‘unique creative and analytical abilities and human interactions’. While it is true that AI applications will make some jobs redundant, the technology also opens the employment field to better paying, higher skilled jobs. But, we need to make sure our students are equipped for the new frontiers of employment opportunities.

At Centennial Schools we have already embraced technology such as Blockchain, gaming, content creation, coding and design into our teaching principles, so it makes sense to embrace this new tool.

However, if we are to fully appreciate and use AI in the education space to benefit students, we need to relook the way we teach. All around the world we teach with testing in mind. This means teaching is done primarily to improve a student’s performance on an examination rather than to enhance his or her understanding of a subject. There is very little evidence that this method – which prioritises routine cognitive skills and knowledge acquisition – is reliable or accurate.

Moving away from standardised testing and towards more authentic assessments can provide a more accurate picture of student learning.

I believe assessments (exams) should emphasise real-world applications of knowledge and skills. This means that students should be tested on their ability to apply what they have learned in a real-world context, rather than just regurgitating information.

Assessments should measure a range of skills, including critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and creativity to help prepare students for success in the future. Using simulations or virtual reality to create these scenarios, makes learning so much more interactive.

Students should be encouraged to engage in self-assessment, where they reflect on their own learning and progress. This can help them to develop metacognitive skills, such as self-regulation and goal setting.

Here are some of the pros and cons of ChatGPT in education:

For students:

• It’s quick and convenient – providing students with answers quickly, making better use of their limited study time.
• ChatGPT is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week, making it ideal for students who need help outside of normal school hours.
• ChatGPT can provide a personalised response based on the student’s previous questions and interactions, which can help to better understand and retain information.
• The downside is lack of human interaction – made very clear during the Covid-19 lockdown.  ChatGPT doesn't provide the same level of human interaction and engagement that a real teacher would.
• ChatGPT's responses are limited to the information it has been trained on, which may not cover all the topics or questions that a student needs help with.
• ChatGPT's responses may not be appropriate for students who are not fluent in the language in which it is programmed to respond.

For teachers:

• The biggest positive here is that teachers can use ChatGPT to automate the process of answering common student questions, freeing up time and ensuring that all students receive the same information.
• ChatGPT can also serve as a learning resource for teachers, providing them with access to a wealth of information that can be used to supplement their own knowledge and teaching materials. The key word here is supplement.
• On the downside, responses cannot be customised to fit the specific needs of individual students or a classroom.
• Overreliance can result in teachers neglecting to provide personalised instruction and feedback to students.
• Teachers may encounter technical difficulties or glitches, which could impact their ability to effectively use the tool in the classroom.

New technological innovations will keep happening, that’s the way of the world, and we will keep applying the ones that work for us in order to prepare our students to meet the challenges of life after school.