Comment on A generation taught not to think: AI in the classroom
Jason2357@lemmy.ca 5 weeks agoOffloading onto technology always atrophies the skill it replaces. Calculators offloaded, very specifically, basic arithmetic. However, Math =/= arithmetic. I used calculators, and cannot do mental multiplication and division as fast or well as older generations, but I spent that time learning to apply math to problems, understand number theory, and gaining a mastery of more complex operations, including writing computer sourcecode to do math-related things. It was always a trade-off.
In Aristotle’s time, people spent their entire education memorizing literature, and the written world off-loaded that skill. This isn’t a new problem, but there needs to be something of value to be educated in that replaces what was off-loaded. I think scholars are much better trained today, now that they don’t have to spend years memorizing passages word for word.
AI replaces thinking. That’s a bomb between the ears for students.
E_coli42@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
It doesn’t have to replace thinking if used properly. This is what schools should focus on instead of banning AI and pretending that kids are not going to use it behind closed doors.
For example, I almost exclusively use Gen AI to help me find sources or as a jumping-off point to researching various topics, rather than as a source of truth itself (because it is not one). This is super useful as it automates away the tedious parts of finding the right research papers to start learning something and gives me more time to focus on my actual literature review.
If we ban AI in schools instead of embrace it with caution, students won’t know how to learn skills in order to use it effectively. They’ll just start offloading their thinking to AI when doing homework.