Is ChatGPT the new teacher鈥檚 aide?
Teachers have said that the artificial intelligence tool, which can write anything with just a simple prompt, could save them hours of work鈥攁 game-changer at a time when teachers have a lot on their plates and stress levels are high.
Even so, some teachers say they worry that using the tool could strip away some of the creativity and relational aspects of teaching or introduce bias into lessons or feedback on student work.
To test the capabilities of artificial intelligence, 澳门跑狗论坛 asked ChatGPT to generate a lesson plan, a response to a concerned parent, a rubric, feedback on student work, and a letter of recommendation. Here鈥檚 what the chat bot came up with鈥攁nd what real teachers thought of its work.
1. Plan a lesson
We asked ChatGPT to plan a lesson for 6th graders on the causes of climate change. It quickly generated an objective, a list of materials needed, assessment ideas, and an 80-minute lesson plan. The lesson plan included direct instruction, guided practice, and independent practice.
Lorenzo Worster, a 6th grade teacher at Sierra Expeditionary Learning School in Truckee, Calif., wasn鈥檛 impressed.
鈥淭o be honest, the lesson plan seems pretty outdated,鈥� Worster wrote in an email. 鈥淢ost science lessons today use the 5E format or start with a phenomena for students to explore and then finish with the instruction after a student grapple.鈥� (The 5E model of instruction includes five phases: engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate.)
Worster added: 鈥淚t also is just the framework and not the actual lesson. What I need most is the sources, facts, experiments with materials鈥攏ot just the broad ideas from which to start planning.鈥�
Still, other teachers say that the AI-generated lesson plans are a good starting point that they can build on to make their own.
鈥淵our lesson plans are your recipe鈥攜ou still need a chef. You still need a teacher to make that recipe come alive,鈥� said Stephen Lockyer, a primary school teacher in London started a lively online discussion. 鈥淚f you鈥檝e got a plan that鈥檚 bare bones that you can build on and flesh out and make wonderful, then that鈥檒l save so much time.鈥�
2. Respond to a parent email
We drafted an email from a concerned parent that said: 鈥淒ear Ms. Johnson, I am alarmed to see that Isabella is getting a C in your class. She told me that you won鈥檛 let her submit any of the assignments she missed, even for partial credit. Why can鈥檛 she? Please advise. -Jane Smith鈥�
Then, we asked ChatGPT to respond, telling the parent that her child cannot submit any late work. The chat bot wrote out a lengthy, professional email within seconds.
Patrick Harris, a middle school English teacher near Detroit, said in an email that he loved how the ChatGPT took some of the heavy lifting off teachers鈥� shoulders by giving them a framework to build on.
"[The email] is written in a tone that does not match mine,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut it does give me a hint on what I could say, and I can revise it from there.鈥�
3. Write a rubric
We asked ChatGPT to write a rubric for an oral presentation for 6th graders, including the use of a visual. It generated a 100-point rubric with four categories: presentation content (40 points), delivery (30 points), organization (20 points), and attire and materials (10 points).
The scoring guidelines are a good example of the time-saving capabilities of ChatGPT, Harris said. While teachers might need to revise and edit the rubric to better suit their needs, generating a template lightens teachers鈥� loads.
鈥淲hen I was in my first years of teaching, I was overwhelmed with the amount of things piling up on my to-do list. The hardest part was not checking the items off my to-do list, but it was having the mental (and emotional) capacity鈥� to get started, he said.
These AI-generated pieces of work are 鈥渁 start but never the finish,鈥� Harris said.
4. Grade a student essay
We asked ChatGPT to grade an 8th grader鈥檚 essay analyzing Shakespeare鈥檚 鈥淩omeo and Juliet.鈥� One key point: The essay itself was generated by ChatGPT.
Romeo and Juliet is a classic story written by William Shakespeare about two young lovers from feuding families. The play is set in the city of Verona and follows the tragic fate of Romeo and Juliet as they try to navigate their love for each other despite the hate between their families. The themes in the play include love, hate, and the power of fate.
One of the most striking things about Romeo and Juliet is the way that Shakespeare portrays the love between the two main characters. Romeo and Juliet鈥檚 love is intense and passionate. It is clear that they truly care for each other and that they are willing to do anything to be together. Despite the fact that they know their love is doomed from the start, they continue to fight for it until the very end.
Another important theme in the play is hate. The hatred between Romeo and Juliet鈥檚 families is the main reason for their tragic fate. The Montague and Capulet families have been enemies for a long time, and their hatred is so deep that it cannot be resolved. This hatred is what ultimately leads to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, as they are caught in the middle of the feud.
The power of fate is also a significant theme in Romeo and Juliet. Throughout the play, it is clear that Romeo and Juliet鈥檚 fate is predetermined. They are unable to control the events that happen to them, and they are ultimately helpless against the forces that bring them together and tear them apart. Despite their best efforts, they cannot change their fate.
In conclusion, Romeo and Juliet is a powerful and tragic story about the love and hate between two young lovers. Shakespeare鈥檚 portrayal of the love between Romeo and Juliet is intense and passionate, and the themes of hate and fate add depth to the story. The play is still popular and widely studied today, a testament to its timeless relevance and powerful storytelling.
ChatGPT gave the essay a B-plus. It said the essay was a 鈥渟olid analysis鈥� that provided specific examples to support the writer鈥檚 points. The chat bot did say that the essay should include more quotes from the text, offer a more in-depth analysis of the role of fate in the play, and give 鈥渁n example of a universal relevance of the themes.鈥�
Christina Torres Cawdery, an 8th grade English teacher at Punahou School in Honolulu, strongly disagreed with the chat bot鈥檚 grading. She said she would have given the essay a C-minus, citing its lack of supporting quotes or specific evidence, as well as poor and static sentence fluency. The conclusion was clear but shallow, Cawdery said鈥攏ot the level of writing she鈥檇 expect from an 8th grader.
Her biggest concern is that ChatGPT said the essay provided specific examples to support the text, but Cawdery said she didn鈥檛 see any. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it accurately analyzed this essay at all,鈥� she said.
She also pointed out that the chat bot was unable to offer personal feedback. When grading, she strives to 鈥渒now [the] writer鈥檚 voice and understand the kind of feedback that they need,鈥� she said, adding that the feedback looks different for every student.
Also, Cawdery said she worried about the potential for bias from ChatGPT, which is trained in part through human coaching. Students who write in their local or cultural dialect could be dinged for not using academic language, she said, which concerns her.
5. Write a letter of recommendation
Finally, we asked ChatGPT to write a letter of recommendation for a student, James. We included three descriptors of James鈥攖houghtful, hardworking, and curious鈥攁nd added that he currently has an A in our Advanced Placement Literature class.
ChatGPT wrote a glowing letter of recommendation, inserting more descriptions of James鈥� academic prowess seemingly out of thin air.
But Sandy Jameson, an AP English Language teacher at Nazareth Area High School in Allentown, Pa., said the letter felt generic and could have been written about anyone. In order to feel comfortable submitting it, she would have to edit it to add more concrete examples.
鈥淭he person in the admissions office [is] going to read it and say, 鈥業 have no idea who this kid is,鈥欌�� Jameson said. 鈥淚 can see how this might be useful as a starting point, but personally, if one of my students wrote this as an example of a letter, this would probably be a B or a C letter.鈥�
