By Rania Ali-Svedsäter ’26
Undoubtedly, artificial intelligence has become an encroaching factor in secondary school classrooms worldwide. Mr. El Alam, a mathematics instructor at Phillips Academy Andover, has experimented with various potential solutions and policies to address the negative impacts of Chat GPT and other preeminent AI models. El Alam generally attempts to implement unique and unorthodox course policies that do not completely disregard the presence of artificial intelligence. Conversely, El Alam seeks to balance the rise of AI with traditional instruction techniques, evident through his insightful test construction and unconventional course assignments.
Financial Literacy is El Alam’s most demanded class and aims to provide students with the necessary skills and experiences for effective financial management. El Alam highlights a recent surge of artificial intelligence usage amongst students who have taken the course, identifying newfound reliance on Chat GPT when answering questions or constructing arguments. He admits that artificial intelligence models may have indisputable negative impacts on students’ learning development, infringing on their abilities to think authentically and without technology.
Nevertheless, El Alam also recognizes the value of technology as a “double-edged sword.” While technology may be disadvantageous for academic independence, it is instrumental for information accessibility and resourcefulness. El Alam strives to embrace AI within the classroom. When composing an exam for Financial Literacy, El Alam used Chat GPT to generate all answers to his questions within the test. Surprisingly, he provided his students with the AI-generated solutions during the test and instructed them to critique each solution. Understandably, his students initially felt bewildered by his unique test approach; many previous teachers encouraged them to completely ignore any learning assistance from Chat GPT and other AI models. Nevertheless, El Alam later discovered that this method was beneficial for the learning development of his students, as they could thoroughly interpret and criticize the AI-generated solutions. When analyzing their writing and responses, he inferred that AI did not defeat the purpose of his exam, but rather enhanced the students’ critical thinking.
El Alam tries not to impose preconceived notions of AI on students but rather allow them the authority to make good decisions with AI. He thinks that the best students will not rely upon AI but will also not discard it completely. El Alam enforces that AI can be a harmful or beneficial utility, dependent on the student’s engagement and decisions when interacting with it. Given the prevalence of AI and technology within current educational systems, it would be a disservice to prohibit students from its numerous potential benefits.
In conclusion, El Alam believes that academic institutions should learn to mediate AI and transform it into a useful educational utility that can accelerate student learning. In a world characterized by rampant technological advancement, eliminating AI is detrimental. Therefore, the best way to combat AI is to educate students on its multifaceted impacts, teaching them to prevent its harmful effects and benefit from its powerful abilities. El Alam urges instructors to promote student autonomy by not degrading or discarding AI to the students. Our responsibility as individuals and mentors is to encourage student awareness, paving the way for technological benefit in the future.
Read more articles like this in our Fall 2024 Issue!
