The Sound of Writing: AI’s Impact on Student Learning

Introduction

The philosophical query—“If a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound?”—has a modern parallel: “If a student uses AI to write and nobody notices, does it matter?” As a former journalist, I find the latter question particularly challenging, yet it’s a concern that’s increasingly significant in our evolving educational landscape.

AI’s Rise Across Professions

AI-assisted writing is proliferating across various fields. From marketers creating advertising copy to financial analysts synthesizing complex information, AI tools are being embraced. Over 80% of teachers have reportedly utilized ChatGPT in some capacity, and even in traditionally human-centric professions like literature, AI is making waves. Notably, a winning Japanese novel incorporated AI in its creation process, illustrating the inroads technology is making in areas with high standards for originality.

The Classroom Shift

As with previous technological advancements—laptops, smartphones, and the internet—generative AI is now entering classrooms. Educators face the dilemma of how to prepare students for a future where AI is commonplace, while also grappling with concerning trends in student writing proficiency. Alarmingly, nearly half of Texas fourth graders scored zero on state writing assessments last year.

The Costs and Benefits of AI Writing

The integration of groundbreaking technologies into education transitions traditional skills into new practices. Some changes, like the decline of cursive writing, might not be missed. However, conveniences such as typing have replaced handwriting—despite evidence suggesting that handwritten notes enhance memory and learning. Furthermore, studies indicate that reading in print improves comprehension compared to digital text, yet our daily habits increasingly favor screens.

The Risk of Over-Reliance on AI

One significant risk associated with students using AI to write is the potential for them to depend on technology to the point where it supersedes their critical thinking skills.

For many, writing is a formidable mental exercise that challenges our assumptions, sharpens our ideas, and reveals new insights. It facilitates connections between different concepts, urging us to discern logical relationships and evaluate evidence.

The Value of Struggle in Writing

When AI serves as a shortcut in this process, we risk losing the valuable cognitive “muscles” that writing develops, which are especially crucial for young, developing writers.

Nevertheless, not all aspects of the writing process need to induce stress. For students engaged in thinking development, emphasis should be on substance rather than stylistic concerns. Frequently, we prioritize how we articulate an idea before fully grasping what we intend to express.

Innovative Approaches to AI in Education

At Carnegie Mellon University, a team of English professors proposes a concept termed “restrained generative AI” for writing instruction. This method aims to set guardrails that allow students to focus on higher-order thinking and core arguments without the burden of intricate sentence construction. One innovative feature converts students’ notes into draft prose without injecting opinions, ensuring that the output quality reflects the input quality. If implemented properly, this could support young writers while adhering to educational standards.

Metacognition and Writing Skills

The act of forming sentences is intrinsically valuable. Mastery over conjunctions—the ifs, buts, and therefores—enhances logical reasoning. It prompts a critical inquiry: how much writing skill should we delegate to AI? Over-reliance may lead to a disjointed writing process resembling a simplistic fill-in-the-blank exercise.

The Role of Educators in Student Development

Becoming proficient in writing mechanics and constructing coherent arguments necessitates both practice and guidance. The most impactful learning experiences arise from teachers aiding students in overcoming obstacles and facilitating those pivotal “aha!” moments. However, the limitations of time often constrain how much feedback teachers can provide and the number of writing cycles they can accommodate.

AI as a Time-Saving Tool

One of the ways AI can enhance writing instruction is by streamlining feedback during various writing phases—planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. With AI handling basic feedback on grammar and syntax, teachers can concentrate on more nuanced aspects of writing. By setting clear rubrics, educators can guide AI-generated feedback, aligning it with their instructional goals.

Limitations of AI Feedback

Yet, limitations exist. A recent examination of ChatGPT identified its inability to discern and evaluate the structural facets of argumentative writing accurately, despite its capacity to assign holistic scores comparable to human evaluators.

The Indispensable Role of Teachers

This underscores the pivotal role of teachers in the writing process. While AI can provide useful feedback based on predetermined criteria, exceptional feedback requires contextual understanding of a student’s background and experiences, an area where AI cannot compete with experienced educators.

AI’s Broader Implications for Education

AI raises fundamental questions in education. Currently, educators grapple with whether assignments are AI-generated. Incidences of uncredited copying are prevalent, spanning homework, college application essays, and academic research. Meanwhile, teachers are now acutely aware of students leveraging AI, often questioning its use.

Looking Forward: Engaging with AI

However, as AI becomes integral to educational practices, asking “Why would a student use AI to write this?” holds more value than merely identifying AI involvement. It’s essential to explore how students engaged with AI during the writing process. Just as we encourage students to verify web-based information, they must develop skills to critique, assess, and refine AI-generated content. This represents a crucial aspect of modern media literacy.

Conclusion

Equipping students with these skills will be a key endeavor for educators, who are well-suited to guide students in thoughtfully integrating AI into their writing processes while preserving human agency and critical thought.