A TEACHER’S GUIDE TO USING CHATGPT

The rise of AI in the classroom has brought about a new player in the edtech world: ChatGPT. As you may have seen in the news or on social media, ChatGPT is creating quite a buzz. But what exactly is it, and should we be embracing it or shunning it as a tool in the classroom?

By Rachel Arthur

ChatGPT is a language model developed by OpenAI, which has been trained on a vast amount of data, allowing it to answer questions and provide information on a wide range of topics. In essence, it is a sophisticated version of Google, constantly learning and adapting based on the information fed into it. With Microsoft’s recent partnership with ChatGTP, it is set to become a key player in the edtech world.

There are both fears and excitement surrounding the use of ChatGPT in education. On one hand, it has the potential to significantly ease the workload of teachers. On the other, there are concerns about how students may misuse this tool. So, let’s delve into the pros and cons and see what teachers really need to know about ChatGPT

As with any new technology, there are certainly some fears and concerns when it comes to using ChatGPT in the classroom. Let’s explore some of these fears and discuss how we can address them.

The most obvious concern of powerful technology like this is that pupils will use its powers for evil rather than good. If pupils can use it to complete their work, then how can we use their out-ofclass work to assess their progress accurately? If they use it to complete coursework or controlled assessment, how can we check for it before it goes o to the exam board?

Well firstly, pupils have to have access to it to be able to use it so unless you have devices for all pupils in all lessons, it’s unlikely they will be using it in class. If they do have devices, then monitoring your pupil’s screens and being clear about times you can and can’t use is important. Like with all controlled assessments access to certain tools are blocked so being clear about this with your classes will prevent these issues.

With homework, it is a di erent ball game, as you will not know if they have used it or not. So, think about the home learning you are setting and how it can be used. Be vigilant about the tone of work that is coming back from pupils and notice if there’s a sudden change in their writing style. Think about setting tasks the ChatGPT just wouldn’t be able to complete eg. Construct geometric shapes using a compass and a ruler for a maths lesson or plotting and analysing data using a graph or chart to make inferences for a geography lesson.

Like any new software, Chat GPT isn’t 100% accurate. When you load the website it has a disclaimer about its limitations “ May occasionally generate incorrect information”, “may occasionally produce harmful instructions or biased content” and “limited knowledge of world events after 2021” therefore you have to be cautious to check any work you use it to produce and use it as a lesson to teach pupils that not everything they read online is true..!

Before you go and get this new tool to generate reports for your whole class be aware that there are concerns about GDPR and the privacy of pupil data. To address this, it is important to ensure that ChatGPT is being used in compliance with all relevant privacy regulations. So, don’t just drop your whole class list into the chat bar, get it to generate reports and then add the pupil’s names in afterward!

There is also a fear that some sta may resist using ChatGPT in the classroom and may become resistant to all tech in the classroom, potentially undoing the great work being done, especially for SEND pupils. To address this, it is important to provide adequate training and support to help sta feel comfortable and confident using ChatGPT. This may include providing training sessions, workshops, or online resources, as well as ongoing support and guidance as needed.

With the fears and warnings out of the way let’s get to the good bit, how can we use this tool for the power of good in our classrooms and reduce our workload?