It's hard to imagine the long-term effects of the use of AI on students' writing development. Many argue that the composition of unique text is no longer a necessary requirement for most people. This is probably true in numerous professions, where communications, emails and other texts aren't highly specific in nature.
But what concerns me most as a teacher is the gradual inability of students to think for themselves. Using AI for text composition has the potential to extinguish novel ideas and discourage personal insights.
The process of writing requires students to synthesise ideas and make new connections. It is through this arduous and challenging process that deep understandings can develop. I like to think of writing as 'the construction of thought'. Concepts will never be fully understood by students who can't authentically work through them and assimilate them with existing knowledge.
Therefore, in order to teach students the skill of articulating their own thoughts, we need to become more inventive as educators. We need to redesign writing tasks to ensure that students have ample opportunities to consider possibilities without the influence of AI-generated brainstorms.
I believe students should engage in daily opportunities to record and explain their ideas. I prefer for this do be done collectively, recorded in books or on sheets of paper. This improves student creativity and encourages risk-taking (i.e. no idea is a bad idea - it's all part of the process). Furthermore, a focus on formative assessment of the writing process, which includes outlines and rough drafts, places less focus on the final task in determining grades.
Writing should never be about the regurgitation of other people’s ideas to prove understanding. It's a highly rigorous process that gives students the opportunity to create new ways of thinking and knowing.
Text by Melanie Davies © 2023
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