Before We Ban ChatGPT - Let’s Look for Options

"Today, knowledge is free. It's like air; it's like water. There's no competitive advantage to knowing more than the person next to you. The world doesn't care what you know. What the world cares about is what you can do with what you know." Dr. Tony Wagner (2012).

Do you think that 11 years ago, Tony Wagner imagined that, in 2023, this quote would be used for a blog on ChatGPT??

So what is ChatGPT? ChatGPT is a natural language processing tool made by OpenAI that allows you to have human-like conversations with an AI chatbot.?

So if I understand this correctly and agree with Dr. Wagner, ChatGPT is a free way to write and communicate and is practical and useful if the user produces something impactful.

It is fascinating to observe the firestorm that is swirling around ChatGPT. No surprise, once again, there is emotional and dramatic debate around another advancement in technology that saves time and, in this case, fulfills one of the primary uses of the written word - communicating one's knowledge, opinions, and ideas.?

The education sector is arguably the slowest to innovate and embrace change, so it’s no wonder that there is a huge debate around this new tool. I often joke that if the education sector writ large were in charge of researching, developing, and implementing a COVID-19 vaccine, we would still be sitting around the table waiting for everyone to agree while people were sick and dying.

Thankfully the science, medical, and biotech sectors were in charge. These sectors had real-world problems/challenges that required more than hypothetical and theoretical solutions. Millions of lives were at stake, and the world needed action and results.?

So, countless examples exist when Googling how technology has changed our lives. Here is a list of the top ten: The wheel, electricity, automobile, lightbulb, transistors, refrigerator, television, the computer, the World Wide Web, and telephone and smartphones.

Judging by my last trip on several airplanes through many airports, there was a smartphone in the hand of at least 90% of the people I saw. Most people have embraced this time-saving, efficient, entertaining, informative, and valuable device.?

There is constant debate surrounding the advantages and disadvantages of technological advancement. But the reality is that innovation is unstoppable. Science fiction has been replaced by science fact. As a child, I marveled at Dick Tracy's wrist phone. Today I own a smartwatch that can receive calls, get directions,? read my blood oxygen levels, and even gauge the distance of my golf shot! ?How many other impossibilities have become a reality?

Celebrated Charles River Ventures VC and two-time author Ted Dintersmith said, "Our choice is stark. We can continue training kids to be proficient at low-level routine tasks and to memorize content they will only remember on topics they'll use. Or we can embrace the reality that much of what school is about today can be ‘outsourced’ to a smartphone, freeing up time for kids to immerse themselves in challenges.”

In February 2023, Ted gave a keynote address at the Association for the Advancement of International Education Conference, where he spoke about ChatGPT. He said if we want to stop using ChatGPT, we could make students write with a rock slate, hammer, and chisel. Of course, he was trying to make a point.

Recently I was speaking with a teacher at an international school in Europe. I have been coaching him in project-based learning strategies. His most remarkable success story was with Daniel, who has an IEP and has been challenged by traditional education. Long story short, the teacher created a PBL experience where students could plan, design, and produce a project-based learning public exhibition. Daniel cares deeply about the environment. He researched and proposed a way to install solar panels in the school. The "powers that be" rejected the proposal because the school building was a protected site and solar panels were not permitted on the roof. Daniel was not deterred. He met with government officials to learn that solar panels could be placed on poles and installed in the parking lot. Daniel gave a revised proposal to the school head and business manager. He presented the project to the Board. The Board unanimously approved the project; the school might benefit from renewable energy as early as this spring.

HOWEVER, more recently, Daniel endured (my words, not his) a seven-week unit on Otello. The intrinsic motivation and empowerment that emerged during the last project disappeared as he was assessed only by his knowledge of vocabulary, spelling, and other more content-based criteria. Daniel, again, my words, could not see the relevance of Otello, nor was he guided to do so.?

It’s not my intention to offend passionate and experienced English teachers when I suggest a more relevant use of seven weeks. A simple search yielded an article from Yale National Initiative (to strengthen teaching in public schools) called "Modernizing Shakespeare: Finding Contemporary Themes from Otello.” Who knows, maybe there's a way to incorporate solar panels into a theme from Otello?

For my granddaughter’s safety, security, and future, we must focus on environmental, social, economic, and health concerns. Ted Dintersmith often asks, do we need every student to "memorize content they won't remember on topics they'll never use?"

Sir Ken Robinson has written, "The revolution I'm advocating is based on different principles from those of the standards movement. It is based on a belief in the value of the individual, the right to self-determination, our potential to evolve and live a fulfilled life, and the importance of civic responsibility and respect for others." ( Ken Robinson, Creative Schools: Revolutionizing Education from the Ground Up)

We do not need to belabor the point that our educational system needs re-imagination, transformation, reinvention, and restructuring. The term 21st Century Education is 23 years old. Some children born in the year 2000 are about to become teachers!??

Wouldn't it be amazing if teachers and administrators shifted their role from instruction to "servant leadership?" "Servant Leadership is a non-traditional leadership philosophy, embedded in a set of behaviors and practices that emphasize the well-being of those being served."(Greenleaf Center, Seton Hall University.)

If so, adults might realize that the world our students will inherit will be fundamentally different from today. Who can deny that there are no certainties anymore and that we need a future based on strategic thinking, perseverance, determination, equity, critical thinking, engagement in social issues, civics and social justice, and entrepreneurship? Our primary task should be to help our young people become stewards who protect and serve their environment, society, economy, and health.

We all know the two resources that impact us most are money and time. Of course, transforming education takes money. But the more elusive resource is time. Since 2004 Google has effectively promoted its concept of 20% time. For decades progressive education has promoted opportunities beyond classroom learning. John Dewey suggested the simple process of Learn-Do-Act. In most schools around the world, most students are learning. The learning phase occurs in rooms led by adults with lots of work and numerous forms of assessment. This goes on for an average of 180 days a year and utilizes over 70% of the budget to employ adults to provide students with the content, practice, homework, and tests.?

In Ted Dintersmith’s book, “What School Could Be,” and Michael Horn’s “From Reopen to Reinvent” (and many others), we learn about schools that have carved out time and space to Do and Act. I call the Learn, Do, and Act process: Basecamp (Academic Hub), Experiential Hub, and Expeditionary Hub.

To best prepare students for their future, they need the time to research, develop, solve problems, accept challenges, discover passions, find solutions, and more. The learning environment needs to be active and relevant. The International Center for Leadership in Education defines the highest form of relevance as: "application to the real world in unpredictable situations." That might be the perfect mission and vision statement for schools!

"Most lecture-based courses contribute nothing to real learning. Consequential and retained learning comes from applying knowledge to new situations or problems, researching questions and issues that students consider important, peer interaction, activities, and projects. Experiences, rather than short-term memorization, help students develop the skills and motivation that transforms lives” (Wagner, Most Likely to Succeed, 7-8).

So what does all this have to do with the ChatGPT controversy? What are other options besides unilateral CharGPT banning as happened in the? New York City public schools? How should we focus on the debate from a student-centered perspective?

During COVID-19, Linda Darling-Hammond wrote, "This pandemic puts a stark light on an emerging truth—education as we know it is over, and we must think of "school" in deeply different ways” (Forbes, “A New ‘New Deal’ For Education: Top 10 Policy Moves For States In The COVID 2.0 Era”). This is one of many quotes that emerged during the COVID years.

Many others wrote during COVID that this could be a time for extraordinary transformational learning environments - alternative models - painting outside the lines, flying without a net, and thinking with no box.

I hoped and dreamed that my heroes were right, that the post-COVID-19 years would bring a new age in education, and we would see phenomenal advances in the education sector. But, alas, the wait continues.?

Another great innovator I admire is Tech Sherpa Ian Kitajima. He told my Rotary Club, "Seek out chaos; it's ripe with opportunities. When times are good, why change? Chaos creates the conditions for change to occur."

So let's combine the COVID-19 quotes with Ian's thinking and toss in a dash of ChatGPT. The result should yield more opportunities for creativity and solutions that better engage, motivate, and inspire our students.?

I have used ChatGPT several times already. My prompts clearly describe what I need to know or intend to communicate to others. The results have been beyond my expectations. I even used ChatGPT to introduce myself recently, highlighting my Clifton StrengthsFinder strength of ideation. I include it here as it helps validate my thinking about Chat GTP, which fed back to me, "My name is Robert, and I am a motivated and creative individual with a passion for making ideas come to life. I am a talented ideator who can develop many new and innovative ideas. I never shy away from change, am highly adaptable, and often look for ways to challenge the status quo."

So before we ban this new technology, let's look at other options.?

I do have a proposal, a suggestion, or a recommendation. But first, I need to set the scene by writing about the scuba diving certification process I took a group of students through when I was head of a school in Maui. This was part of a program called “Impact Wednesdays.”?

First, the student starts in a classroom setting. Here content is presented, such as what happens to the body underwater, the equipment, rules, safety procedures, hand signals, and lots more. Learners view videos (slides when I was certified) and receive a book. Obviously, there is no water in the classroom, and students and the instructor wear street clothes. The instructor stands and delivers.

From the classroom, students move to a swimming pool. Students and the instructor wear scuba gear and are in the water. However, the pool is only so deep, and students can safely practice in a confined and safe space. The instructor is no longer in front of the class but circulating among the students. There are several pool experiences before students transition to the next step.

Students now move to the open water. This step fits our previous definition of relevance (application in the real world with unpredictable situations). The instructor is on the side to observe or communicate direct skills using signals or a whiteboard. Students need to demonstrate their skills expertly. The open water is the real world.

The reality is that you don't scuba dive or drive, play sports, or act in a classroom. You use assessed skills that you know, understand, and are able to do…for real.

Once a student has reached an acceptable level of literacy and numeracy, let them have that Google 20% time to focus on internships, purposeful projects, global issues, civics and social justice, financial literacy, and more. Set them free to solve problems, find solutions, start a business, and do community service. In fact, passionate math and science students will have more time to focus on math and science.

Technology has given us time in so many other ways. We use computers and smartphones to save time. People use robot vacuum cleaners and lawnmowers to save time. We have microwave ovens and air fryers to save time. We use automated farm equipment to save time. The list goes on.?

How difficult would it be to create a writing proficiency test? In fact, doesn't the MAPS test already do that? So I propose that students use ChatGPT (and more educational technology just around the corner) once they qualify as writers. Students can be eligible to use ChatGPT and then submit a ChatGPT approval form or something similar to "justify" its use. They will cite ChatGTP in their work and demonstrate in many other ways that they are literate.

How many students are still completing hundreds of hours of teacher-directed writing assignments? As a head of school for over 30 years and a parent of two, I know how many hours I have observed, which is too many.?

To truly reimagine, transform, or reconstruct education, we must find time to engage students in impactful opportunities. Let's use the STOP, START, CHANGE, CONTINUE method to find the time. What can we stop to start something? What can we change to find more time??

By allowing qualified students to use this valuable technology, they will have more time to make a difference in their ever-changing world. They will start a business, deal with global issues, become stewards of the environment, ensure social justice, become financially literate to avoid debt, learn from experts in real-world settings through internships and apprenticeships, and have more time for family, friends, hobbies, sports, the arts, etc.

ChatGPT might be the disruption that the education sector needed to get us all to rethink how we educate young learners and question what we need to teach so, to paraphrase John Dewey, we do not rob them of tomorrow.

(Disclaimer: this blog WAS NOT written by ChatGPT)