The Blended Approach To Student Writing In The Age Of AI

Educators across the globe are rapidly - or, in some cases, not so rapidly - coming to terms with the challenge of embracing AI in their teaching.

In his article, The Future of Writing in a World of Artificial Intelligence, John Spencer brilliantly scaffolds an approach to student writing that all teachers can adopt.

One aspect that caught my attention was the 2-minute video unpacking his 20-minute peer feedback process.

This feedback process follows John’s suggestion for a blended approach to essay writing. In other words, rather than the student writing an essay without using AI or using AI to generate the ideas and do most of the writing, John’s blended approach combines the best aspects of human and AI inputs.

And this is where the feedback process comes in.

To maximise your chance of reading the whole article, I’m including the super-short feedback video first (it is exceptional), followed by an excerpt unpacking the blended approach.

Yes, this is a little backward. However, it will help keep you on your toes! ?

The 20-minute Peer Feedback Process.

... and now, an excerpt on the blended approach (that precedes The 20-minute Peer Feedback Process).

A Blended Approach to Essay Writing

This blended approach focuses on using AI wisely to enhance the learning while also embracing human elements.

A blended approach might include a mix of hand-written and AI-generated writing. Students can create sketchnotes and blend together drawings and text in an interactive notebook or journal.?

These low-tech options focus on writing as a way of “making learning visible.” Here, students choose old school tools because the simplicity provides more flexiblity for deeper thinking.

But these same students might also use a chatbot to generate new ideas or use an AI-generated response that they then modify and amplify. They might use AI as the starting place and add their own unique voice to the finished product.?

This could happen in the same class period. Students in a blended mode can shift back and forth between the human and artificial intelligence.

Part of learning how to use AI wisely is finding the best contexts for using AI.?

This starts by recognizing the strengths of both the human and machine learning. Machine learning does well with synthesizing information from multiple sources and generating text that’s clear and readable.?

Machine learning can also help with editing and ideation. But if machine learning offers artificial intelligence, humans offer authentic intelligence.

• We do well with voice and tone (especially humor).?
• We understand context and can write with empathy.?
• While AI does well with creativity, we are better divergent thinkers.

For a more detailed unpacking of the blended approach, check out the source article here.

Your turn ...

Would love to hear your feedback. What were your takeaways? Do share!