The common thinking that OpenAI’s generative AI tool ChatGPT is a boon for (lazy) students and a bane for their teachers. But the theory may not hold up on the real world. In fact, a new survey shows that teachers are more likely to use the chatbot for class work than the students.
The survey, commissioned by the Walton Family Foundation, asked 1,002 K–12 teachers and 1,000 students (ages 12-17) nationwide for their views on the technology, and on using it for school work. It found that nationwide, 51% of teachers use ChatGPT for school, compared to only 33% of students.
And it seems plenty of teachers are in fact allowing students to use ChatGPT. The survey finds that teachers are nearly four times more likely to have allowed students to use ChatGPT (38%) than to have caught them using it without their permission (10%). Only 15% of students admitted to using the program without their teachers’ permission.
Fifty-nine percent of teachers agreed that “ChatGPT will likely have legitimate educational uses that we cannot ignore,” while just 24% agreed that “ChatGPT will likely only be useful for students to cheat.”
Thirty percent of teachers reported using generative AI for lesson planning; 30% said they turned to the tech when coming up with creative ideas for classes, and 27% said it helped build background knowledge for lessons and classes.
“Teachers and students who’ve used ChatGPT overwhelmingly say it’s positively impacted their teaching and learning,” the report authors write.
“Instead of looking for ways to limit it, both students and their teachers believe we should be finding ways to incorporate ChatGPT into education and use it to its full potential.”
Most students say they think it can help them become better students (68%) and help them learn faster (75%). Teachers agreed: 73% said ChatGPT can help their students learn more.
The authors point out that the education system is in need of help, and should embrace new tools that might have impact. Test scores for reading and math dipped to the lowest levels in decades during the pandemic, according to the results of a nationwide assessment by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP. Reading scores slipped five points between the first quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2022, the largest drop in 30 years.
ChatGPT is said to be the fastest growing app, by user number, of any other app in the history of the web.
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