Which part of your job do you still refuse to hand to AI, and why?
I'm particularly interested in educators who have tried using AI to do a particular job but then gone back to doing it manually. I also wonder whether we disagree on this and whether we can have a discussion that helps us find better solutions?
62 replies
Giving AI any details about my learners or staff.
I never let AI be the final wordin grading or giving comments.
I prefer the messiness of early planning. When I’m considering a new unit, I lay out a big sheet of paper and mind map my ideas. Doing that brain dump of options as a calming effect. I revisit that output a day or two later to refine the list of ideas that will shape the research and development needed to produce individual lessons. It is at that point that AI is most helpful. I use specific...
I use Curipod for quick low stakes feedback in a lesson but I will not use AI to ever give feedback on essays or work that students have handed in to me. If I want students to take time and put effort into a piece of work, then I should be doing the same when it comes to marking it. Marking also gives you a really clear insight into what your students have grasped and what you need to go back over
That distinction between handing over the cognitive load versus the judgment is so important. I wrote a chapter in The AI Classroom called "Outsource your doing, not your thinking", which I think captures this. Thanks for sharing
Other than situations where professional judgement should not be displaced and actions that infringe on others’ privacy, there’s probably not a lot I’d outright refuse to do with AI. What has changed for me is the stage at which I might engage AI.AI responses can initially be beguiling, they sound so polished and well reasoned, but on closer inspection there is often a lack of conceptual...
Grading. I think reading students' work is a wonderful way to get to know them, and I would not want to even attempt to offload relationships to AI. And yes, they might be using AI for their work, but that's when I can have a conversation with the student about the ethical and responsible use of AI and about learning through critical thinking and productive struggle.
The part of my job I still refuse to hand fully to AI is daily lesson decision-making. Planning a lesson is rarely linear. Student energy, misconceptions, absences, confidence levels, pace, and unexpected moments can completely change what the best next step should be. A fixed scheme of lessons can look organised on paper, but real teaching often needs responsive adaptation. What I do hand to...
The hand-writing detection is getting so much better isn't it!
As an English teacher, I don't use it at all to grade. I want to get a sense myself of what they are capable of. The only thing I sometimes do, is upload a snapshot (with no student details) to the Ai to decipher what someone has written :)