Mike Kaechele

Tag: AI

  • How to AI Proof your PBL Project

    Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

    The AI Problem

    Years ago, in Project Based Learning workshops, I used to say that a good Driving Question shouldn’t be “googleable.” The DQ should not be something answered in a simple search, but students should have to take a deep dive into content before answering it. I would advise teachers to make the context of their project local and/or personal so that students were required to apply the content to themselves and their community.

    Now days teachers are talking about designing projects that AI can’t quickly answer. It turns out that is nearly impossible as AI can be coached into any perspective or format and has access to the entire internet. Remember the writing acronym RAFT that we used to teach students? What is your Role, Audience, Format, and Topic?

    Today RAFT is an acronym for AI prompts rather than scaffolding for actual writing.

    The same advice against “googleable” projects still applies to AI: PBL projects should be community focused and personal to students. Otherwise AI may still be used by students to avoid too much effort when they are not engaged in the work.

    Limit Tech Solution

    One approach is to return to hand written assignments. By restricting tech access, teachers force students to think and write for themselves. In some cases I think that this can be a suitable approach. Teachers can also require students to demonstrate their writing process through outlines and rough drafts.

    The caveat is that if the writing is done outside of the classroom, it still could be AI generated and then copied by hand. Before we start wringing our hands too hard, let’s remember how many students paid other students to write their papers for them in the past. It’s not anything new….

    Art Solution

    Another version of this philosophy of limiting tech is to tie an art element into the final product. This forces students to apply their content learning in a creative, yet fun context. The art can also be shown off to the community sharing the learning more broadly.

    One of my favorite examples of art integrated into the project process is Justin Wells’ Dante’s Inferno Literary Analysis. Rather than being the culmination of the project, the art work happens in the middle of the project deepening students understanding of the epic poem. The art pieces act as scaffolding for the high level literary analysis that the students wrote afterwards. Rather than being just a “shiny” activity, the art is integral to the deep learning.

    Motivation Solution

    I believe the most effective preventative measure to the lure of AI is creating strong motivation in students to care about the project. If a project focus is truly personal and meaningful, students will commit effort toward quality work (as demonstrated in the video). On the other hand, if the project is perceived as disconnected busy work, then students will flock to the easiest path of completion, AI.

    My Honor’s Geometry students are externally motivated and will jump through any hoop, completing any assignment because they care about their grades and competitive standing. They might complain, but they will do the work. Of course, some of them use AI to help with homework, but mostly as a tool to help them understand.

    Some of my Algebra I students won’t do anything that is not graded. They want a purpose for the work and many only care about credit in the class. School is something to be endured until they can graduate and take control of their life. They certainly don’t love math for its own sake.

    In his book Drive, Daniel Pink argues that intrinsic motivation comes from autonomy, mastery, and purpose. I would argue that in education, the order matters. You can’t start with full autonomy (often called student voice and choice) or you might end up with anarchy. The majority of students will not voluntarily choose to learn most content standards. First, the teacher needs to connect their content to a relevant purpose.

    We are still living in an education world that emphasizes content for standardized tests to make sure that all students are at grade level. Standardization is the opposite of agency and purpose. Student tasks needs to be authentic, not isolated skills only. Projects should be tied to academic standards, but not driven by them. It’s counterintuitive, but a project focused on local impact actually leads to deeper learning of content than a pure emphasis on academic standards.

    A relevant project that connects students to their community creates an authentic purpose to the content and inspires student to utilize their own creativity rather than to subcontract their thinking to AI.

    A PBL project that is embedded in the community with a meaningful impact can motivate students to put their heart and soul into their work. Everyone feels a sense of accomplishment when they give to a collaborative effort that makes a difference. That motivation of purpose shifts students away from the shortcuts of AI to giving their best work that they are proud of!

    • What opportunities are there for your students to make a local impact?
    • What businesses, non-profit organizations, or community groups could your students work with?
    • What local problems might your students help solve?
    • Who can your students help?

    One thing that AI can never replace is the spark of human connection that comes from service learning that touches local residents. The best way to combat the negative effects of AI is to emphasize our humanity. Let’s teach our students how our contact can help make their world a better place.

    Learn with me!

    Are you interested in professional development for your school on how to integrate SEL or implement PBL? I would love to have a conversation on how I can help. I am now scheduling summer workshops and book studies. Check out my workshop page or drop me an email at mikejkaechele@gmail.com. I would love to chat and co-plan meaningful PD for the educators at your school.

    Would you like to explore more deeply how to integrate SEL into daily classroom activities? Check out my book below for tons of practical ways that can be immediately implemented in any classroom.

    Pulse of PBL

  • PBL as a remedy to cheating with AI

    Image by 0fjd125gk87 from Pixabay

    I haven’t played around with the new AI program ChatGPT myself yet, but I have seen results posted from others such as here and here. I appreciate the tension around students using these type of programs to cheat, but students have always cheated. I have had former students tell me post graduation that they wrote all of the papers for another kid in the class. The answer keys to most textbooks can be found online through a simple search. The truth is that we have never been able to detect and stop all cheating and never will.

    My first impression of ChatGPT is that the AI responses are a bit robotic and stale (I understand that the technology will only improve). The writing seems formulaic and dull without any personality. It lacks the voice of quality writing and storytelling. Yet the style also felt strangely familiar.

    Where have I seen this type of bland writing before?
    School textbooks!

    Outside of novels in ELA, the majority of student reading in other content areas lies in poorly written textbooks. History books that are sterilized so as not to offend anyone, amounting to boring accounts of one-sided facts. Science content without inquiry to peak excitement in the learning. “Real world” math problems with ridiculous contexts that no one outside of school would ever use.

    Typical textbook assignments reward plagiarizing. Copy down word for word from the key sentence in the reading to receive credit. Why are we surprised when students copy and paste from the internet? Solve the math problem by following the algorithm step by step. The ultimate twist for me is that school districts pay so much money for these poorly written resources.

    I know that most teachers go beyond their assigned textbooks to bring their classes to life. What if teachers didn’t have to go to Teachers Pay Teachers or create all of their own content to find creative ways to teach? For me personally, I am getting burned out researching to find good ideas.

    What if textbooks were a collection of the best resources around a topic in an engaging format compatible with Project Based Learning?

    Each unit could have a driving question and suggest possible audiences. History books would be full of primary sources, both written and visuals, for students to analyze. Science textbooks would be a series of experiments for students to evaluate the concepts as they learn them. Math would be investigations to play with abstract concepts. All of them would use more of a personal narrative style than the formal stating of facts like an encyclopedia.

    Or maybe ChatGPT could just write new textbooks for us in 5 minutes saving schools thousands of dollars while getting the same quality of meh.

    The heart of cheating of any kind is the same as the issues with textbooks. When an assignment is boring and irrelevant, student only want the grade and do not care about learning the content. It’s a points game and who cares how they get them. If we want deeper learning then we have to provide better assignments, resources, and curriculum.

    I would suggest that the remedy to cheating is the same as for poor quality textbooks. Challenge students with an engaging problem in your community. Using a Project Based Learning format, structure your content so that it is personal to students. Make learning something that kids want to do rather than have to do. When they are doing actual work for a client or community group they will be motivated to learn and perform at their highest levels. The delightful magic at the end of the project is watching your students confidently explain their learning to others. As students make a difference their self-belief grows and they become adaptive, willing to take on new challenges.

    Learn with me!

    If you are interested in how your school can develop high quality projects in a PBL framework, I would love to have a conversation on how I can help. I have limited availability for PBL & SEL workshops during the school year so contact me early. Check out my workshop page or drop me an email at mikejkaechele@gmail.com. I would love to chat and co-plan meaningful PD for the educators at your school.

    Pulse of PBL