To the Editor:
Owen Kichizo Terry, in his recent essay, sends a sobering message to all educators (“I’m a Student. You Have No Idea How Much We’re Using ChatGPT,” The Chronicle Review, May 12). Terry warns that “we’re not being forced to think anymore,” and yet his essay is a powerful testimony to his ability to think. In fact, he demonstrates such convincing thinking skills that it begs the question if thinking was ever something students could be forced to do.
The French philosopher of science Alexandre Koyré once said that man is a lazy creature who only bothers to think when he cannot solve his problems by any other means. This suggests that despite living in the digital age with access to an abundance of means, Terry is facing a problem that no tool, not even ChatGPT, can help him solve.
What problem is that?
“We’re at an awkward middle ground where nobody knows what to do”, he writes, and that’s exactly it. Like his peers, professors, parents, and even the tech experts leading the AI revolution, Terry is watching basic societal structures and belief systems fall apart, and he has no idea when and how they will be replaced.
Terry is struggling to find his feet in these uncertain and unpredictable times, and he faces the problem head on. Being in a middle ground where nobody knows what to do is an existential problem, and the only solution to existential problems is to ask the questions that no one can answer for us. Terry seems to ask:
- Why am I here?
- Who do I depend on to succeed?
- What is the purpose of education?
- How do I (not) want to spend my time?
By asking and attempting to answer fundamental questions about his own situation, behavior, role, and responsibilities, Terry discloses what it takes to cultivate a learning environment fit for the AI age. Terry teaches us that it is not assignments and exams that force students to think, rather it is their insatiable appetite to understand themselves and their surroundings. His essay testifies to the power of:
Curiosity. By observing each other, students are constantly trying to understand and adapt to the environment they are part of. They do so by reflecting on why things are the way they are, how they change, and what impact the changes will have.
Critical thinking. Finding themselves in complex situations can be overwhelming, but it can also sharpen students’ ability to identify critical gaps, e.g. between how educators think ChatGPT is being used and how students actually use it.
Creativity. While educators are teaching how to craft good prompts, Terry describes how students are way ahead when it comes to using ChatGPT in creative ways that are impossible for teachers to detect, let alone prevent.
Just as professors have no idea how much students use ChatGPT, the curiosity, critical thinking, and creativity that drive students to learn and grow is invisible. So, instead of trying to force it, educators should make room for their students to set it free.
Pia Lauritzen
Founding Board Member
The Question Collective
Copenhagen, Denmark