ARTIFICIAL intelligence is growing in popularity and use among this generation, with roughly one in five students admitting they use AI for schoolwork. As technology evolves, teachers at Granger High School agree that AI use can limit student learning and critical thinking.
“When AI is used, it can help them write their assignments, but they’re giving away the most important thing we’re practicing,” Ms. Green, an English teacher, said. “We use our own reasoning and creativity. When students don’t have that, it can take longer to do assignments and practice skills.”
Teachers also emphasize that relying on AI answers can prevent students from developing crucial research skills. “AI can limit students from finding their own research,” Mr. Cousins, a social studies teacher, said. “Info is so easy to get now, and students don’t realize how valuable that is. AI is a tool we need to understand. Most of the time, when students use AI, they ask one question but don’t go deeper. Try to learn from it. Use AI, don’t let AI use you.” Teachers want to support students in achieving success, but they warn that relying on AI software as an academic crutch creates long-term dependency. To encourage independent effort, teachers use specific classroom management strategies to reduce AI assistance.
“On the essays, I lock down on LanSchool,” Mr. McNeil, a history teacher, said. “Students have to write these essays under time and pressure. I don’t give students the opportunity to use AI. If cheating with the use of AI gets out of hand, I’ll just make them do it on paper.”
Green says that reviewing the work helps identify non-authentic writing in submitted assignments. “Students use AI to think for them instead of teaching them, and when they use AI’s response, it uses words that are different,” Green said. “I have to be up to date with AI and know what AI can and cannot do. I also use an AI detector called Pangram AI. It highlights what parts are AI and what parts aren’t. It is 98 percent accurate at checking for AI.”
Cousins says structured assignments can guide students to use AI to collaborate on ideas rather than get final answers.
“What I do is try to teach students to do it themselves,” Cousins said. “I give them formulas and a lot of notes to help them answer questions on the assignments, but when we do use AI, I make them brainstorm with it so they can gain more from it instead of just getting the answers. Students should use their capability to find info on their own and learn from it. I want students to think and research for themselves rather than let AI do it all for them.” As AI becomes more common in schools, teachers emphasize the importance of using it responsibly. They want students to use it without replacing their own thinking. AI can help with brainstorming, research, and learning, but students still need to develop the skills that come from doing the work themselves.
