This is a false dichotomy. I feel like this well-worn talking point might be outliving it’s usefulness even faster with the invention of LLMs. We teach the mechanics of arithmetic and of spelling and grammar because that’s what education is for, it’s for teaching how things work so there’s an understanding of the fundamental mechanics, and it starts with the basics and builds on top of them to more advanced topics, in order to deliver a well-rounded and deep understanding. Note that the logical extension of your argument is to let ChatGPT, or the next AI, or the one after that, to start explaining your examples, and let humans ignore everything the computer can do, which now includes writing 1500 word essays. After all, just like spell checkers and calculators, access to AI is what people have in the real world.
We don’t need to choose between teaching multiplication by hand and how interest works, because we already teach both, one in a basic arithmetic class, and the other later in algebra & calculus. Same for spelling vs grammar vs writing. Spelling and grammar happen in elementary school, and essay writing happens in high school and college. Teachers already do allow calculators in algebra and calculus. This has no bearing on whether we should allow calculators in arithmetic class based on the vague notion that having access to calculators at all times is a ‘realistic scenario’.
I feel like this kind of thinking is what is leading people to try to cheat in the first place, it’s a lack of understanding of the value in basic skills, and the misguided assumption that learning something only has value if you can demonstrate you would need to use it all day every day for a job right now. The problem is it doesn’t ever get better or easier if you skip the basic mechanics that computers can do; in fact it only gets harder to learn the subjects that do actually matter that you are going to be using, when you have foundational gaps.
More than ever, what we are going to need from here on out of the education system is people who know at least a little what AI is on the inside just so we can use it effectively, not to mention build it, maintain it, control it, set legal policy, fix it when it’s wrong, etc. etc.
This is a false dichotomy. I feel like this well-worn talking point might be outliving it’s usefulness even faster with the invention of LLMs. We teach the mechanics of arithmetic and of spelling and grammar because that’s what education is for, it’s for teaching how things work so there’s an understanding of the fundamental mechanics, and it starts with the basics and builds on top of them to more advanced topics, in order to deliver a well-rounded and deep understanding. Note that the logical extension of your argument is to let ChatGPT, or the next AI, or the one after that, to start explaining your examples, and let humans ignore everything the computer can do, which now includes writing 1500 word essays. After all, just like spell checkers and calculators, access to AI is what people have in the real world.
We don’t need to choose between teaching multiplication by hand and how interest works, because we already teach both, one in a basic arithmetic class, and the other later in algebra & calculus. Same for spelling vs grammar vs writing. Spelling and grammar happen in elementary school, and essay writing happens in high school and college. Teachers already do allow calculators in algebra and calculus. This has no bearing on whether we should allow calculators in arithmetic class based on the vague notion that having access to calculators at all times is a ‘realistic scenario’.
I feel like this kind of thinking is what is leading people to try to cheat in the first place, it’s a lack of understanding of the value in basic skills, and the misguided assumption that learning something only has value if you can demonstrate you would need to use it all day every day for a job right now. The problem is it doesn’t ever get better or easier if you skip the basic mechanics that computers can do; in fact it only gets harder to learn the subjects that do actually matter that you are going to be using, when you have foundational gaps.
More than ever, what we are going to need from here on out of the education system is people who know at least a little what AI is on the inside just so we can use it effectively, not to mention build it, maintain it, control it, set legal policy, fix it when it’s wrong, etc. etc.