I teach 18 year olds who range in reading levels from preschool to college, but the majority of them are in the lower half that range. I am devastated by what AI and social media have done to them. My kids don’t think anymore. They don’t have interests. Literally, when I ask them what they’re interested in, so many of them can’t name anything for me. Even my smartest kids insist that ChatGPT is good “when used correctly.” I ask them, “How does one use it correctly then?” They can’t answer the question. They don’t have original thoughts. They just parrot back what they’ve heard in TikToks. They try to show me “information” ChatGPT gave them. I ask them, “How do you know this is true?” They move their phone closer to me for emphasis, exclaiming, “Look, it says it right here!” They cannot understand what I am asking them. It breaks my heart for them and honestly it makes it hard to continue teaching. If I were to quit, it would be because of how technology has stunted kids and how hard it’s become to reach them because of that.
Yes, BUT everyone needs to write at some point. Also, some people do not feel comfortable sharing in class and as a teacher we should not be forcing them to. There are different learning types so your approach works for some and not others. That is why there should always be multiple ways to convey learning.
My point is, you won’t get away from writing and you shouldn’t. So, find a way to make sure they know multiple ways to express themselves.
Everyone also needs to speak in public at some point and some don’t feel comfortable writing either. You’re entirely missing the point. I didn’t say “stop asking them to write”, I said “stop trying to catch them using AI and be a better teacher”.