How to ChatGPT-Proof Your Child's Learning

Back in 2006, journalists Claudia Wallis and Sonja Steptoe joked in Time magazine that Rip Van Winkle awaking after a century-long snooze would be completely flummoxed by our modern society—until he walked into a school and found it essentially unchanged.

Eighteen more years after that article, with video rental stores dead, the internet embedded in our lives, and countless other innovations, the main thing that has changed in schools is that blackboards are now green. And sometimes electronic.

The humorous observation about the transition of blackboards shows that the biggest changes to education have been only surface-level. It might look like change has happened, but upon closer examination, the core methods and structures are just the same.

The World is Changing and Education Can't Keep Up

Like Rip Van Winkle, the education system seems to be in a state of slumber amidst a fast-changing world. We still use a traditional model, where teachers are the source of knowledge and students take on a passive role in absorbing it.

Many students—at all levels of learning—view assignments as disconnected from the real world. This results in a loss of motivation and superficial engagement. Teachers are taught to overcome this using superficial strategies, like gamification. For students, the pressure to achieve high grades and performance contributes to a high-stress environment. It pushes students towards shortcuts like cheating.

This outdated approach reflects a time when access to information was scarce. But the world has moved on, and this model doesn't equip students with the skills they will need to succeed in the future.

Embracing a Paradigm Shift

Take a moment to reflect on the astonishing progress we've seen. Only a year ago, ChatGPT didn't exist, and now it's an awe-inspiring resource. Who knows what other remarkable advancements await our children in the future? Drone delivery and self-flying air taxis?

The rapid pace of technological advancement is reshaping the way we learn. ChatGPT has simplified the process of extracting information and learning new things. Its advanced AI capabilities make knowledge more accessible. Considering the impact of these changes on our children's learning experiences is crucial. Will it enhance their creativity and critical thinking abilities? Or will it hinder their curiosity and independent thinking?

Schools excel at preparing students for a world that no longer exists. We need to start preparing them for the world of tomorrow.

Nurturing Essential Skills for Future Success

So, how can we equip our children for a world where AI's role will continue to expand? We often focus on academics and conventional career paths, but it's important to foster essential skills that set them apart from machines.

AI may be great at content delivery and (perhaps) communication, but there are skills it can't replicate: critical thinking, creative innovation, and confidence. These skills will contribute to students' future success, even in an AI-dominated world. They will empower them to adapt, innovate, and thrive in any circumstance.

Roberta Golinkoff and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek's book, Becoming Brilliant highlights essential skills that will be relevant far into the future. Learning should go far beyond stuffing the minds of students with facts and figures. It should be about fostering their confidence to tackle challenges, no matter what changes lie ahead of them.

How can we best support our children's learning and development? Do we have to do special projects that require a ton of time to set up? Do we need to drag our children through them, and get frustrated when they want to quit right away? Should we have them in coding classes and sign up for subscription boxes?

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Well…maybe not.

Creating a learning environment that supports curiosity and desire for mastery may be a better approach.

One parent in our community, Kelly, noticed her child's intense curiosity about something seemingly ordinary—puddles. Jumping in puddles might look like ‘just’ playing, but we can learn to recognize the inherent educational value in activities like this.

Kelly's daughter found joy in jumping in iced-over puddles and feeling the mushed-up leaves. She liked observing the patterns created by cracked ice in winter. Yes, this looks a lot like playing (and it is fun!) but it also provides opportunities to develop hypotheses ("Which puddle will freeze first?" "Will the ice crack when I jump on it?"), gather data through close observation (“The ice on this puddle cracked but not that one”), and generate follow-up questions (“I wonder why?”). This kind of thinking forms the basics of the scientific method and leads to advanced critical thinking, creative innovation, and confidence. These are the kinds of skills that will set them apart and make them ChatGPT-proof.

We can help our children develop cognitive abilities beyond the traditional classroom setting. All we need to do is give them support and encourage them to explore. Instead of holding back their curiosity, we can cheer them on and help them along the way.

Remember, the journey of learning is not only about reaching a destination. It's also about embracing the thrill of discovery along the way.

So, enjoy your children's natural curiosity. Be amazed by the remarkable skills they already have, and scaffold these along the way. I call this process a learning exploration—where we build on a topic that interests our child to understand it more deeply than they might be able to by themselves—without directly teaching them (and also without making it our project!).

When we nurture children's learning in this way, we tend to find that they want to do more of it—they don't have to be dragged through it kicking and screaming because they're excited to learn.

Our kids are already doing remarkable things. Let's learn how to see and support their development and work toward a future where they can be confident to embrace change and innovate. Maybe they can even help us to address some of the challenges we’ve created.