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AI homework help: where's the line?
Following up on my earlier post about kids and AI. My 6-year-old is now in 1st grade and the homework is still simple enough that AI isn't an issue. But I've been talking to other parents at school and the 4th-5th grade parents are STRESSED about this.
The consensus seems to be:
- Using AI to explain a concept you don't understand = probably fine (like a tutor)
- Using AI to check your work after you've done it = probably fine
- Using AI to do the work for you = not fine
- Using AI to brainstorm ideas for a creative project = gray area?
But like... how do you even enforce that? I can't stand over my kid's shoulder for every homework session. And the line between "explaining a concept" and "doing the work" is blurry.
Any parents with older kids figured out a good framework for this?
Ok so my kid is 14 and here's what I've landed on after a LOT of trial and error: I told him he can use AI like a study buddy but he has to be able to explain everything in the final product without looking at the AI chat. If he can explain it, he learned it regardless of how he got there. If he can't explain it, he didn't learn it and needs to redo it.
Is it perfect? No. Does he still probably cut corners sometimes? Probably. But at least there's a rule and a reasoning behind it that he understands.
Honestly the bigger problem is that school hasn't caught up. They're still assigning work that's designed for a pre-AI world.
Lisa's framework is really smart. The "can you explain it" test is essentially an oral exam, which has been a valid assessment method forever. It also teaches metacognition — thinking about your own thinking and learning.
I'd add: teach kids to be transparent about AI use. Not because it's shameful, but because intellectual honesty is a life skill. "I used AI to help me understand photosynthesis, and here's what I learned" is a perfectly valid approach to homework.
Lisa, I love the "can you explain it" rule. Stealing that for when my kids are older. And you're so right that schools haven't caught up. My sister teaches 5th grade and says the teachers are basically making it up as they go. No training, no clear policies, just vibes.
okay i don't have kids but my niece is 11 and her mom (my sister) lets her use ChatGPT for one specific thing — explaining a concept the textbook is bad at. like "explain photosynthesis like I'm 10 and bad at biology." that's it. no homework writing, no math problem solving, no essays.
the rule my sister told her: if you can't explain back to me what ChatGPT just told you, you didn't learn it, you copied it. niece can usually explain it back. when she can't, the next conversation is "okay so we need to actually read the chapter then huh."
seems like a reasonable line to me. line is "tutor mode, never ghost-writer mode."