AI is everywhere. You may be excited about the AI innovations we are currently being inundated with or you may be tired of hearing about it. If you are an ELA teacher, you have almost certainly been navigating the sticky issue of AI use in the classroom. Much like the early days of widespread internet access, there seems to be a mix of inspiration and panic among educators when it comes to this sudden technological advancement. Teachers are justified in their concerns about AI discouraging independent thinking and hindering skillbuilding, but used strategically, it can be a valuable tool in the ELA classroom, and while teaching Shakespeare.
AI Challenges
One of the trickiest things about the emerging AI landscape is learning to spot an assignment that has been written by AI. Just as students have long been tempted to copy and paste Wikipedia articles into their essays, they are now enticed by the ability to input any prompt into an open AI source like ChatGPT and instantly generate an entire assignment. While there are some tools out there that screen for AI use, they are not entirely reliable, sometimes diagnosing AI when a student is a particularly proficient writer or failing to spot it at all. These programs will undoubtedly improve in the near future, but what are educators expected to do in the meantime?
Like with any other classroom skill, much of AI-detection savviness comes down to experience. A teacher who has seen enough AI-written assignments may start to notice patterns such as the overuse of a specific word or phrase or a general lack of specificity in responses. It can also be helpful to compare a student’s digitally submitted assignment to their in-class writing to look for glaring differences in syntax and writing ability. However, like the early days of the internet, students are already getting much better at using AI to fool their teachers, and AI makes this deception incredibly easy. For example, a student may generate an answer to a prompt, and then instruct the AI to edit the answer to make it look like a tenth grader wrote it. This more sophisticated use can create a real problem in an ELA classroom, allowing students to float through a class until it is too late, unnoticed by a teacher who may have otherwise found a way to engage them in the material.
When it comes to Shakespeare, one interesting discovery we have made is that ChatGPT is not a reliable source for accurate Shakespeare citations. We have found it often provides quotes that Shakespeare never wrote, or incorrectly identifies quotes when asked what play or scene they can be found in. While perplexing, this little glitch can help demonstrate to students why using AI to write their papers is not a good idea, just as educators have long advised against using information found on the internet without fact-checking sources.
Disciplinary strategies are a common response to these issues, as they have been with general plagiarism in the past. But educators know that an uninspired and uninterested student can never be forced to learn, and policing their tech use without providing support will not create better learning outcomes. Instead, we advocate for finding creative and culturally sustaining ways to engage students in the text, identifying their areas of need, and providing a bit of AI literacy in this new landscape.
We also suggest creating writing prompts that strategically discourage AI use. Personal reflections are a great way to bypass the temptation to use AI. For example, you may ask students to reflect on a specific discussion you had in class, or to write about a time they experienced a similar dilemma to one they have identified in the play. It can also be helpful to break down longer writing assignments into several steps, requiring students to first submit an essay idea, then an outline, and then a rough draft. Asking students to show their thought process as they progress through the assignment prevents them from jumping to the final product through AI use alone. You can also require them to complete some or all of these brainstorming assignments in class the old fashioned way, using pen and paper. It can be a daunting task to convince students that they shouldn’t allow AI to do all of their thinking for them, but the hope is that, given the opportunity to see their writing improve and produce work they are proud of, most students will see the value in exercising their creativity and critical thinking skills. Now, let’s discuss a few things AI does well when it comes to supporting Shakespeare instruction.
AI Opportunities
The EdTech world has been abuzz with discussions of AI in the classroom over the last couple of years, but one consistent ethos that tends to emerge is that AI, in all spaces, is at its best when it is used to create connection. In the classroom, this can take several forms. AI can work as a discussion partner when a student is feeling stuck on a particular assignment. For example, let’s say you ask your students to prepare for an essay by picking a theme in Romeo and Juliet and using myShakespeare’s Notebook feature to highlight and tag the text every time the theme appears. Your students can start by using AI to discuss the themes in Romeo and Juliet and decide on one that resonates with them. Here is what that conversation might look like:
As you can see, ChatGPT does a great job of highlighting potential themes, generating interest in the assignment, and helping the student connect these ideas to their own life. The key here is asking the right questions, which is why a bit of in-class training on AI use can be really helpful.
Additionally, AI can be a great editing tool when students need a proofreading partner before they hand in their assignment. The amount of AI editing a teacher allows is entirely dependent on school policy and their own comfort with the process, but some educators might feel confident trusting their students to use AI in this way after having discussions about ethical AI use and demonstrating effective use in class. One good rule of thumb is to provide students with an instructional phrase that works within your established boundaries to prompt AI editing support. An example might be:
“Can you proofread my essay for any major spelling or grammar errors, and point them out to me when you make changes?”
-or-
“Can you provide suggestions to help me clarify my thoughts and use more concise language without changing my voice or ideas?”
A key aspect of creating these AI prompts for your students is asking the AI to show its work. This way, students receive an explanation for the suggested edits and improve their writing skills in the process.
In a very short time, AI has drastically changed classroom instruction and the world. It is hard to predict what changes we will see next, but we know there will continue to be serious challenges and exciting innovations around AI use in education. Like with any new technology, ensuring your own tech literacy and sharing that knowledge with your students is the best way to encourage positive learning outcomes, no matter what major shifts are ahead. When it comes to Shakespeare instruction, we believe that with caution and creativity, educators can continue to effectively leverage technology to support student engagement with these classic texts.
