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by schnitzelstoat 78 days ago
I don't think they need to learn 'AI workflows' (whatever that means). But I think it makes sense to use the LLM's as a resource.

I've used them when studying new languages (human languages not programming languages) and ML algorithms and they've been really useful.

Learning to check the citations it gives you is a useful skill too. I wish many adults were more sceptical about the things they are told.

2 comments

It's true that you can use LLMs as a learning resource and to unblock you. But students just aren't. They are using them as a way to avoid thinking, avoid research, and just spit out an answer they can paste in to their homework.
Because the students learned that school is designed by old morons, without understating why writing book reports and doing math drills has the intent of creating students that can read and write or learn other transferable skills.
They should at least require handwritten work, the kids will still be AI-stupid but will at least be able to write.
You remember better when you write, too.
I assume "AI workflows" means knowing how to split up a task to create a chain of agents that can complete a specific task reliably.

A bit like software development.

The problem is that the task you've defined "split up a task to create a chain of agents" has changed dramatically in just the last six months, nevermind the last two years.

You're wasting effort and teaching an obsolete technology if you try to make primary/secondary education too topical. Students can learn how to decompose a task and how to think critically without ever touching a Large Language Model.

Also when the subsidies go away it will be prohibitively expensive for most businesses, and is probably already too expensive for schools.