Writing in a World of AI

Hi, my name is Susie Fahrer, and I am the Executive Director of Rainbow Community School and Omega Middle School.

Considering AI and the Writing Process in Education

You know, I just finished reading an article from The New York Times entitled “What Do Students Lose When They Stop Writing?” And as you can imagine, this was a discussion of the entry of AI into writing practices. You know, for many of us who are in the education field, and for those of you who are considering the impact of AI on your child’s learning journey, there are lots of questions.

There are lots of opportunities. I thought this article did a really good job of just proposing some things for us to consider. At Rainbow, AI is something that we are engaging and being curious about, trying to find the best practices that support really deep learning with engagement in an ever-evolving world.

How Writing Supports Critical Thinking and Deep Learning

So first and foremost, as you can imagine, the research – and maybe even some of our personal experience – really suggests that the process of writing engages the process of thinking.

When we talk about what we want for our learners, it is to have a depth of thinking dispositions, a capacity for inferencing, critical thinking, and application of knowledge and inquiry, right? These experiences, which in many instances show up through dialogue and conversation, really create a different level of depth when we put them in the form of writing.

Supporting Diverse Learners With AI

So we also think about the idea that writing is something we can engage and support for our students with diverse needs. For some folks, the process of writing can feel like a barrier to expressing their true knowledge. In those instances, we’re seeing that AI can be a tool to provide intermittent supports.

Again, it seems like the place where all of us are trying to find balance is ensuring that AI is not doing all of the work for us and that we are maintaining the values and the critical thinking skills that evolve at every stage of the writing process – from considering our ideas, brainstorming, mapping out our thinking, drafting, receiving feedback, really finding voice and engagement.

These are all aspects of the writing process that can have speed bumps along the way. Recognizing the ways we can use support systems – both that of the educators and the human feedback, as well as, at times, supports from the ever-evolving technology.

Helping Students Use AI With Integrity and Balance

I also thought it was really interesting to be thinking about building our policies, both here at Rainbow and maybe for schools all around, to help students understand the why, the when, and the how of AI.

The more we empower our students to really understand it is a tool, and at the same time, there are times when we really want them to engage authentically in their own voice, the more likely they’re going to understand how to use it with integrity and with balance.

Preserving Student Voice, Identity, and Perspective

Lastly, I thought it was really interesting in this article, and again, it resonated for the values we set here at Rainbow, that some students, when they were being questioned about the use of AI in their writing practices, these were high schoolers, shared that they started to realize that, you know, the ideas that were coming forward were being proposed to anyone who was asking.

And again, it felt like maybe there was a loss of their own capacity to really engage:

“What is my idea? What is my identity? What is my perspective on this topic, on this literary essay, on this piece of writing that can express my true lived experience?”

Finding a Balance Between AI and Authentic Learning

I share all of this because we’re on this journey together, here at Rainbow and with all of you, right?

When new technology comes along, we are in it together to figure out all the best ways to use it as an enhancement and engagement, and to balance it with our authentic learning process.

I’m sure this year I’ll be sharing more about how to engage the practice of writing authentically and through the use of tools of AI. See the attached document for a few suggestions of how to get started in finding the balance.

Look forward to seeing you here on campus if you are interested in exploring a Rainbow education.

For those of you who are already part of our community, thank you for being here. Anytime you want to talk writing, you know where to find me.

Be well.

Learn More

Continue exploring ideas from our Director’s Kaleidoscope series, including topics like executive functioning, student autonomy, and project-based learning.