Tag: cognitive development

Why Even Basic A.I. Use Is So Bad for Students

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ALT Text: A distressed student sits at a desk with their head in their hands, surrounded by laptops displaying AI interfaces. Labeled "INTELLECTUAL STAGNATION." Image (and typos) generated by Nano Banana.
The weight of intellectual stagnation: How reliance on AI can hinder genuine learning and critical thinking in students. Image (and typos) generated by Nano Banana.

Source

The New York Times

Summary

Anastasia Berg, a philosophy professor at the University of California, Irvine, contends that even minimal reliance on AI tools threatens students’ cognitive development and linguistic competence. Drawing on her experience of widespread AI use in a moral philosophy course, Berg argues that generative AI erodes the foundational processes of reading, reasoning, and self-expression that underpin higher learning and democratic citizenship. While past technologies reshaped cognition, she claims AI uniquely undermines the human capacity for thought itself by outsourcing linguistic effort. Berg calls for renewed emphasis on tech-free learning environments to protect students’ intellectual autonomy and critical literacy.

Key Points

  • Over half of Berg’s students used AI to complete philosophy exams.
  • AI shortcuts inhibit linguistic and conceptual growth central to thinking.
  • Even “harmless” uses, like summarising, weaken cognitive engagement.
  • Cognitive decline could threaten democratic participation and self-rule.
  • Universities should create tech-free spaces to rebuild reading and writing skills.

Keywords

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URL

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/opinion/ai-students-thinking-school-reading.html

Summary generated by ChatGPT 5

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From Textbook to a Second Teacher: How AI Has Changed Study

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A split image illustrating the evolution of studying. The left side shows a young male student in a warmly lit, traditional setting, deeply engrossed in reading a physical textbook under a desk lamp, with other books around him. The right side shows the same student, but in a modern, blue-lit setting, smiling as he interacts with a laptop. A glowing, holographic AI tutor in the shape of a friendly, simplistic figure hovers above his laptop, surrounded by intricate data visualizations and educational content, symbolizing AI as a "second teacher." Image (and typos) generated by Nano Banana.
The landscape of learning is transforming dramatically. This image contrasts the traditional method of studying with textbooks against the modern approach, where AI has emerged as a dynamic “second teacher,” offering personalised guidance and insights that are fundamentally changing how students learn. Image (and typos) generated by Nano Banana.

Source

The Post (New Zealand)

Summary

Hanna McCallum reports on how artificial intelligence is reshaping study habits, teaching methods, and classroom culture in New Zealand schools. Students at Wellington East Girls’ College describe AI as a “second teacher” that provides on-demand academic support, while educators work to build digital literacy and responsible-use frameworks. Some students view AI as empowering—enhancing access to personalised study tools and creative learning—while others fear it undermines independent thinking and deep learning. Teachers and experts note growing divides between schools that embrace AI and those that resist it, with potential long-term effects on cognitive development. As one lecturer observes, AI can either accelerate learning or encourage intellectual shortcuts depending on how students use it.

Key Points

  • Students describe AI as a “second teacher” offering instant academic assistance.
  • Wellington East Girls’ College is developing an AI strategy focusing on staff training and digital literacy.
  • Some students report overreliance on AI, while others feel left behind without it.
  • Educators warn that unmanaged AI use may reduce critical thinking and motivation.
  • University experts note widening gaps between AI-literate students and those from AI-restricted schools.

Keywords

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URL

https://www.thepost.co.nz/nz-news/360856298/textbook-second-teacher-how-ai-has-changed-study

Summary generated by ChatGPT 5

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How we’ve adapted coursework and essays to guard against AI

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In a modern meeting room with large windows overlooking university buildings, a male and female academic are engaged in a discussion across a table. Between them, a glowing holographic shield icon labeled 'AI' is surrounded by other icons representing 'ADAPTED ASSESSMENTS: HUMAN PROOFED', 'ORAL DEFENSE', and 'HANDWRITTEN ASSFSSMENTS'. Other students are seen working on laptops in the background. The scene illustrates strategies for guarding against AI misuse in coursework. Generated by Nano Banana.
As AI tools become commonplace, educational institutions are proactively adapting their coursework and essay assignments to uphold academic integrity. This image visualizes educators implementing new assessment strategies, from human-proofed assignments to oral defenses, designed to ensure students are building their own knowledge and skills, rather than solely relying on AI. Image (and typos) generated by Nano Banana.

Source

Tes

Summary

An international school led by a history teacher rethinks assessment to preserve cognitive engagement in the age of AI. They’ve moved most research and drafting of A-level coursework into lessons (reducing home drafting), track each student’s writing path via Google Docs, require handwritten work at various key stages to discourage copy/paste, and engage students in dialogue about the pitfalls (“hallucinations”) of AI content. The strategy aims not just to prevent cheating, but to reinforce critical thinking, reduce procrastination, and make students more accountable for their own ideas.

Key Points

  • Coursework work (research + drafting) must be done partly in class, enabling oversight and reducing offsite AI use.
  • Monitoring via Google Docs helps detect inconsistencies in tone or sophistication that suggest AI assistance.
  • Handwritten assignments are reintroduced to reduce reliance on AI and minimise temptations to copy-paste.
  • Students are taught about AI’s unreliability (e.g. “hallucinations”) using historical examples of absurd errors (e.g. mixing battles, animals in wrong eras).
  • The reforms have modest benefits: less procrastination, more transparency, though challenges remain when students determined to cheat try to circumvent controls.

Keywords

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URL

https://www.tes.com/magazine/analysis/specialist-sector/stopping-ai-cheating-how-our-school-has-adapted-coursework-essay-writing

Summary generated by ChatGPT 5

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