Live data from Hacker News

I Quit Teaching Because of ChatGPT

time.com

11–20 of 164 posts

Re: I Quit Teaching Because of ChatGPT

#12
post #7
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is terrifying. Our ability to think has been our biggest differentiator as a species. LLMs threaten this, and I'll die on that hill.

What's your opinion on calculators? Update: I meant to compare calculators to something like a slide ruler for logarithms. I'm not from US and I tend to forget that some people use calculators to take 20% of 500.

Does calculating numbers based on concrete rules require "thinking" in the same way OP talks about? I think not.

Re: I Quit Teaching Because of ChatGPT

#13
I wonder what can be done. It's terrifying to realize how dependent students are going to become on these tools. Too many people are just not willing to live with the discomfort that comes with learning something difficult, when the alternative is so readily accessible. Short term gain over long term gain, exemplified.

Re: I Quit Teaching Because of ChatGPT

#14
post #7
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is terrifying. Our ability to think has been our biggest differentiator as a species. LLMs threaten this, and I'll die on that hill.

What's your opinion on calculators? Update: I meant to compare calculators to something like a slide ruler for logarithms. I'm not from US and I tend to forget that some people use calculators to take 20% of 500.

A more apt comparison might be asking the abacus what it thinks of the calculator.

Re: I Quit Teaching Because of ChatGPT

#15
The real problem seems to be with the testing and grading system, and the fact that some people game them to receive some title or other credentials.

If one is really interested in learning to write well, or to understand what good writing is, then this particular teacher might still have liked their job.

That approach probably doesn't make much money though.

Re: I Quit Teaching Because of ChatGPT

#16
post #7
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is terrifying. Our ability to think has been our biggest differentiator as a species. LLMs threaten this, and I'll die on that hill.

What's your opinion on calculators? Update: I meant to compare calculators to something like a slide ruler for logarithms. I'm not from US and I tend to forget that some people use calculators to take 20% of 500.

You don't allow students to use calculators for operations they haven't personally mastered. If you don't learn how to add two numbers on your own, the rest of your learning is in serious jeopardy.

This is the author's lament. These students are skipping over personal mastery.

Re: I Quit Teaching Because of ChatGPT

#17
post #2

As long as LLM companies can hang on for another 15 years or so, there will be an entire generation of humans who will be as utterly incapable of living without LLMs in the same way that most people in developed countries are incapable of growing their own food. Intellectual lock-in will be their moat.

But think of 8 billion people paying $40 / month to OpenAI.

Put yourself on the OpenAI IPO waiting list right now!

/s

Re: I Quit Teaching Because of ChatGPT

#18
Is this all bad?

The conversational model of learning, the dialectic, can be better for learning than just reading walls of text.

Instant access to a lot of information, in a more conversational model. I've found it to be more natural.

Are we reaching the stage where every kid has a "Young Lady's Illustrated Primer" from the Diamond Age? That would be a good thing.

Re: I Quit Teaching Because of ChatGPT

#19
post #4
post #2

As long as LLM companies can hang on for another 15 years or so, there will be an entire generation of humans who will be as utterly incapable of living without LLMs in the same way that most people in developed countries are incapable of growing their own food. Intellectual lock-in will be their moat.

8 billion people growing their own food wouldn't be able to live in our planet even if they had all the necessary skills. Industrial agriculture and related technologies have radically increased the amount of food we can grow compared to individual small farmers.

Both of these points can be true at the same time (and IMO are). Tech changes society, but society should also reflect on these changes - and decide whether this is the direction we want to go, the tradeoff we want to have.

Re: I Quit Teaching Because of ChatGPT

#20
post #7
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is terrifying. Our ability to think has been our biggest differentiator as a species. LLMs threaten this, and I'll die on that hill.

What's your opinion on calculators? Update: I meant to compare calculators to something like a slide ruler for logarithms. I'm not from US and I tend to forget that some people use calculators to take 20% of 500.

I will occasionally do long multiplication in my minds eye just to make sure I can lol. Anything more complicated than that, most people will not be doing anyway. University students however, almost universally do need to write sometimes. Similarly if I had decided to do something maths heavy at uni I would be expected to be able to do some pretty complex maths without a calculator first, even if I don't need to do that all the time. It's pretty standard that higher education requires a level of intellectual rigour that is totally unecessary for day to day life. In the case of ChatGPT, it's allowing people to completely bypass that process even in those settings. Meaning you NEVER learn to do it, not just that you don't do it day to day.
Post reply on HN