A decade ago, the letters AI meant nothing to most of us, or perhaps made us think of a sci-fi movie we’d seen, but now, as parents and educators, AI use is one of our top concerns for our students. Since November 2022, when generative AI reached public awareness with the launch of ChatGPT, so many ideas about online learning, and education in general, have changed. The way that we approach academic integrity is changing, too, and we all need to work together to support our students.

Our goal at Well-Trained Mind Academy has always been to encourage critical thought and analysis, and we have a dedicated, passionate team of instructors and staff who support our students and parents in their academic goals. A culture of respect has been something that has been the guiding light during our twelve years offering live, online classes for families.

Our Student Code of Conduct is based on three pillars: academic integrity, responsibility, and respect. Our instructors use this code to guide students in making thoughtful choices about their school work and class participation.

We have always combined the technology of the moment with time-tested learning methods; we stand by this approach more than ever. We take advantage of high-speed internet and ubiquitous wifi so that we may offer excellent educational resources to our students. Yet taking advantage of connectivity isn’t enough. Yes, we are able to teach, assess, and mentor students anywhere anytime, but we still need the help of guardians in real life to ensure our students are doing their own learning.

In addition to asking for parental check-ins, we require proctored tests in math and science, and ask students to show their outlines and notes in humanities courses. We talk with our students about how to use Google docs and Quizlet and how to build their reading, writing, and math skills. We teach them why it is so important they do their own thinking, rather than turning the work over to a machine.

In our entry-level classes such as Study Skills, Story of Ancient Times, Preparation for Expository Writing, and Grammar, our instructors help students learn how to read texts so that they can confidently study a source and summarize it in their own words. They also demonstrate how to paraphrase, which is a skill many students have never practiced before. In mathematics and science, students learn how to record their problem solving and thinking process. Instructors teach students that the process of learning from past mistakes and finding and correcting errors is critical to learning. Incorrect answers or failed experiments provide valuable information and allow students to improve their skills.

It isn’t enough for our instructors to be waxing nostalgic about the power of the individual thinker. Parents have a big role to play, too. As our founder Dr. Susan Wise Bauer explained to parents during a back-to-school event, “We’re trying to produce kids with well-trained minds. So talk to your kids about their assignments. If a kid can’t talk to you about the assignment they just completed, there’s a really good chance that they’ve taken some shortcuts, which are not, in the end, teaching them how to learn. Ask them to tell you what they wrote about. Ask them to tell you how they just finished the assignment.”

AI is becoming more and more entwined with our everyday lives. The technology will keep changing and evolving, and we’ll continue to explore the best ways to educate our students. No matter what we come up with, we will always need the support and guidance of guardians at home. So ask your student about what they read this week, what delighted them, and what they struggled with. Together, we can help our students become confident, independent learners.

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