ChatGPT as a teaching tool in Denmark High schools

Mette Mølgaard Pedersen, an English teacher at Horsens Gymnasium in central Denmark, noticed that some students had submitted assignments with the help of an AI tool, just weeks after the launch of ChatGPT.

"My experience was that the students would use it without any kind of thought, and in that way, it becomes an obstacle to learning, and learning is the whole project here," said Pedersen. "But if we could change the way they use it so that it becomes a tool for learning, then we would have won a lot, both in terms of, well, giving the students a new tool for learning, but also in terms of the relationship with the students," she added.

"Because if we can have the conversation with them about how to use AI, then the whole idea that they can't talk to us about it because it's forbidden goes away. "And whether or not you like this and whether or not you think it's problematic, you have to realise that it is here. And if you drive it underground, then you stop all conversation about it".

Using ChatGPT as a tool to learn

The boom of ChatGPT prompted Pedersen to start formulating a project for using the chatbot in the classroom, rather than blocking it. Now, five Danish high schools - including Pedersen's - are encouraging the use of the technology in some classes, as part of a two-year project. The students are so far content with the initiative.

"I think we were all thinking it's cheating by using it, but I think we're all kind of using it as a thing in class. And then, 'oh, look at this, it's something new,' and it can give you all the answers you want in a matter of seconds," said Fie Nørskov, an 18-year-old student at Horsens Gymnasium.

In a recent English class, students were tasked with analysing a short story first by themselves and then using an AI chatbot. It’s a lesson in the technology’s abilities, but also its limitations. "I think it's great. I mean, it's a tool almost like any other thing in the world. It's almost like a search engine, but you can be more specific with it and, it can give you more straight answers than typing something into Google," said Jacob Yde Dideriksen, 17, another student at Horsens Gymnasium.