I think, therefore IB

Let’s be realistic: AI tools like ChatGPT aren’t going anywhere. Rather than fighting them, we should embrace how they can genuinely help students’ learning in our Economics and Psychology lessons (yes  and GloPo and Geography and…)

The most obvious benefits are practical. Students get instant clarification on complex concepts like elasticity, marginal analysis, ethical frameworks, or psychological perspectives without waiting for teacher availability. Multilingual learners can quickly verify vocabulary, check spelling, and clarify nuanced differences between similar terms like equality and equity and ethics and responsibility. These are simple wins that reduce friction in learning.

But here’s where it gets interesting: AI as a peer marking substitute. This might be the most transformative classroom application. Students can submit practice essays, receive detailed feedback immediately, and revise before final submission. Unlike overwhelmed teachers or distracted classmates, AI provides consistent, patient feedback at 2 AM or during study lessons. This creates a faster feedback loop.

Beyond basic support, AI excels at writing improvement. It can suggest more concise phrasing, identify sloppy language, improve sentence variety, and help students find precise academic vocabulary. It checks logical sequencing in paragraphs, suggests better transitions, and helps organize brainstormed ideas into coherent outlines. For self-assessment, AI generates practice questions, creates study prompts, and offers sample answers for comparison. It can even simplify dense academic texts for initial comprehension.

These tools function as both tool and peer. Like a calculator or dictionary, they’re quick and accurate for checking details. Like a study partner, they’re good for support and dialogue. This dual nature means AI extends learning capacity.

The key is teaching students to use AI as a learning partner. When they use it to clarify, verify, refine, and deepen their understanding, they’re engaging more thoughtfully with content. That’s not cheating, it’s smart learning. We mustn’t ban AI; we must teach students how to leverage it effectively while maintaining academic integrity and developing their own critical thinking skills.

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