The Division\u00a0scolaire\u00a0franco-manitobaine\u00a0(DSFM) has clarified its stance on how students should be using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in schoolwork.<\/p>\n
Superintendent\u00a0Alain Laberge\u00a0says the new direction was made earlier this fall and is meant to help students learn, not\u00a0to punish them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe decision was made in\u00a0September\u00a0of this year,\u201d Laberge says. \u201cIt was based on the use of AI in homework. I\u00a0wouldn\u2019t\u00a0say that we had concerns, but\u00a0little worries.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Why the Division Acted\u00a0<\/p>\n
Laberge says the division noticed several patterns that pushed them to rethink homework and AI tools.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe saw a\u00a0large proportion of homework\u00a0being handed back that was completed using AI, and always in English,\u201d he says. \u201cAI reduces students\u2019 engagement and puts aside critical thinking. Students who usually need help completing tasks in class will tend to use AI without mastering the concepts.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He adds that not all families have equal access to technology at home, which creates unfair gaps for students. And for DSFM, where French-language learning is the core mission, too much reliance on English-based AI tools can interfere with literacy development.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a minority setting,\u00a0reading helps build literacy skills and curiosity, helps reduce stress, and helps students become lifelong readers,\u201d he explains.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Laberge also notes that many families are already stretched\u00a0thin.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeveral families are juggling extracurricular activities, family time, and schoolwork,\u201d he says. \u201cTimes are changing, and the vast majority of families are sprinting from school or work to get home, have a quick dinner, then head to arts, sports, and other activities.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Homework\u00a0Isn\u2019t\u00a0Gone, But\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0Changing\u00a0<\/p>\n
Laberge stresses that DSFM has\u00a0not banned homework.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a difference between finishing unfinished classwork at home and getting homework,\u201d he says. \u201cTeachers can still assign homework. But for K\u20138, it should never be about new material or concepts.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The division is asking teachers to coordinate, especially in high school, to avoid situations where students have nothing one night and three assignments\u00a0the next. And before assigning any homework, Laberge says teachers should ask themselves one simple question:\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it really worth it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He adds that students have also voiced their frustration about homework that ends up unused.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMany told us, \u2018There\u2019s nothing I hate more than doing homework and finding out the next day that it will not be marked.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Will Teachers Know if\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0AI?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Laberge says cheating\u00a0has existed\u00a0long before technology and AI.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cCheating is nothing new,\u201d he says. \u201cTwenty or thirty years ago, students wrote answers on erasers or on their wrists. Ten years\u00a0ago, they used cell phones and called each other to exchange answers.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0creative, but no different from using AI today.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
While teachers do have tools that can check whether AI generated an assignment, Laberge says those tools\u00a0aren\u2019t\u00a0perfect, and they take time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents\u2019 work can easily be verified with AI tools,\u201d he says. \u201cBut they\u2019re not always accurate, and using them takes time, especially if you have 20 or 30 students.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the end, Laberge believes the best way to know if learning is really happening is still through personal interaction.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I\u2019ve always told teachers is that the best thing is to\u00a0test students in the classroom,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you give homework, you can always ask questions the next day. If the work really comes from them,\u00a0they\u2019ll\u00a0remember.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
What Parents Should Know\u00a0<\/p>\n
Laberge says parents play a huge role in supporting the division and their children\u2019s education.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cParents are an essential piece of the puzzle,\u201d he says. \u201cWe want them to know that homework should be meaningful and should supplement what was done during the day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He also hopes families understand that DSFM is trying to balance academic expectations with students\u2019 mental well-being.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThese social activities, sports, arts, everything, are essential in maintaining a\u00a0state of well-being\u00a0and positive mental health,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Most importantly, he emphasizes that DSFM\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0against AI.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea is\u00a0not to demonize AI, au contraire,\u201d Laberge says. \u201cStudents and teachers need to learn how to use it. And from there, it will be up to the teacher to give homework or not.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Division\u00a0scolaire\u00a0franco-manitobaine\u00a0(DSFM) has clarified its stance on how students should be using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in schoolwork. Superintendent\u00a0Alain…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":323117,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[62,276,277,49,48,61],"class_list":["post-323116","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-artificial-intelligence","tag-ai","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-artificialintelligence","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323116","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=323116"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323116\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/323117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=323116"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=323116"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=323116"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}