AI Savvy Students, Part 3: Use vs. Misuse

 

AI Savvy Students, Part 3: 

Use vs. Misuse, The Stoplight Analogy

AI decisions live in the gray. A simple “yes/no” policy rarely covers every subject and task. The stoplight model gives students clarity while leaving you room to teach.

Red Light: Hard no’s (misuse)

  • Copy/paste submissions. AI produces the text; the student submits it as their own.

  • Fabricated citations or evidence.

  • Bypassing the learning target. Example: using AI to write a creative piece in a class where the target is crafting original prose.

  • Concealed use. If AI meaningfully shaped the work and the student hides it, that’s a red light even if the content is decent.

Response: zero for the task product, restorative redo with a process focus (drafts, oral defense, verification log), and re-teaching of expectations.

Yellow Light: Context matters

  • Tooling that supports mechanics (e.g., Grammarly) in classes where the target is historical reasoning, not comma usage.

  • Tutor-style assistance when stuck. If the student can show learning—what changed and why—yellow can move to green.

  • Brainstorming with constraints. Generating topic lists or outlines is fine if the student owns the content and structure afterward.

How to manage yellow:

  • Declare allowed/limited uses per assignment.

  • Require short disclosures and process artifacts.

  • Provide “use this, not that” examples (e.g., “Ask for feedback on your thesis, not a finished paragraph.”).

Green Light: Strong, supported uses

  • Brainstorming and ideation. Perspectives, counterarguments, guiding questions.

  • Scaffolded planning. Turning success criteria into checklists or timelines.

  • Feedback on student-written drafts. Clarity, organization, tone, and next-step suggestions.

  • Targeted practice and review. Problem sets, flashcards, quiz questions—verified and aligned to class notes.

  • Image creation for learning artifacts. Visuals to illustrate concepts or design prototypes, accompanied by captions and reflections.

Stories that stick

  • Grammarly case: A strong writer accepted every suggested rewrite; the paper no longer sounded like her. The fix? Return to the original draft, apply selected changes, and reflect on choices. Yellow becomes a teachable green.

  • AP History vs. AP Lit: In APUSH, grammar tools may support argument clarity (green). In AP Lit, where style and sentence craft are the target, the same tool could be limited or off (yellow/red). Context is king.

Make it visible for students

Post a simple chart and reference it often:

  • Red: Copy/paste, fabricated sources, hidden use.

  • Yellow: Brainstorming, grammar help, tutor prompts, only if allowed and disclosed.

  • Green: Idea generation, planning, feedback on drafts, verified practice.

Assessment tweaks that support the model

  • Add “process evidence” points (prompts, drafts, change notes).

  • Use quick oral defenses to confirm understanding.

  • Score reasoning and evidence higher than polish.

The stoplight doesn’t solve every edge case, but it gives students language for making good choices, and it gives you a consistent way to coach rather than simply police.

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