What ChatGPT could have done for me at school
Some educators are having a freak-out about ChatGPT's current impact in the classroom.
This got me thinking about its potential power to help students. My thoughts went to a topic at school that I especially struggled with: English comprehension. There was a teaching resource we used during my junior school, SRA cards, that I hated! If ChatGPT could help prevent that kind of misery, at least in that one small corner, it truly would be a boon.
SRA cards and my struggles with comprehension
SRA cards were a teaching method developed by the Science Research Associates in the 1950s, designed to improve reading comprehension skills through colour-coded cards with reading passages and comprehension questions. I remember struggling with these cards and often guessing the answers, without understanding the questions at all. When I got a question wrong, I didn't know why my answer was wrong or even why the correct answer was indeed correct. For some reason the teacher never seemed to get involved; we were left to struggle on our own. This left me feeling totally confused and miserable.
ChatGPT to the rescue
I reimagined a world where ChatGPT played the role of an interactive SRA card and teacher, setting questions and explaining the answers to me as and when I needed it.
To get the ball rolling I did some background research (by asking ChatGPT of course!), on approaches to teaching and testing comprehension. I hit upon a couple of aspects of comprehension that seem to be at the heart of my confusion as a kid: 'inferential comprehension - the ability to read between the lines', and 'evaluative comprehension - critically analyzing and evaluating the information presented in a text'.
I now had my starting point: I asked ChatGPT to generate some SAT-style inferential comprehension questions based on the first chapter of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility (I included the text in the chat window). I was curious to see how I would fare, and how it might help me along the way. Here's the conversation that followed:
- a. Lower class
- b. Middle class
- c. Upper class
- d. Impoverished
Answer: c. Upper class
2. What can be inferred about the late owner's feelings toward his sister, considering the changes he made following her death?
- a. He was indifferent to her loss.
- b. He was relieved by her absence.
- c. He deeply mourned her passing.
- d. He was eager to replace her.
Answer: c. He deeply mourned her passing
3. Given the late owner's increased attachment to Mr. Henry Dashwood's family over time, what can be inferred about their impact on his life?
- a. They caused him stress and discomfort.
- b. They had little effect on his happiness.
- c. They brought him happiness and companionship.
- d. They were a source of constant disagreement.
Answer: c. They brought him happiness and companionship.
4. Considering that the late owner of the estate was a single man who lived to a very advanced age, what can be inferred about his need for companionship?
- a. He preferred solitude.
- b. He relied on friends for companionship.
- c. He found companionship in his sister and later in his nephew's family.
- d. He sought companionship through multiple relationships.
Answer: c. He found companionship in his sister and later in his nephew's family.
5. Based on the information provided about Mr. and Mrs. Henry Dashwood attending to the old gentleman's wishes out of goodness of heart, what can be inferred about their character?
- a. Selfish and manipulative
- b. Kind-hearted and attentive
- c. Indifferent and uncaring
- d. Ambitious and scheming
Answer: b. Kind-hearted and attentive
Ah, question two brought back memories of those dreaded SRA cards. I couldn't pinpoint a clear winner between 'c' or 'd'; both seemed consistent with the text. While 'd' seemed more improbable, the text didn't necessarily exclude it outright. Unlike the SRA cards, however, ChatGPT let me dig into the logic behind the correct answer:
The tone and context of the passage imply that his actions were driven by mourning and a desire for comfort, rather than eagerness to replace his sister. Therefore, answer c. He deeply mourned her passing is a more accurate inference based on the information provided in the text.
While it might be tempting to consider answer d. "He was eager to replace her," the actions of the late owner do not necessarily indicate eagerness. Instead, they show a desire for companionship and support, which he found in Mr. Henry Dashwood's family. This is evidenced by the text mentioning that "his attachment to them all increased" and "the cheerfulness of the children added a relish to his existence."
Given this context, answer c. "He deeply mourned her passing" is a more fitting inference as it highlights his need for companionship and support after his sister's death, rather than suggesting he was eager to replace her.
However, the passage seems to place more emphasis on the late owner finding comfort and companionship in Mr. Henry Dashwood's family, as evidenced by his increased attachment to them and the fact that "the cheerfulness of the children added a relish to his existence." This suggests that the primary motivation for his actions was a desire for companionship and support rather than eagerness to replace his sister.
While it is conceivable that he experienced both eagerness and a desire for companionship, the passage seems to emphasize the latter. Therefore, answer c. "He deeply mourned her passing" remains a more fitting inference based on the information provided in the text.
The late owner's desire for companionship and support, in this context, can be interpreted as a manifestation of his feelings of loss and longing after his sister's death. His increased attachment to the Dashwood family and finding comfort in their presence further indicate that their companionship helped him cope with his sister's passing.
The late owner's actions and the changes in his life following his sister's death can be seen as evidence of the emotional impact her passing had on him. This leads to the inference that he deeply mourned her passing, as his desire for companionship and support resulted from the emotional void her death left in his life.
However, the passage does not explicitly convey this sense of eagerness or a desire to replace his sister. Instead, it focuses on the late owner's increased attachment to Mr. Henry Dashwood's family and the comfort and support they provided to him after his sister's death.
As the passage places more emphasis on the late owner's desire for companionship and support rather than eagerness to replace his sister, it leads to the inference that he deeply mourned her passing and sought comfort in the Dashwood family's presence.
That exchange did what the SRA cards never did. It answered the question, then let me argue with the answer, and it gave ground when I pushed. I learned more about how comprehension works from the argument than from the question.
What was missing
What I needed at school was somebody to ask. The teacher never got involved and the cards couldn't explain themselves. A child stuck on question two now has somewhere to put the question.
Disclaimer: ChatGPT helped me write this article :-)
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