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Usable Math team publishes paper on ChatGPT AI for elementary school math learning.

August 3, 2023 Academics

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Usable Math project researchers Sai Gattupalli (a doctoral student in the College of Education), and faculty Robert W. Maloy and Sharon Edwards, have released a paper on their use of ChatGPT AI for elementary school math learning.

The paper "Comparing Teacher-Written and AI-Generated Math Problem Solving Strategies for Elementary School Students: Implications for Classroom Learning" compares teacher-written and AI-generated hints and strategies for solving fourth grade math word problems included in their Usable Math open online tutor.

Gattupalli, Maloy, and Edwards suggest that, when given the perspectives of a 10-year math teacher and four virtual coaches (Estella Explainer, Chef Math Bear, How-to Hound, and Visual Vicuna), ChatGPT-4 provides text-heavy, largely procedural problem solving strategies. Teacher-written hints offer more ways to differentiate learning for students through the use of:

  • shorter, more child-accessible language;
  • visual images;
  • animations and GIFs;
  • growth mindset-building statements that affirm children’s effort and persistence in solving math word problems.

Read the paper online.

Article posted in Academics

Related programs

  • Teacher Education & School Improvement
  • Mathematics, Science, & Learning Technologies

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  • Educational Technology

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  • Department of Teacher Education & Curriculum Studies (TECS)

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Maloy

Robert Maloy

Senior Lecturer II
Email: rwm [at] educ [dot] umass [dot] edu
Phone: (413) 545-0945

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