Part 1 of Beyond Textbooks: Exploring adolescence through Social Media, OTT & AI

By: Mr Pranjal Gupta, TGT Science (Biology), Apeejay School Panchsheel Park

Adolescence is a tricky age, even when we, as educators, recall our own adolescence, we often laugh at it. Seeing adolescents now, as grown-ups and as educators, is an altogether different feeling. There is a sense of nostalgia, and along with it, an awareness of the various issues that plague them and the common concerns that race through their minds. 

Science is imagined as a technical subject, which is true; however, it forms intricate branches within the social fabric as well. In this manner, it is influenced both by society and also influences it in return. The purpose of this article is to focus on the latter in the context of adolescent education. 

With changing times and a fast-paced world, it is important to adapt science pedagogy to address the various social problems that emerge. Today’s youngsters are growing up in the age of technology and media at an unprecedented pace. Unlike previous generations, who had a part of their lives without smartphones and hi-tech computers, today’s generation was born into a world where most of the technology we see today had already emerged. In this way, they grew up with digital technology very early on, which brings its own set of challenges. 

Students are exposed to social media, OTT platforms, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). There are many ways to think about this situation, and it has its positives and negatives. But as an educator, what is important is to initiate a conversation with students that addresses the concerns associated with it. Beyond their usability, social media and OTT platforms expose students to content that is inappropriate for their age, as well as stereotypes and misinformation. At the same time, the uncritical use of AI can limit their cognitive development. These issues are not addressed in textbooks at present, and hence, we need to take conversations beyond those textbooks. 

As a science educator, I have engaged with my students in open and elaborate discussions on issues related to the above-mentioned platforms. This begins by accepting that, while I might know more based on experience, I don’t know it all, and I can always learn from my students in this process. 

A few lessons that I have learned through this process are: 

• -Avoid a monologue; give space for students to think and share their experiences.
• -Avoid being judgemental; the last thing an adolescent wants is to be judged. Keep the conversation light-hearted so that students feel confident that their views matter.
• -Be aware of the trends around this might sound silly, but nothing gets a student’s attention more than your knowledge of popular trends. However, this should be done in a manner that is appropriate for the classroom. 
• -Utilise digital tools to show them the appropriate way of conduct online- there are wonderful videos available online that discuss social media presence and netiquettes. 

Once we identify their concerns, we need to explain to them the ethical and appropriate use of these tools. Most importantly AI. We cannot stop them from using it, but we can help them learn to use it intelligently. I often say to my students, “AI is mimicking our intelligence, but let’s try not to give away all of our intelligence to it, the reins rests in our hands”. 

Lastly:

• Encourage self-assessment-based on key points that emerged from your conversation, give students a task to reflect on. This could be in the form of exploring the videos and writing their observations or a SWOT analysis of themselves. 

It is hard to declare this method foolproof is something I feel I, as an educator, will keep improving as I learn from my students. However, I will conclude with an example: 

A fortnight before the beginning of the annual exams, a student shared that they had used AI to create a revision plan for themselves and then further modified it as per their needs. Another student shared how she is managing her self-image. Yet another shared that he is restricting his social media use and trying to use appropriate language online while communicating with friends. 

These are a few of the many anecdotes. Nevertheless, these little revelations are the greatest gift an educator can hope for.