When it became known a few days ago that Hamburg high school graduates had probably used programs with artificial intelligence (AI) without permission in several cases during exams, there was a great deal of excitement. All of a sudden, the fears of technology pessimists in the education system seemed to come true.

But let's face it: it was only a matter of time before someone would try to spruce up their exam results in this way. After all, what is technically feasible is also tried out. Always have!

"In the past, pieces of paper were written, then people sometimes looked up Wikipedia or Google with their cell phones on the toilet – and now they obviously cheat like that from time to time," says Hamburg's Senator for Education, Ties Rabe (SPD), emphatically relaxed in an interview with NDR: "We have to make sure that the cell phones are not needed – then the Abitur is cheating-proof." At least until the next technical innovation, one must add.

But perhaps the advent of AI will also lead to pedagogical innovations. In any case, Jamie Christophersen from the Hamburg Chamber of Students hints at this when he pleads – also on NDR – for a rethink of exam formats: "If there is still this knowledge retrieval, then I think ChatGPT will still play a major role there," says Christophersen: "But if we get to the point of dealing critically with things and also bringing in the human factor more, then ChatGPT is a help – but you can't get good grades with it.«

A few weeks ago, author and "net teacher" Bob Blume once called this "the renaissance of the oral": Only in conversation and discourse about knowledge can one find out whether a student has really penetrated a topic. So could it be that the exam as an exam format is simply dying out? And what does this mean for the everyday work of teachers?

My colleague Markus Böhm reports on an astonishing attempt: The latest version of ChatGPT could probably pass the Bavarian Abitur - and thus presumably any other university entrance qualification in Germany ("That's going on").

In the last issue of the »Kleine Pause« we wanted to know from you where you see the causes of the poor reading skills of fourth graders. You remember: The igloo survey showed that a quarter of the children after the 4th grade cannot read sufficiently to reliably cope with secondary schools. Why is that? Among other things, they argued with the change in media consumption and the sometimes inadequate role model attitude of parents ("Debate of the Week").

As always, we are looking forward to praise this week. Criticism and suggestions for topics for the »Small Break« – please send an e-mail to bildung@spiegel.de . Stay healthy!

For the education team of SPIEGEL

Armin Himmelrath

Here's what's going on

1. ChatGPT and the Abitur

You can read here exactly how the AI cheat attempts at the Hamburg Abitur exams went and why teachers became suspicious. In another text, we explore, among other things, the question of why it is so difficult to convict AI cheaters if they are not caught red-handed.

Of course, one could also argue: ChatGPT and all other comparable programs are so uncontrollable that there is no other way than to seal off the schools. What's your take on that?

Hendrik Haverkamp thinks a ban is nonsense. He is a high school teacher in Gütersloh and has explained in our children's magazine »Dein Spiegel« why he is instead aggressively trying out how AI can be used in schools in the classroom. Spoiler: Hendrik Haverkamp also questions the previous examination formats.

2. Yes, where are they all?

In Lübeck there is a free school, the »Dorfschule«. And as it should be, the state stops by from time to time to see if everything is okay. It's not, the examiners found a few weeks ago: Because they were surprised that there were so few students and teachers in school on a normal school day. An "accumulation of inconsistencies" had been found. And because this has probably been the case repeatedly, the Kiel Ministry of Education has now withdrawn the recognition of the institution and ordered its closure.

That's why there's now a dispute: Is the "village school" possibly just a camouflage club for parents who want to undermine compulsory schooling? Or have the authorities simply not understood that teaching concepts other than group schooling in class format can have an impact on the whereabouts of the learners? The question will now probably have to be answered by the competent administrative court, the school wants to sue against the closure.

3. Really strong!

What has really excited me in the last few days? The creativity and innovative energy that became visible at the »Jugend forscht« finale. 170 young people came together in Bremen to show what they had researched and developed: antiperspirant deodorants, compostable disposable bags and a practical ECG concept. You can find out who won here.

4. What else?

Every now and then, people complain about the "cancel culture" that is supposedly rampant in Germany, the supposed ban on being allowed to say or think certain things – often, by the way, in quotes or guest contributions in major media (which actually refutes the accusation). However, if you look at Florida and the schools there, you can experience state cancel culture par excellence: A teacher shows her students a Disney film with a homosexual character – and is therefore in trouble with the school authorities. The accusation: The teacher had violated the ban on teaching gender identity and sexuality in Florida.

Debate of the week

One in four children has dramatically poor reading skills at the end of the fourth grade of primary school, according to current study results. Why is that?

"The fast-moving media of our time, television and the Internet, are used as 'substitute nannies'. The children are quiet and don't disturb, the parents can do their thing," argues Susanne Gregor from Hesse: "There is time for the children in very few families. The school is intended to compensate for the resulting deficits. This is actually not the purpose of the school. To convey values to the children - and that includes the desire to read - this should take place in the parental home.«

Hedwig Sarrazin-Strohm directly ties in with this idea when she writes: "In my opinion, in the case of the joy of reading, the model of 'learning by example' applies first and foremost. Many parents find reading boring or exhausting or old-fashioned or not necessary or much less important than sport and communicate this to their children as well."

And then it becomes very clear: "You can handle or retrieve everything that is necessary in terms of social interaction, information or knowledge quickly and in short stub sentences via social media or other digital simplification offers while cooking or in a meeting.

How can you demand from your children what you can hardly do yourself: to turn to the complexity of the world in a meaningful, calm and concentrated way? I'm pessimistic about the future of book reading. The institutions of learning and education have woken up far too late.«

And another reader and teacher writes: "Children who are accustomed to the seductions of the screen before learning to read no longer voluntarily perform the considerably higher levels of concentration that reading requires compared to watching. So if the child is offered a book and a screen to choose from from the second grade onwards, he will always choose the screen - under the above conditions. It's as simple as that, and all serious studies won't reveal anything else."

News from SPIEGEL Ed

Finally, we would like to point out our offer for you: Under the name »SPIEGEL Ed«, we offer a series of media education school workshops in cooperation with the Schwarzkopf Foundation, which focus on the development of media and news literacy.

Would you like to discuss everyday editorial work, fake news and media literacy with SPIEGEL journalists in your class? Then feel free to register your school class for one of the workshops – digital or analogue. The courses for students from about 14 years of age follow the peer education approach and are led by young trainers.

Course format »Good News!«: The workshop gives young people an introduction to journalism and news. It sheds light on students' own media behavior and encourages them to have an open discussion about the role and responsibility of media in a democracy. More information and registration here .

Digital media: Fake News & Hate Speech: The digital workshop teaches young people digital media skills in various formats. They deal interactively with fake news and hate speech and learn strategies for a mindful and democratic use of digital media. More information and registration here .

On June 14, 2023, Weitklick, a network for digital media and opinion formation, will host a symposium in Berlin that is recognized as advanced training in as many as 14 federal states: "Strong against disinformation and hate speech - media education in schools and parent work". The event will take place at the Museum für Kommunikation Berlin, is free of charge and open to all interested parties. SPIEGEL is represented on the Weitklick advisory board.

With that, we say goodbye until the next "Little Break". Nevertheless, we are of course available for you: Do you have a topic on your mind that we should take a closer look at? Then feel free to write to us at bildung@spiegel.de – the team of the »Kleine Pause« thanks you for your interest!