AI at school, say Estonian teens: time saver, not a cheat sheet

Students on AI Use at School: Why Time Saved Matters Most

Tenth-grade students from Gustav Adolf High School shared how artificial intelligence shows up in their day-to-day learning. Their take is clear: AI saves time, but the point is still to learn - not to outsource thinking.

"Since AI is already such a relevant topic in society, it's very good that Estonia is keeping up with the times," said Karoli Ojamaa. Joanna Kaljola added, "Because it's already part of daily life, it makes sense to welcome it with open arms."

How Students Actually Use AI

• Understanding over shortcuts: "It felt like now you didn't really have to do anything anymore," said Grant Partasjuk. "But I use it to understand things better, not just finish homework. We study for ourselves and we're going to need that knowledge later."
• Teacher-aligned quizzes: Students feed their history teacher's slide decks into AI and ask it to generate multiple-choice questions. Using the teacher's materials reduces errors like wrong dates.
• Audio summaries before tests: Before big exams, they have AI process several pages of text and turn it into a short "podcast" they can listen to on the go.
• Writing support: For essays, they use AI to brainstorm topics and then get targeted feedback. "For an English text, it gave very specific suggestions on what to improve and how to develop my skills," said Kaljola.

What Teachers Are Seeing

• More vigilance, clearer boundaries: "Two years ago, teachers didn't really catch on, but now they're aware and say, 'Please don't use AI for this - you actually need to know it,'" said Rasmus Vau.
• Grading challenges: "When a text is really well written, teachers can't tell whether it was done by AI or a human. Then they don't know who to grade. Maybe the grade ends up going to ChatGPT," noted Ojamaa.
• Staff adoption helps: "At least in our school, teachers themselves use AI quite a lot, so they've figured out what's really going on," added Partasjuk.

What This Means for Educators

• Define "assist, don't outsource": Allow AI for idea generation, outlining, vocabulary checks, and revision - but require students to show their own thinking. Reserve core tasks (analysis, problem solving, oral defense) for human work.
• Teach verification: Make "trust but verify" a habit. Require students to cross-check facts, especially dates, statistics, and quotes, and to cite the original source, not the AI.
• Use class materials to reduce errors: If students use AI, have them provide your slides, readings, or rubrics as inputs so outputs align with course content.
• Assess the process, not just the product: Ask for drafts, prompts used, revision notes, and a short reflection on how AI helped. Add brief in-class checks or oral questions to confirm understanding.
• Be explicit by assignment: Label where AI is allowed, conditionally allowed, or off-limits. Share examples of acceptable and unacceptable use.

Quick Wins You Can Pilot This Week

• Quiz generation from your slides: Have students prompt an AI to create 10 multiple-choice questions with rationales from your deck. Verify accuracy together and correct mistakes on the spot.
• Audio study notes: Ask students to convert a chapter summary into a 3-5 minute audio script they can review on the bus. Require a one-paragraph fact check afterward.
• Structured writing feedback: After drafting, students request three concrete edits (clarity, structure, evidence). They accept or reject changes and explain why.
• Personal experience prompts: For reflective essays, require specific lived examples or class projects. AI can't provide those; students must.

Guardrails That Keep Learning First

• Make the purpose visible: Tie AI use to learning goals - comprehension, retrieval practice, and revision - not speed alone.
• Spot-check with conversation: A two-minute chat about a student's sources and choices tells you more than a detection tool.
• Refresh your policy each term: Update examples and expectations as tools change. Share them with students and parents.
• Lean on guidance: See UNESCO's guidance on generative AI in education for policy and classroom considerations here.

The students' verdict is simple: AI makes studying faster and, when used well, more engaging. "Saving time really is the best part," said Ojamaa. The catch is critical thinking - verify answers, add personal insight, and make sure the learning is yours.

If your team needs structured upskilling, explore role-specific options at Complete AI Training.