Google Turns Off Gemini by Default in Classroom for Guided Learning

Google is changing how Gemini works on school accounts. It will be off by default in Google Classroom, and when switched on it will use a mode that guides students instead of handing over answers.

One Gemini mode in Classroom

The mode is called Guided Learning. Google launched it last year, and it walks students through examples and questions. In Classroom, Guided Learning will be the only Gemini mode students see. Students cannot switch back to regular Gemini there. On school accounts, it will also replace AI Overviews in Google Search.

Through Guided Learning, teachers can set work in it and read the chats, which show how pupils approach a problem and which questions they bring. Google says this version is stricter and was built with teacher input. Testing starts this month with a small group of US schools, with a wider rollout early in the new year.

Kevin McKee, a research scientist at Google DeepMind, said AI models are trained by default to do the work for the user, while students need to do the work themselves to learn.

The catch for districts

Schools that want no AI on devices must give up Google Search. Chris Phillips, Google's vice president and general manager of education, said AI is deeply integrated into Search and cannot just be turned off. Schools that want AI off, he said, can choose to have no search at all.

Education Week reported that many districts were surprised earlier this year, when Google switched Gemini on for every student. Microsoft and OpenAI aim their education tools more at teachers and limit student use.

Critics push back

Lila Byock, founder of Schools Beyond Screens, called the choice a "hostile ultimatum". Eisha Buch of Common Sense Media said it is "a choice that isn't really a choice", because schools are unlikely to give up Search. She said Google could let schools disable AI Overviews and keep search.

Common Sense Media rates Gemini K-12 as a high-risk product. It says AI Overviews and AI mode pose an unacceptable risk to students. It has not reviewed Guided Learning separately. In its Gemini review, it said the earlier version of Guided Learning shows promise but could still be made to do much of the work.

Large districts such as New York and Los Angeles already sharply restrict student AI use. The Trump administration is weighing a rule that would tie internet subsidies to school limits on AI or parent opt-outs.

Our View

The test with a small group of schools will show whether the stricter mode holds up when students try to push it. Buch also noted that students still meet AI Overviews and other chatbots on personal devices, which Classroom settings cannot touch. The federal proposal on limits could shape how many districts accept Google's terms.

Source: Chalkbeat