If students don’t learn how to think with AI, they’ll let AI think for them. Last Thursday at Shanghai American School, I got to "beam in" to give a keynote presentation on one of the most urgent conversations in education today: How do we integrate AI without losing what makes learning human? Here are the key takeaways from our time together: • Generative AI can amplify learning—or weaken it. Studies show that when students engage critically with AI, they learn more. But when they rely on it to do the work for them, learning declines. The key? Teach students to think with AI, not just use it. • Confidence in AI can lower critical thinking. Research suggests that when people trust AI too much, they question it less. The best educators will teach students how to balance trust and skepticism when using AI tools. • Ethical AI use starts with values. We discussed how every school needs guiding principles for AI integration—beyond just policies. What should we protect? What should we enhance? These questions shape AI’s role in education. We concluded with "Three Ts" for responsible AI use: 1. Talk – Normalize generative AI discussions with students and teachers. I shared my "Generative AI Guidelines Canvas" to support conversations. https://lnkd.in/gyjTkK7d 2. Teach – Build generative AI literacy into the curriculum. I shared Cora Yang and Dalton Flanagan's C.R.E.A.T.E. framework for teaching students to prompt. https://lnkd.in/g-KYt4Uy 3. Try – Teachers should experiment with generative AI tools in meaningful, ethical ways. I shared Darren Coxon's Hattie Bot to let teachers experiment with building lessons that have high effect size. https://lnkd.in/g44gZzA3 This conversation isn’t over—it’s just beginning. Critical thinking isn't optional if machines do the easy thinking for us. Much gratitude to Alan Preis & Scott Williams for crafting such a great experience. Photo Credit Alex McMillan 🙏 P.S. I asked everyone at Shanghai American School: What values should guide our approach to AI in education? What's your answer? #generativeAI #guidelines #teachers #ethics
If our minds can be recreated by a machine, then maybe our thinking is more robotic than we’d like to admit. And that’s a reality that shakes us right down to our human core. The unconventional thinker Jiddu Krishnamurti in the early 1980s said : “If the machine can take over everything man can do, and do it still better than us, then what is a human being, what are we?”. To him, it was a revelation with deep psychological and spiritual punch. Courtesy: https://bigthink.com/thinking/the-mechanized-mind-ais-hidden-impact-on-human-thought/
Fantastic post, John Nash!
The values that should guide our approach to AI in education are inclusion, ethics, and empowerment. It must ensure all students benefit regardless of background. It requires transparency, data privacy, and human oversight. It should empower teachers, not replace them—supporting thier teacching with personalization, creativity, and meaningful learning experiences.
Or maybe just learn to think? SO they value the experience too much to turn it over to the authoritarian tech bro machines?
Absolutely John Nash . The AI is sure to stay here till the next advancements evolve. Humanity needs to embrace the change which will eventually happen anyway. It will be faster with the younger generations to be the early participants and advanced learners. They in partnership with their previous generational experience and expertise shall bring solutions for the current prevailing challenges turned to opportunities to contribute positively for a better future.
AI should serve a purpose or not be part of the equation. If you met the smartest person on the planet, would you ask them to write you an essay? Probably not.
Practitioner-Scholar in Workforce Education | Champion of University 5.0 | Blogger
6moAbsolutely! As a higher education researcher, I’ve been banging this same drum. AI isn’t going away, and our responsibility is to ensure students develop the critical thinking skills to engage with it thoughtfully rather than passively relying on it.