Making Classrooms Less Robotic Using AI
Encouraging Curiosity & Self-Starting in The Classroom
The AI genie isn’t going back into the bottle. No matter what teachers do, students will use AI to help with homework.
Some students will have AI do 100 % of their homework, which is unfortunate because society doesn’t need more people checking boxes just to check boxes.
Smart (productive) students use AI as an assistant to bounce ideas off of, get a first draft, and even get feedback on their written work before submitting it.
Before publishing, I had ChatGPT review this newsletter based on readability, clarity, flow, redundancy, and brevity & point out specific sentences that were hurting my score.
In a world where 84% of global business organizations believe AI will give them a competitive advantage, we should teach youngsters how to pair critical thinking with AI know-how.
The following is a general lesson plan teachers can use to implement ChatGPT in their classrooms to encourage critical thinking, curiosity, self-starting curiosity, and tech literacy.
The ChatGPT Lesson Plan
ChatGPT is the most knowledgeable, patient & accessible teacher in the world.
Students can ask chatGPT the same question twenty different ways, and the AI won’t murmur under its breath anything about how the child’s parents are failing.
Let’s dive in.
The Topic
We should pick one broad category that every student will have an interest in, where each student can dive into their own unique curiosities around the subject.
If you’re unsure of where to start, you can type into chatGPT: “What are 10 things a 10 to 13-year-old would find interesting to learn about?”
One of the things that stuck out to me was the topic of inventions & innovation.
It’s broad enough to cover any interest of a student in the classroom while staying true to natural curiosity & self-starting, which is how innovation is started.
Discovery
Spend the first few minutes laying the ground rules. Students will be graded on their ability to come up with questions that show a deep understanding of the topic.
The point of this exercise is to learn something new, and great questions are how you get great answers. Great questions are also evidence of critical thinking and a true understanding of the topic.
To start, show the students how to use ChatGPT. The chatbot is simple. You ask it a question, and answers come out.
The answers might not always be accurate. Teach the students to ask ChatGPT for sources and check their reliability.
If you have young students, it would be beneficial to have them tell the AI “Explain this at a 5th grade reading level” and the AI will do an excellent job of simplifying the concept for a developing mind to understand.
To get the lesson started, the students will pick an invention to learn about.
We can give them a few questions they can use to spark curiosity:
Name 10 inventions from [State/country]
Name 10 inventions from [X decade]
Name 10 inventions from [men/women]
Name 10 inventions we can’t live without today
Name 10 inventions people predicted would come true
Learnings
Once the student picks out what they want to learn about, each student should develop five basic questions and enter them into ChatGPT. It could be as simple as who/what/when/where/why (just to get the juices flowing) about the topic and ask the question to chatGPT.
Once they’ve done that, they should develop five deeper questions. Truthfully, they should ask as many questions as they can. But to keep it standardized, we need to have a goal for the students to reach for.
By the end of the exercise, the students should write down each question they asked, and then provide a summary of what they learned.
Having students explore their curiosities may lead them to ask some controversial questions. Not all questions have an agreed-upon answer, and the AI may give answers that lean towards a specific political side.
You may open a can of worms in your classroom.
Unfortunately, that’s part of life. People have different beliefs and that’s how it’s always going to be. So perhaps that’s built into the curriculum as well. We should encourage healthy conversation and understand that nobody agrees on everything.
Attached below is a loose rubric that I created (using chatGPT) for teachers to use & adjust.
I’m not a certified, qualified teacher by any means, so if any teachers do try this out, please let me know what you adjusted and how it went with your class!
Rubric for Exploring Curiosities Project
1. Engagement and Initiative (20 Points)
Exemplary (16-20 Points): Student shows exceptional engagement with the topic, chooses a unique aspect to explore, and demonstrates strong initiative in the research process.
Proficient (11-15 Points): Student is engaged and takes the initiative to explore their chosen topic, with minor guidance needed.
Developing (6-10 Points): Student shows some engagement but needs regular guidance and encouragement.
Beginning (0-5 Points): Student shows minimal engagement and requires constant guidance.
2. Research and Information Gathering (20 Points)
Exemplary (16-20 Points): In-depth research is evident; uses a variety of credible sources and demonstrates an understanding of the topic.
Proficient (11-15 Points): Adequate research and use of credible sources; good understanding of the topic.
Developing (6-10 Points): Basic research is done but lacks depth; sources are limited or of average credibility.
Beginning (0-5 Points): Minimal research and poor understanding of the topic; sources are insufficient or not credible.
3. Creativity and Originality (20 Points)
Exemplary (16-20 Points): Shows high levels of creativity; the project is original and thoughtfully executed.
Proficient (11-15 Points): Demonstrates creativity and originality; the project is well executed with minor flaws.
Developing (6-10 Points): Some creativity is evident; the project lacks originality or is executed with moderate flaws.
Beginning (0-5 Points): Little to no creativity; the project is unoriginal or poorly executed.
4. Presentation and Communication (20 Points)
Exemplary (16-20 Points): Exceptional presentation skills; information is clearly and effectively communicated.
Proficient (11-15 Points): Good presentation skills; communicates information clearly with minor errors.
Developing (6-10 Points): Fair presentation skills; some information is unclear or poorly communicated.
Beginning (0-5 Points): Poor presentation skills; information is mostly unclear or ineffectively communicated.
5. Reflection and Self-Assessment (20 Points)
Exemplary (16-20 Points): Provides insightful reflection on the learning experience; shows self-awareness and ability to self-assess.
Proficient (11-15 Points): Adequate reflection on the learning experience; demonstrates some self-awareness and self-assessment.
Developing (6-10 Points): Limited reflection; lacks depth in self-awareness and assessment.
Beginning (0-5 Points): Minimal or no reflection; lacks self-awareness and assessment.
Total Points: ___ / 100