In the ever-evolving landscape of education, incorporating technology in the classroom has become increasingly important. As educators, we constantly seek innovative methods to engage our students and foster their creativity. One such groundbreaking tool is Artificial Intelligence (AI). This blog post series introduces innovative strategies for utilizing AI to cultivate rich, human thinking in your classroom.
This strategy is part of a series of Inquiry Insider Blog posts sharing 16 innovative strategies that actually boost learning. To make sure you catch them all, Subscribe to Inquiry Insider!
The Strategy: Guiding Students to Evaluate AI Scenarios
This strategy doesn’t utilize AI — it helps your students understand HOW and WHEN AI should be utilized. Simply present students with a range of situations and scenarios where AI is used in different ways, spanning from clearly appropriate to ethically questionable. Students analyze these scenarios, debate their appropriateness, and work together to formulate principles for the responsible use of AI. This exercise not only broadens their understanding of AI but also sharpens their critical thinking and ethical reasoning skills.
Step 1: Setting the Stage
Begin by providing a brief overview of AI – what it is, what it can do, and how it is being used in various fields and disciplines. Emphasize that with great AI power comes great AI responsibility — the responsibility of using it ethically and appropriately. This introduction sets the foundation for the discussions to follow.
Step 2: Presenting the Scenarios
Introduce a variety of scenarios that showcase different uses of AI. These could range from AI in healthcare (e.g., diagnosing diseases) to AI in everyday life (e.g., personalized advertising) to more controversial uses (e.g., surveillance). Have students analyze a set of situations that THEY might encounter — situations involving use for school and learning. Ensure that the scenarios vary in terms of ethical clarity to provoke thought and discussion.
Step 3: Group Analysis and Discussion
Divide the class into small groups and assign each group a scenario to analyze. Encourage students to discuss the potential benefits and drawbacks of the AI application in their scenario. Prompt them to consider questions like: Who benefits from this AI use? Are there any potential harms or risks? Is there a potential for bias or misuse? Encourage students to work toward a consensus, but allow students to choose their own answers based on their ethical ideas.
Step 4: Class-Wide Debate
After the group discussions, reconvene as a whole class. Have each group share their scenario and their thoughts on its appropriateness. Facilitate a class-wide debate on these points, encouraging students to consider different perspectives and to delve deeper into the ethical implications. Eventually, have a simple yes/no vote regarding whether each scenario is ethical or not, and record which scenarios your class believes are ethical and unethical — and why.
Step 5: Formulating AI Usage Principles
Following the discussions, guide students in developing a set of principles for the ethical use of AI. This can be a collaborative effort, with the entire class contributing ideas. The goal is to create a framework that can guide their decisions and judgments about AI use in various contexts.
Educational Benefits
This strategy offers several educational benefits:
- Enhances Ethical Understanding: Students learn to consider the broader implications of technology, particularly the ethical aspects of AI usage.
- Develops Critical Thinking: Analyzing and debating the scenarios encourages critical thinking and reasoned argumentation.
- Promotes Digital Literacy: Students gain a deeper understanding of AI, an essential part of contemporary digital literacy.
- Encourages Empathy and Social Awareness: Discussing scenarios involving AI helps students develop empathy and consider the societal impact of technology.
Integrating This Strategy in Your Teaching
This exercise can be integrated into various subjects, including technology, ethics, social studies, and science. It can be adapted to suit different age groups and learning objectives, and it aligns well with discussions about digital citizenship and responsible technology use. Teaching students to critically evaluate the ethical use of AI prepares them not only for academic success but also for responsible citizenship in a technology-driven world. This strategy goes beyond mere technical understanding, fostering a comprehensive view that includes ethical considerations, societal impact, and personal responsibility.