News and Updates
AI Legos + Student Harm?
Lego Education adds AI Literacy to CS Kit
Lego has long-offered robotics kits and building package for classrooms, but earlier this year they released a newly updated set of kits called “Computer Science & AI” that is available in K-2, 3-5, and 6-8 grade ranges. The activities contained in the kits use hand-on experiences to help students understand coding concepts and how inference models work. Students progress through guided missions and finish with an open-eded design challenge. I had a chance to explore the Grade 6-8 kit in person at a recent technology conference, and came away impressed—and jealous of schools who can afford the $1400 price for a class set of the kits.
Study finds Dangers to Student AI Use
The conservative Brookings Institution interviewed students, educators, and families in 50 countries last year and found that the risks of AI use by students outweigh the potential productivity benefits. While my own personal experience as a parent and educator has reached a much different conclusion, and I am considerably more optimistic about what artificial intelligence tools will do for teachers, I found these conclusions of the research to be very helpful:
We need more research—especially longitudinal studies—to evaluate more of what the authors fear is happening.
The transactional nature of our current education system provides incentives and opportunities for students to find shortcuts that skip learning.
Educators need to be prioritizing the teaching of metacognitive skills. When students understand how learning works, they are more likely to see the problems that AI over-reliance can cause.
Using AI as a way to close learning gaps and equity gaps is going to require intentional and persistent efforts by school leaders.
AI-Supported Lesson of the Month
Using Gemini’s Guided Learning
Recognizing the potential of chatbots to help students learn independently, both ChatGPT and Gemini have long included specialized modes that seek to avoid metacognitive laziness and focus on the Tutor Zone that researchers have found to be the most cognitively effective use of AI tools for students. Lots of teachers have questions though about what these modes (called “Study and Learn” in ChatGPT and “Guided Learning” in Gemini) are and how best to use them with students. This month I’m deep-diving into Gemini’s tool and sharing what I’ve found.
What is Guided Learning?
Let’s start with what happens when you select Guided learning from the Tools menu in Gemini’s chat interface. When you flip this switch it will stay flipped until you decide to turn it off. It makes several important changes to the way the chatbot would normally act and respond:
It uses the Socratic Method to actively engage the user by asking questions to evaluate prior knowledge and assess understanding during the conversation
It breaks down complex topics into digestible chunks that make them easier to grasp
It uses diagrams, tables, and images to augment learning
Behind the scenes, Gemini is using a specialized set of models called LearnLM to drive its Guided learning interactions. These models were specifically trained to be better tutors.
What’s the benefit for students?
The potential advantages of Guided learning are clear. When students use AI tools to complete tasks and create products, they avoid the productive struggle that builds skills and strengthens learning pathways in the brain. But, used properly, artificial intelligence tools can actually amplify learning by offering on-demand feedback and spaced retrieval opportunities. Guided learning is trying to tap into these concepts with its interactions.
Let’s give it a try
I started by thinking of a topic that I wish I knew more about. Several of my current students play cricket, but I don’t really understand the sport. So I turned on Guided learning and prompted Gemini,
Help me understand cricket so I can watch it, enjoy it, and talk about it.
Here’s the beginning of the conversation:
Notice how Gemini provided a chunk of information and then stopped to get feedback? Here’s another section of our chat:
I love how it sometimes stops to check for understanding, while other times it seems to be engaging me by asking me to make predictions. This is not too different from the strategies that good teachers use around reading in our classes.
While these tools are FAR from replacing all the things that teachers do in a lesson, I hope that you can see some of ways that they can aid your students. Next month, we’ll talk about how to get your students to choose an intentionally limited tools like Guided learning over the wide-open world of regular Gemini.
Upcoming Talks and Appearances
Where is Paul this month?
This past month started with presentations of the new Learning Forge lessons at conferences around North Carolina and immediately led to one-off shares with faculty members at two nearby schools.
As I write these words, I am returning home from the latest AI for Educators workshop that Solution Tree hosted at Cesar Chavez High School in Stockton, California. It was a packed house with lots of fantastic conversations. The teachers and administrators who joined me were some of the most passionate (and hilarious) I’ve been lucky to interact with. Most amazingly, they spent the day learning with me right at the start of their Spring Break!
This spring will also bring more of Solution Tree’s “AI for Educators” workshops all over the country. Check out ST’s website to sign up or to schedule an event near you.
That’s it for this month.
In April, I’ll share more of the Learning Forge here, giving you a sneak peak inside my latest book.
Paul (and the Codium Educational Consulting team)
P.S.
Don’t forget to email me with examples of how you’ve used the tools and strategies that I’ve shared.