Teaching students to use AI responsibly

A Socratic dialogue involves the facilitation of open-ended inquiries and active listening, encouraging participants to analyse their own beliefs and arrive at deeper insights through reasoned discourse. 

Statement for discussion

"A good way to use AI for my research essay is to get it to do the online searching and give me the most relevant results." 

1. Select a topic. Focus on the principle of transparency and accuracy. 
2. Initial question. Participants create open-ended questions in a shared space (e.g., Padlet, whiteboards). Examples: 
   • "What are the potential biases in using AI for research?" 
   • "How can we ensure the results provided by AI tools are accurate and reliable?" 
   • "What are the ethical concerns of relying on AI for academic tasks?" 
3. Begin dialogue. Choose one question to discuss, such as: 
   • "How can students critically assess the relevance and accuracy of AI-generated research results?" Encourage responses with further questions and counter-arguments: 
   • "What criteria should students use to judge AI-generated content?" 
   • "Could relying on AI discourage the development of critical thinking skills?" 
4. Socratic dialogue. Engage deeply by: 
   • Questioning for clarity: "What do we mean by 'most relevant results'?" 
   • Counterarguments: "If AI is biased, would its 'relevant results' align with academic standards?" 
   • Challenging assumptions: "Are we assuming AI can effectively replace human judgment in research?" 
5. Reflective summary. Participants reflect on how their understanding has evolved: 
   • "Has your perspective on using AI for research changed? Why or why not?" 
   • "What new insights did you gain about AI’s capabilities and limitations in research?" 

This structure fosters critical thinking and explores the ethical and practical implications of using AI in academic work. 
 

Facilitators guide participants in collaborative thinking and active engagement, as participants individually reflect on a topic or question, pair up with others to discuss their thoughts, and then share their ideas with the larger group. This activity fosters deeper understanding and meaningful participation. 

Instructions 

1. Think (individual work)

Reflect on the following prompt individually: 

• “There are a number of distinct sub-tasks needed to create this essay. Which parts can be aided by AI? Which should be aided by AI? Which should not? Why?” 
• Write down your thoughts, considering specific examples of sub-tasks like research, drafting, editing, or citation formatting. 

2. Pair (group discussion) 

• Pair up with a partner. 
• Review and discuss the sub-tasks involved in essay creation that are displayed for the group (e.g. research, brainstorming, writing, editing, citations). 
• Together, go through each sub-task systematically, identifying: 
  • tasks where AI is helpful
  • tasks where AI use might hinder learning or skill development
  • tasks that should be completed without AI for ethical or academic reasons. 

3. Share (partner discussion) 

Share your reflections with your partner. Discuss:

• what you thought were effective uses of AI
• what you believed were not conducive to good learning
• prompt your partner with questions to clarify their perspective or provide additional examples. 

4. Reporting (group sharing) 

• Each pair shares a summary of their discussion with the class.
• Use a tally or voting tool to identify consensus points across all pairs:  
  • Which tasks are most suitable for AI assistance? 
  • Which tasks should remain free of AI involvement? 

5. Community discussion (whole-class reflection) 

Facilitate a group discussion around the following questions:  

• Where were the points of agreement and disagreement? 
• What ambiguities or uncertainties arose? 
• Which scenarios seemed likely or unlikely? 
• What skills were already known by some students but not by others? 
• How did personal experiences shape differing perspectives on AI use? 

This structured activity encourages thoughtful evaluation of AI’s role in academic tasks, fostering critical thinking, collaboration and inclusivity. 

De Bono’s 6 Hats activity asks participants to wear different metaphorical hats representing different perspectives to systematically explore a topic or problem from multiple angles, fostering critical thinking, balanced decision-making and creative problem-solving.

Instruction activity example 

This 6 Hats activity explores the ethical and practical implications of non-native Japanese-speaking students using AI language tools for writing.

Participants will analyse the scenario through 6 perspectives (hats) to foster critical thinking and collaborative problem-solving, culminating in group presentations and reflective discussions. 

Scenario

Sam is going on exchange to Japan. Japanese is their second language and Sam sometimes uses an AI tool for writing. Should Sam use AI to help with writing, particularly in assessment?

Six Hats perspectives 

• White Hat (facts and information): AI language models may reflect biases from their training data, prioritising correctness over individuality or cultural nuances.
• Red Hat (feelings and emotions): The student might feel frustrated, disheartened, or insecure about their language skills due to altered or erased authenticity. 
• Black Hat (the big picture): Over-reliance on AI could hinder natural language growth, cause miscommunication, and lead to unfair assessments. 
• Yellow Hat (positive): AI can support grammar and clarity, bridge resource gaps, and teach editing skills if used critically.
• Green Hat (new ideas): Developers could include tone customisation, cultural preferences and explanatory features to accommodate diverse linguistic styles. 
• Blue Hat (negative): Students and teachers can collaborate to establish ethical AI use guidelines, workshops and open discussions to preserve authenticity. 

Community sharing 

• Each team shares their reflections on their assigned hat, using specific examples to support their points.
• Identify commonalities and differences across perspectives, emphasising shared roles of students, teachers and developers in ethical AI use.

Reflective discussion 

• Evaluate which perspectives were most important or surprising and why. 
• Discuss benefits and challenges of integrating ethical AI practices, balancing AI use with learning development and linguistic diversity.