GenAI: Empowering Critical Thinking in Students

Are you ready to transform how your students engage with information and ideas?

Are you ready to transform how your students engage with information and ideas? Discover how to inspire students to ask better questions, challenge assumptions, and explore diverse perspectives - all while using AI as a thinking partner. This workshop balances theory with hands-on activities, giving you practical strategies to nurture independent thinkers ready for the challenges of the modern world.

What To Expect

We’ll cover:

• Foundations of Critical Thinking: Understand the core principles of critical thinking and explore how AI can provoke deeper inquiry through structured prompts and thought-provoking exercises.

• Practical Classroom Applications: Learn how to guide students in analysing AI responses for accuracy and bias, generating counterarguments, and reflecting on their own reasoning processes.

• Designing AI-Enhanced Activities: Create activities that integrate AI as a springboard for deeper critical analysis, encouraging student-led discussions and critical engagement.

This workshop will empower you to harness AI tools for fostering engaging classroom discussions and developing your students' critical thinking skills. By addressing the biases and limitations in AI, you’ll create an inquiry-driven learning environment that prepares students for success in a rapidly evolving world.

We’ll use the institutional version of MS Copilot (login with your college email at copilot.microsoft.com) as the basis for activities.

Who Should Attend

This interactive workshop is designed for college lecturers who want to integrate generative AI as a powerful tool to develop critical thinking skills in their classrooms.

Session Materials

Participants will receive supporting materials that summarise the content covered with options to explore areas in more depth.

Facilitator - Kenji Lamb

Kenji serves as the Delivery & Engagement Partner at the College Development Network (CDN), the principal improvement agency dedicated to advancing Scotland's colleges. With a robust background in ESOL education and educational technology, he has amassed extensive experience in the UK and overseas, spanning both private and public sectors. In light of the rapid advancements in generative AI, Kenji's current focus is on supporting educational practice to ensure that staff and students are well-prepared for an AI-driven future.

(Bio ‘enhanced’ by Llama v3 and image generated by a giggling daughter playing with Snapchat’s lenses)