Let's Keep The Humans In The Loop 

*image created with help from Gemini

@LisaBerghoff

We are highly educated adults. We have advanced college degrees and years of experience educating teenagers. We are often tasked with helping our students wade through information to determine what is true, correct, best, real, helpful, or factual. And yet, when we hear quick soundbites or read headlines ourselves about technology and specifically AI, we automatically believe it to be true and announce that we will not use it. In fact, we cast judgement on others who choose to incorporate and promote technology use in their classes. How would we teach our students to approach this information? We would instruct them to go beyond the soundbites and the headlines. We would tell them that they need to do research and find reputable sources. We would encourage them to understand multiple perspectives before taking a stance. 

In June of 2025, MIT published a study called Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task. In this four month long study, researchers took adult learners and put them into three groups. One group was the "brain only" group. The second was the "search engine" group, they had access to things like Google search. The third group was the "LLM Condition" group. They had access to generative AI tools. They used EEG to assess cognitive load during essay writing and they found that they brain only group showed the strongest brain networks and the AI groups had the worst results. In fact, they could not recall quotes from their own papers. The researchers called this "cognitive debt". 

BUT THAT'S NOT THE WHOLE STORY!

Next, researchers switched the groups. The brain only group now had AI access and the AI group was now told to just use their brains. It turns out that the group that started on their own and then had AI access did the best. They had the strongest recall and their essays were by far the best.

Image credit to Eric Curts

What's The Takeaway?

Ok. Based on this very compelling research, as well as what other researchers have found, we need to be intentional and purposeful about how we use AI, or any technology.

My friend and colleague in the edtech world, Eric Curts, has spoken about the Wrestle, Rap, Reflect model. Here's how it works.

Wrestle: Students begin by using only their brains to wrestle with information. Maybe they are reading and comprehending some text, perhaps they are brainstorming ideas for a project, or they could be analyzing a case study. Whatever it is, they are working using their brain power individually or in groups. 

Rap: This is where the AI tool comes into play. This can be done using a MagicSchool room that the teacher has set up, a SchoolAI space also created by the teacher, or Gemini. Students use AI with purpose here. They could be looking for feedback, or to role play, or they can ask it to challenge their thinking, respond from another perspective, poke holes in their theories, or quiz them to see what they have learned. 

Reflect: This is the part that gets overlooked the most. Once students have used AI, they are not done. Students now need to thoughtfully evaluate what the AI outputs are and make decisions. Do they agree? Did they get feedback that is helpful or not? What do they think about the results that they got? This evaluation is imperative. How can they now improve their work based on the AI conversation? 

Keeping humans in the loop is so important but it's also important to acknowledge that unless it is structured for us, students probably won't do this well on their own. I would also add that documenting this process is so important to make this system work well. 

How Do I Make This Work For My Content? 

Good news! With Eric's help, I have a Gemini Gem that is designed to help you figure out how to make this work for any subject area. Let's model the behavior we want to see.

1. Wrestle: Think about your content and the learning goals you have established.

2. Rap: Interact with this Gemini Gem to hone your ideas.

3. Reflect: Take a look at the outputs and make decisions that will work for you and your students. 

Would you like some help thinking this through? Want to learn more about the study? Want to be curious and fearless about AI use in your classroom? 

Let me know. I'm here to help!