All right, ready to dive into some AI and education?
Always.
Awesome.
So today we're gonna unpack this paper,
Beware of Metacognitive Laziness.
Hmm, catchy title.
Right.
And basically see how generative AI, things like JatchiPT,
you know, might be changing the way we learn.
Like if you ever thought about if relying on AI,
Oh yeah.
Could actually make us, I don't know,
a little mentally lazy.
All the time, especially these days.
Yeah, well, that's exactly what these researchers
wanted to figure out.
Makes sense.
They really went for it too.
They set up this whole experiment
with like over a hundred university students.
Wow, that's a lot.
It is.
And they gave them all these different learning tools
to use.
Oh, interesting.
Yeah, for like an English writing assignment.
So some students got JatchiPT.
Okay.
Others had a human expert to help them.
And then some had, get this, a checklist tool.
A checklist.
A trade up checklist.
Oh wow.
And of course they had a control group, you know?
No fancy help.
So it's like a real world classroom,
but with some AI sprinkled in.
Exactly.
I like it.
But what kind of assignment were they even working on?
So they had to read all this stuff
about AI in education.
Oh, so meta.
Right, like differentiated teaching,
scaffolding, all that.
Yeah, yeah.
And then they had to write an essay,
predicting the future of education.
Whoa, in like 2035 or so?
2035 nailed it.
It's a big jump.
Yeah, it was a tough one,
especially for students who weren't, you know,
native English speakers.
I bet.
Because it wasn't just about the language,
they had to like really think critically
and bring all these different ideas together.
Oh, so it was testing those higher level skills,
not just like grammar.
Totally.
Cool.
So they weren't just testing their English,
they were looking at how they learn, you know?
Deep stuff, right.
And to figure that out,
the researchers, they measured like a ton of things,
like how motivated were the students, you know?
What strategies did they use to learn?
And then of course, how well they did on the essay.
Of course.
The classic.
All right, let's start with that motivation piece.
Did it, I don't know, did the type of tool
change how much they wanted to learn?
You'd think, right.
Yeah.
But actually across all the groups,
their intrinsic motivation was pretty much the same.
Really?
Yeah, no matter what tool they were using,
they were all about equally interested in the task itself.
Interesting.
But there's a twist.
The group with the checklist, remember them?
Oh yeah, the old school crew.
Well, they actually reported the highest levels
of interest and enjoyment.
What?
Yeah, and they also felt more competent
and put in more effort.
So are you saying a simple checklist
might actually be more motivating than like some fancy AI?
It's possible.
It might be about like structure and control, you know?
Checklists, they help us break down big, scary tasks
into smaller steps.
Right, right.
And as you check things off,
you get that feeling of progress, like boom,
I did that.
I totally get that.
And that can be super motivating.
Yeah, sometimes when I'm feeling overwhelmed,
just making a list helps me get my head back in the game.
Totally.
But, okay, let's get to the juicy part.
Did the tools affect like how they actually learned
their process, you know?
Yeah, that's the big question.
Right, and that's where things get really interesting,
especially when we look at like how they revised their essays.
Oh, the revising part, yeah.
So the chat GPT group,
they were interacting with the AI constantly.
Not stop.
Pretty much.
They were asking for feedback and making changes
based on like whatever the AI told them.
So instead of like going back to the original material,
or thinking through their own ideas,
they were letting chat GPT be the boss.
That's what it looks like.
Hmm, that's, I don't know.
It makes you think, right?
It does, like if we're always relying on AI to fix our work.
Yeah.
Are we missing out on actually learning?
It's a valid question.
It's like, have you ever noticed yourself,
like debating too much on a tool?
Maybe you don't really understand the stuff,
but you're getting the work done.
I feel that.
And that's that metacognitive laziness thing, right?
That's what the researchers are worried about.
Exactly.
They found that the chat GPT group,
they actually showed fewer metacognitive processes.
Okay, hold on.
What does metacognitive even mean?
So metacognition is basically thinking
about your own thinking.
Whoa, meta.
Right, it's like having a conversation in your head
about like, do I get this?
Do I need to go back?
Does this even make sense?
Hmm, so like checking in with yourself.
Yeah.
And the chat GPT group, they weren't doing that as much.
So they were focused on getting it done,
but maybe not really understanding and reflecting
on what they were learning.
It seems that way.
And that's what's got the researchers worried.
Yeah, they're thinking,
if we're always offloading our thinking to AI,
are we skipping those like deep,
effortful mental processes that actually make us learn?
It's like, yeah, you can take a shortcut,
but then you miss all the good stuff along the way.
Exactly.
Like we're getting things done,
but are we actually smarter?
That's a good question.
Yeah, it reminds me of like GPS, you know,
it gets us where we need to go.
But we might not remember the route as well
if we'd like figured it out ourselves.
Totally.
So in this study, they wanted to know,
did using chat GPT actually lead to better essays?
Like did the AI boost their performance,
even if they weren't thinking as deeply?
Yeah, did they ease it?
Well, here's the thing, the chat GPT group,
their essay scores, they actually improved significantly.
Oh, wow.
Yeah, and get this, they even did better
than the group that worked with a human expert.
Wow, okay, so maybe a little metacognitive laziness
isn't so bad if it means better grades, right?
Not exactly.
Here's the catch, while they might have aced the essay,
there was no difference in like actual knowledge gain
or the ability to apply that knowledge
in other situations.
Really?
Yeah, it seems like chat GPT helped them
with that specific task,
but it didn't necessarily mean they like really
learn the stuff.
So they could write a killer essay that fit the rubric,
but they couldn't necessarily use that knowledge later on.
That's what it looks like.
Makes sense.
Right, chat GPT's great at things with clear criteria,
like an essay that's graded against a specific standard.
But in situations that are less structured,
you know, where you really need to understand the concepts
and think for yourself, it might not be as helpful.
This whole conversation is making me rethink
how I use AI tools.
Oh, right.
It's not about like avoiding them altogether,
but it's about using them in a smart way
and making sure they're actually helping me learn.
Totally.
It's like, there's an art to using AI for learning.
There is.
But how do we do that?
How do we find that balance between using AI's power
and like keeping our own brain sharp?
That's the million dollar question.
And the good news is the researchers actually
offer some practical advice on how
to avoid that metacognitive laziness trap.
OK.
One of the key things they say is we need to shift our mindset
about these tools.
Our mindset, like how we think about them.
Yeah.
Instead of seeing them as like replacements
for our own thinking, we should see them as thought partners.
Thought partners.
I like that.
But how's a thought partner different from just letting
the AI do all the work?
Yeah, good point.
So a thought partner, they help us explore ideas,
challenge what we think, and see things from different angles.
They don't just give us the answers.
They help us figure it out ourselves.
Like brainstorming with a colleague
or, I don't know, having a debate with a friend.
So instead of asking chat GPT to write my essay,
I should use it to help me brainstorm or get
feedback on specific parts.
That's the idea.
And instead of asking for the finished product,
break it down into smaller steps and use chat GPT along the way.
OK.
So let's say I'm writing that essay about the future
of education.
Yeah.
I could start by asking chat GPT to summarize
the main points in the articles.
That's a great idea.
Instead of just reading and hoping it sticks,
using chat GPT to pull out those key ideas can help you focus.
Yeah, that would totally help.
And then you could even ask chat GPT to help you brainstorm
different arguments.
Oh, interesting.
So you're not letting the AI do the thinking for you.
But you're using it to help you think more broadly.
It's like having a debate partner,
but one that's available 24-7.
There you go.
And then once you've got a draft, instead of just saying,
hey, fix this, you could ask for specific feedback.
Like, is my argument clear?
Is this well organized?
So I'm staying involved.
Yeah.
You're not just blindly accepting whatever the AI says.
I'm starting to see that using AI for learning
is way more nuanced than I thought.
It is.
It's not just about typing in a prompt and getting an answer.
Nope, there's definitely an art to it.
And it's an art that requires us to be aware of how
we're using these tools and how they might be, like,
affecting our own thinking.
It all comes back to that.
But don't worry.
There are more practical strategies
we can use to make sure we're getting the most out of AI
without, you know, becoming zombies.
Definitely.
We'll dive into those after a quick break.
All right.
So we talked about shifting our mindset and using AI
as, like, a thought partner.
Yeah.
But what else can we do, you know,
to make sure we're not turning into, like, AI-dependent
zombies?
So the researchers really emphasize two more things.
Setting clear goals.
OK.
And actively monitoring our understanding as we go.
So before I even open chat, GPT, I got to ask myself,
hold up, what am I actually trying to learn here?
Exactly, like, what's the point of all this?
What do you want to get out of this task?
Mm, makes sense.
What are the key concepts or skills, you know,
that you're hoping to develop?
Because it's easy to get, like, distracted
by all the shiny AI tools.
Oh, yeah.
And forget what we're actually supposed to be learning.
Totally.
Sometimes I get so caught up in, like, playing with the tool
that I forget why I even started using it in the first place.
Happens to the best of us.
So is that being, like, intentional, right?
Being proactive, planning out your learning,
instead of just, you know, passively following
whatever the AI suggests.
Right, right.
But what about that monitoring thing?
What does that even mean?
So monitoring is all about checking in with yourself
as you go.
Like, am I really getting this?
Do I need to go back and look at something again?
Am I just memorizing facts?
Or am I actually understanding, like, the bigger picture?
It's like that inner dialogue, that metacognitive awareness
Exactly.
It's about being aware of your own learning process.
But how do I actually do that?
It's so easy to just, like, breeze through a task
and think I'm learning when I might just
be, you know, skimming the surface.
A good trick is to, like, pause every so often
and try to explain the concept to yourself.
To myself.
Yeah, as if you were teaching it to someone else.
Oh, interesting.
Can you say it in your own words?
Can you connect it to other things you know?
If not, that might be a sign that you need to, like,
go back and study more.
That's actually really helpful.
I'm going to try that.
Give it a shot.
And this whole thing about monitoring and metacognition,
it really highlights the importance of, like,
evaluation, doesn't it?
Absolutely.
And it's something we should be doing, both during and after
we use AI.
So during the process, ask yourself,
does this feedback from the AI even make sense?
Does it fit with what I'm trying to do?
Are there any limitations I need to be aware of?
So I shouldn't just take the AI's word for it.
Exactly.
Don't be afraid to question it.
It's a tool, not a magic eight ball.
I like that.
And then after you're done with the task,
take a minute to reflect on the whole experience.
Like a debrief.
Yeah.
Did the AI actually help you learn?
What were the challenges?
What would you change next time?
This is giving me such a better framework
for using AI in my learning.
Glad to hear it.
It's not about saying no to these tools,
but about using them in a smart and thoughtful way.
Couldn't have said it better myself.
AI has so much potential to change how we learn.
Oh, yeah.
But it's up to us to make sure it's actually making a smarter,
not lazier.
That's the bottom line.
This has been such a fascinating deep dive.
I feel like I have a whole new understanding of AI
and learning any last words of wisdom.
Just stay curious.
Experiment with these awesome AI tools.
But remember, the best tool you have is your own brain.
Right.
Keep it sharp.
Keep it engaged.
The future of learning, it's about humans and AI working
together.
And we get to decide how that partnership works.
We do.
That's a great note to end on.
Thanks for joining me on this exploration of AI
and all things metacognitive.
It's been a pleasure.
We'll be back next time with another deep dive
into the world of AI.
Can't wait.