Asking Better Questions
In an AI-rich world, answers are becoming easier to generate—but easy answers can create a false sense of understanding. Curiosity keeps students from stopping at the first response, encouraging them to question assumptions, explore alternatives, and pursue deeper understanding. The students who thrive will not simply know how to get answers quickly; they will know how to keep asking better questions.
Thinking Under Uncertainty
The Illusion of Certainty
AI can create the impression that uncertainty has disappeared. Ask a question, and an answer appears. Ask for a recommendation, and the tool offers one. Ask for an explanation, and the response often arrives with clarity, structure, and confidence.
That confidence can be useful. But it can also be misleading.
Because many of the most important questions students will face do not have simple, final, or universally correct answers. What is the best solution for this situation? Which source should I trust? What matters most in this decision? What risks should I consider?
Those questions do not ask students simply to retrieve information. They ask students to reason through uncertainty.
Would you like a different excerpt that focuses more on the practical classroom strategies, or perhaps one that sets up the introduction?
Can AI Support Social Metacognition?
Learning often happens when our assumptions are challenged and our thinking evolves. Traditionally, peers, instructors, and collaborative activities have helped create those moments. But could AI also play a role? This post explores the possibility of using AI personas to encourage perspective-taking, reflection, and metacognitive awareness—a concept I'm calling Synthetic Social Metacognition.