#493 – Using AI to Enhance Focused Note-Taking, Step 3: Connecting Thinking

#493 — Using AI to Enhance Focused Note-Taking, Step 3: Connecting Thinking

AVID Open Access
10 min

Transcript

The following transcript was automatically generated from the podcast audio by generative artificial intelligence.  Because of the automated nature of the process, this transcript may include unintended transcription and mechanical errors.

Paul Beckermann 0:00 Welcome to Tech Talk for Teachers. I’m your host, Paul Beckermann.

Transition Music with Rena’s Children 0:05 Check it out. Check it out. Check it out. What’s in the toolkit? Check it out.

Paul Beckermann 0:16 The topic of today’s episode is Using AI to Enhance Focused Note-Taking, Step Three: Connecting Thinking. In the past two episodes of Tech Talk for Teachers, we’ve explored how AI can be used to enhance the focused note-taking process. We’ve examined both the taking notes and processing note steps. Today, we’ll dive into Step Three: Connecting Thinking.

In the connecting thinking phase, students must stretch themselves and think beyond the notes. They should analyze the notes they have taken, using inquiry to make connections and deepen content knowledge. They do this by asking questions and adding their own thinking to the notes. When done effectively, this can help them create greater understanding, identify gaps or points of confusion, and connect their new learning to what they already know. The process of connecting thinking is a key to making new learning stick and it becoming a part of their long-term memory, rather than just simply words recorded on a page.

In the connecting thinking step, our overarching theme continues: AI should be used to deepen thinking, not replace it. Students must be the ones who are doing the hard work of analyzing captured ideas, asking questions, making connections, identifying points of confusion, and building understanding. AI can again support this stage, but only if it is used as a thinking partner, not a shortcut, as with the previous steps. A key strategy is to always have the students do the thinking first and last, with AI sandwiched in the middle. In this three-part process, students think, AI supports or prompts, and then students reflect. With these ideas in mind, let’s take a look at seven strategies for using AI to help students connect thinking during Step Three of the focused note-taking process.

Transition Music with Rena’s Children 2:09 Here is your list of tips.

Paul Beckermann 2:12 Number one: AI expands on student connections. For this approach, begin by having students write two to three connections they’re making that connect their new learning to prior learning. What are they thinking about in their notes that connects to what they already knew before taking the notes? The new notes might reinforce, challenge, or even make them rethink their prior learning.

After making their own connections, students should then turn to AI for feedback using a prompt such as, “I learned about ecosystems today. Here are my three connections to prior learning. Based on my ideas, suggest one additional connection I may have missed”. This works because students are doing the initial cognitive work, with AI providing feedback and helping them extend or fill in potential gaps in their thinking.

Number two: AI expands on student questions. This strategy is similar to the first, but it focuses on questions rather than connections. This time, students would write down the questions they have about their notes. They would then turn to AI and use this prompt: “Here are my questions about photosynthesis. Give me two more higher-level questions that I didn’t consider”. Again, this works because students are doing the initial inquiry work. The AI is providing feedback and extension questions for the students to consider, which can both stretch their thinking and give them example questions they might use in the future.

Number three: Detect points of confusion. For this approach, students review their notes and jot down ideas that are confusing to them. After spending time trying to resolve this confusion for themselves, perhaps with the help of a learning partner in class, they can then turn to AI to help clarify points that are still confusing. In a science class, for example, they might type in a prompt such as, “I’m confused about the difference between mass and weight. Explain it simply and give me an example”.

This approach can be helpful because students are recognizing their own learning gaps and then seeking further clarification and understanding. Again, you might have them use other resources to find the answers to their questions before turning to AI, but AI is an option here as well.

Number four: Compare thinking. Here, students would again do their own thinking first. This might be an attempt to write out an answer to the essential question for their lesson, or it might be to write up a summary of their notes, identifying the key points from a lecture or article. Once students have generated their own thinking, they can turn to AI with a prompt such as, “My explanation for the causes of the Civil War is pasted below. Search the web for other explanations and tell me what ideas I’m missing”. In this example, once again, AI becomes feedback tech and a source of extended ideas, not a replacement for student thinking.

Number five: Cross-curricular connections. This approach is similar to making connections to prior knowledge. However, this time, students should consider their notes and find relevance and connection to other content or subject areas. These content areas might be provided by the teacher or generated by the students. In either case, the student should write down ways they feel the new learning connects, extends, or deepens understanding of another concept from another curriculum area.

Once these connections have been generated, the students can then turn to AI to help them evaluate and deepen those thoughts. Here are a few prompt examples that could work: “I think ecosystems and economics are connected through scarcity. Ask me three questions to help me deepen my thinking”. Another could be, “I think that inertia and seatbelts are related, but I’m not sure. Give me hints only to help me connect them and make sense out of this connection”.

And yet another example is, “Here’s a connection I’m seeing. Ask me two questions that will help me strengthen my thinking”. In each of these scenarios, the student is making a connection on their own. They are then asking the AI for feedback about that connection as a way to strengthen their original thinking.

Number six: Defining relevance. For this approach, the students begin by reviewing their notes and recording ways the content and concepts connect to their own lives. They could then input their ideas into an AI chatbot along with one of these prompts: “Here are my two examples of how supply and demand impact my life. Suggest one more I may not have considered,” or “Based on my example, ask me three questions that push my thinking deeper,” or yet another is, “Is my scenario accurate? What needs improvement?” In each of these examples, the students are doing the original thinking, and the AI is reviewing, suggesting, and prompting an extension of those original thoughts.

Number seven: Point out weak logic. Another way students can use AI to strengthen thinking is to help them find weaknesses in their own thinking. As they’re making sense of their notes, students should be applying new learning to other concepts. They would share their thinking with the AI and ask for analysis and identification of weak areas of thinking. They could use a prompt such as, “Here is my connection between democracy and group projects. Identify any weak logic or gaps without rewriting it for me”. Notice that the prompt specifically instructs the AI not to do the rewriting. This allows students the necessary space to rethink and revise their own reasoning.

Instead of simply receiving a completed answer, to add in some positive reinforcement, the prompt could be revised slightly to request a list of strengths in addition to weaknesses. This might sound like: “Here is my connection between democracy and group projects. Identify strengths in my argument as well as any weak logic or gaps. Give me ideas, but do not rewrite it for me”.

In each of these seven approaches, the student is generating, reasoning, defending, and revising. That’s deep thinking that can help make the content stick long-term, while the student continues to do the heavy lifting. The AI is assisting in this process by questioning, critiquing, hinting, and challenging, much like a skilled coach or a teacher would do. When used in this fashion, AI can help to strengthen students’ connection to their new learning.

To learn more about today’s topic and explore other free resources, visit avidopenaccess.org. Specifically, I encourage you to check out the article collection, “AI in the K-12 Classroom”. And, of course, be sure to join Rena Winston and me next Wednesday for our full-length podcast, Unpacking Education, where we’re joined by exceptional guests and explore education topics that are important to you. Thanks for listening. Take care, and thanks for all you do. You make a difference.