Engaging and Instructing with AI’s Errors: A Cross-Curricular Approach to Critically Examining AI’s Output

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into our daily lives, it is crucial for educators to not only teach students about this technology but also to illustrate how it can be used as a tool for learning. This lesson plan, “Engaging with AI: Pre-Algebra Edition,” uses an AI chatbot to explore pre-algebra concepts in an interactive, engaging way. This approach could easily be adapted to other subject areas, promoting computational thinking, problem-solving, and a deeper understanding of the material.

While the specific lesson plan detailed below is math-based, the core elements of the lesson – posing problems to an AI, analyzing the AI’s responses, and discussing any discrepancies – can be applied to any subject that involves problem-solving or logical reasoning, such as science, programming, logic puzzles in English or social studies, etc. The method encourages active learning, critical thinking, and provides a real-world context for the subject matter.

Lesson Title: Engaging with AI: Pre-Algebra Edition

Lesson Duration: 60 minutes

Materials Needed:

  1. Computer with internet access
  2. AI chatbot (like OpenAI’s GPT)
  3. Projector or large screen to display the chatbot interaction
  4. Whiteboards and markers, or paper and pencils
  5. Pre-Algebra worksheets

Objectives: By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

  1. Understand how AI chatbots process and respond to mathematical problems.
  2. Identify mistakes made by the chatbot.
  3. Correct errors using their understanding of pre-algebra.

Lesson Outline:

  1. Introduction (5 minutes)
    • Explain the concept of AI and chatbots.
    • Discuss the benefits and limitations of AI in solving mathematical problems.
  2. Warm-up Activity: Chatbot Interaction (10 minutes)
    • Have a volunteer student ask the chatbot a simple mathematical question.
    • Discuss how the chatbot processed and responded to the question.
  3. Main Activity: AI and Pre-Algebra (30 minutes)
    • Divide the class into small groups and give each group a set of pre-algebra problems to solve.
    • Ask each group to type their problems one by one into the chatbot, and record the chatbot’s answers.
    • Next, have the groups work together to solve the problems without the chatbot and compare their answers to the chatbot’s answers.
  4. Group Discussion: Comparing Results (10 minutes)
    • Have each group present a problem where the chatbot’s answer differed from theirs.
    • Discuss as a class why the chatbot might have made a mistake, and use this as an opportunity to reinforce key pre-algebra concepts.
  5. Wrap-up: Understanding AI Limitations and Strengths (5 minutes)
    • Summarize the main findings from the lesson, emphasizing the potential and limitations of AI in mathematics.
    • Encourage students to use technology as a tool for learning and problem-solving, while also understanding that it’s not infallible.

Homework: Provide students with additional pre-algebra problems. Have them pose these problems to the AI chatbot at home, record the answers, and then solve the problems themselves. In the next class, they can share any discrepancies they found and the class can work through them together.

Assessment: Assessment for this lesson would be primarily formative, assessing students’ engagement during the group work and their understanding during the group discussion. The homework assignment allows for additional individual assessment. To evaluate the learning outcomes, teachers might look for improvement in students’ ability to solve pre-algebra problems, identify errors, and articulate the process of checking and correcting errors.

Adapting this Lesson Plan for Other Contexts:

This lesson plan can be easily adapted to a variety of classroom contexts and subjects, especially those that involve problem-solving or logical reasoning. Here are a few examples:

  1. Science: Students can use the AI chatbot to run virtual experiments, predict outcomes, and compare these with the actual results.
  2. Programming: Students can use the chatbot to debug pieces of code, identifying where the AI misunderstands the logic and using that information to fix the errors.
  3. Social Studies: Students can pose hypothetical scenarios to the chatbot to understand how certain events might influence society or the economy, then compare these predictions with historical data or expert analysis.
  4. English: Students can ask the AI chatbot to analyze a text, poem, or a piece of literature, and then compare the chatbot’s interpretation with their own.

In all these cases, students engage in critical thinking and problem-solving as they compare the AI’s results with their own, and this process of comparison and discussion can lead to a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

The use of AI in these diverse contexts provides a common thread that links various subjects and helps students see the interdisciplinary nature of learning. It also allows students to understand AI as a tool that can support their learning, while also promoting the critical use of technology.

Note: Always remind students that while AI is a powerful tool, it is not infallible. Encourage students to critically engage with the AI’s responses, rather than taking them at face value.

Work Cited

“Chatbots often make mistakes, particularly with math” prompt. ChatGPT 4.0, 24 May version, OpenAI, 27 June 2023, https://chat.openai.com/share/47a09f33-4007-4b06-a590-8dd6293e3d62