Ways to prompt AI to ensure learning is not lost
SINGAPORE – Artificial intelligence tools can be used without losing one’s capacity to think critically.
Here are ways to use AI to ensure learning is not lost.
1. Mathematics problem-solving
Instead of this: “Solve this algebra question for me: 3x + 5 = 20.” The AI will respond simply by giving the answer, x = 5, and the steps.
The student gets the solution but may not understand the steps to derive the answer to replicate them independently.
Try this prompt: “I am trying to solve this algebra question: 3x + 5 = 20. Do not give me the answer. Ask me questions one at a time to help me identify the next step.”
In this way, AI acts like a tutor guiding students through the problem.
2. Essay writing
Instead of this: “Here is my essay question. Write me a first draft.” The student may have the essay, but would lose any learning from wrestling with the various arguments, structuring and evidence gathering.
Try writing a rough first draft independently, even if it is bad or in point form. Then, paste the first draft into an AI tool and ask: “Read my essay like a strict teacher. Do not rewrite it. Identify my weakest argument and ask me one question that would help me strengthen it myself.”
In this way, AI becomes a source of feedback rather than a ghostwriter, and the voice or judgment behind the essay remains the student’s.
Anieyrudh R., an engineering product development student at the Singapore University of Technology and Design, said AI should be asked to critique and not complete. For instance, students should ask AI to check assumptions, logic gaps or weak reasoning and to provide counter examples.
An example of one such prompt is: “Do not solve this from scratch. Critique my current attempt. Identify assumptions and gaps, and where my reasoning is weak. Then ask me one question that would help me to refine the answer.”
3. Research and reading
When students prompt AI with: “Summarise the key arguments around climate policy for my assignment”, they will receive a tidy summary but they will not be able to engage in the complexity of the debate.
Instead, students should read one or two sources first and form their own initial view. Then, write out what they understand from what they have read before asking the AI tool: “What am I oversimplifying, missing or getting wrong?”
This approach ensures the understanding and synthesis remain with the student.
Students should also ask the AI tool: “Why is this a good answer?”, instead of asking “Is this correct?” said Anieyrudh, 23. Students should use AI to learn how to spot weak reasoning and missing context.
Asking the AI tool for counter examples to challenge an argument will also help students to critique their own work, he added.
4. Science and conceptual understanding
Instead of prompting the AI tool with “explain how photosynthesis works” and walking away feeling they have understood the concept, students should first try to revise their notes and explain the concept to themselves.
This is because passive reading is not the same as understanding. The ability to teach something is proof of learning and understanding.
After trying to struggle on their own, students can prompt the AI tool with: “I am going to explain what photosynthesis is, tell me how my explanation can be better or if I am missing any key points.”
Anieyrudh urged students to use AI to complete cycles of drafting, comparing, critiquing, revising and explaining, as learning rarely takes place at the first output.
The goal is not to avoid AI, said Anieyrudh. “The goal is to remain the author of your own thinking while using it.”
5. Coding
Instead of prompting AI with “My code is not working. Here it is, please fix it”, students should limit the role of AI and work through the diagnosis to allow the fundamentals to stick.
Justin Cheah, chief technology officer of edtech start-up Ren Education, recommends these ways to use AI in coding:
- AI gives a concise, factual answer to syntax queries. A prompt could be: “What is the difference between these two data types?”
- AI presents the trade-offs, but students make the judgment call. A prompt could be: “Should this logic live here or there?”
- When a student is stuck, AI responds with diagnostic questions to provide guidance. A prompt could be: “My ball goes through the wall sometimes. Do not fix this for me. Ask me questions to help me narrow down where the problem is.”
Tools designed to help students learn through struggling
Several platforms have been built specifically to make students think harder, with guard rails to prevent them from taking shortcuts.
1. Learning Assistant (LEA) by MOE
This tool is embedded in the Ministry of Education’s (MOE’s) national learning platform, Student Learning Space. It is available to Primary 4 and older students.
It works by asking students guiding questions, instead of providing direct answers. The tool is able to take on different roles as a research or writing assistant, an idea generator or a perspective builder to encourage deeper thinking.
Teachers can also set interaction limits to reduce over-reliance by students, and access students’ conversation logs.
2. Feynman Bot by SUTD
The tool was developed by Sumbul Khan, a senior lecturer at SUTD, together with an SUTD alumna.
The Feynman Bot takes its name from the physicist Richard Feynman, who believed the best test of understanding is the ability to explain something simply.
It works by asking students to teach the bot, which plays the role of a learner. The student must explain the concept clearly enough for the bot to follow. If the explanation is incomplete or confused, the bot will flag it.