teaching critical thinking with technology

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Critical thinking in the digital age of AI: Information literacy is key

With the birth of ai, disinformation has entered a new era, rendering it critical that students possess strong information literacy skills.

Key points:

• Information literacy skills can help students navigate the array of disinformation scenarios in the digital world
• New tool empowers users to fight online misinformation
• Beyond the classroom: The future of university teaching
• For more news on information literacy, visit eCN’s Teaching & Learning hub

From New York to Texas, the pro-Palestinian protests sweeping U.S. colleges have become a flashpoint for viral disinformation, from falsely attributed “Jewish genocide” chants to debunked claims of Hamas presence . With the tenor of allegations reaching a fever pitch, Columbia University students have even launched their own fact-checking Twitter account. As this highly-charged moment collides with a hyper-partisan landscape, it offers a stark reminder of how disinformation thrives at the intersection of fierce emotions and polarized politics, threatening to drown out nuance, facts, and good-faith dialogue when they are needed most. All of this points to the urgency of tackling disinformation through information literacy.

Disinformation has long played a role in global events. Technological change and increasingly global communications have made the deliberate spread of inaccurate information faster and more impactful. With the birth of AI, disinformation has entered a new era, rendering it critical to teach students how to question sources, spot fakes and be discerning consumers of news, social media, and information.  

AI has dramatically complicated the information landscape by rapidly generating and amplifying deceptive narratives, deepfakes, and AI-generated visuals, drawing concern from global leaders as a major emerging challenge. The World Economic Forum’s latest Global Risks Report , which surveyed experts from academia, business, government, the international community, and civil society, named misinformation and disinformation from AI as the top global risk over the next two years–ahead of climate change and war.

The stakes are high, especially as the U.S. approaches a critical election year–one that will undoubtedly be subject to disinformation, a force that voters will remember as having played a critical role in the 2016 and 2020 elections.

As an academic who has studied how digital technology is used by governments and non-state actors for the purposes of repression and information control, these issues are especially concerning. There is an urgent need to promote greater critical thinking among young people, to give them the tools to detect what information is authentic and what has been manipulated. Information literacy, specifically across digital platforms, should be a mandatory part of every K-12 curriculum, to combat the rise of disinformation and develop more discerning students ready to take on an AI-driven future.

How and where disinformation can take place

Disinformation can show up anywhere, but it thrives on stories that appeal to emotions. Election issues and partisan politics are a prime example. During the pandemic, COVID-19 disinformation narratives, spanning the bizarre claims that the disease is spread by 5G and other conspiracies, spread faster than the virus itself–thanks to digital technology. Anti-vaccine groups essentially tricked Facebook’s algorithms into allowing posts that spread disinformation by using a carrot emoji in place of the word “vaccine.” Looking at climate change–another highly polarized and partisan issue–a probe into a subset of social media accounts revealed hundreds of AI-generated and stolen pictures used in greenwashing campaigns.

Praying on the emotions that emerged after the deadly October 7 th attacks and the ensuing attacks on Gaza, deepfakes powered by AI have spread at an unprecedented pace. Soon after October 7 th , a fake story emerged that Qatar had threatened to cut off the world’s natural gas supply if Israel didn’t stop its bombing in Gaza, garnering millions of views before it was ultimately debunked . More recently, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has been a target of disinformation, thanks to a network of fake accounts and websites that have collaborated to spread accusations about the agency’s ties with Hamas. 

Not only is disinformation incredibly damaging to the delivery of accurate, verifiable information, it has eroded the public’s trust in some of our most reliable institutions. Only 32 percent of Americans say they trust the mass media, a figure that is tied with record-low levels in 2016.

Engaging with disinformation and AI as teachable moments

Disinformation can be rectified through fact checking, but in many cases, a false story has already done its damage before it is corrected. Another strategy is ‘prebunking,’ a technique gaining momentum that helps to build preemptive resilience to misinformation. We can combat the spread of disinformation by encouraging and teaching more critical thinking, especially about AI, algorithms, and deception, and the value of greater subject matter knowledge.  

Whether you are a teacher in K-12 schools, a university instructor, or simply an individual who actively engages in online platforms, there are many steps that can be taken to ensure a greater understanding and literacy around disinformation and AI. This will in turn instill greater trust in the institutions and organizations that disseminate the information we are seeking.

Context-based case studies, such as videos of celebrities and influencers, can serve as important teaching moments. In my classes, I’ve challenged students to discern what is a deepfake or AI-generated image through exercises such as reverse image searches. This teaches them to detect clues such as fuzzy details, inconsistent lighting, out-of-sync audio and visuals, and the credibility of the image source. We spend time analyzing and discussing the spread, origins, and nature of social media manipulation, which equips students with important data literacy skills.

Bringing the study of disinformation to the classroom

What we know about the world ultimately informs how we approach disinformation and deception. Today’s students need a cross-disciplinary approach that starts early, so the foundations of critical thinking and information literacy are instilled at a young age and stick with them as they grow and mature.

In Finland, media literacy constitutes a core component part of the national curriculum, starting in preschool. They start with understanding the basic elements of media, and build from there to understand more complex elements, such as identifying sources. It is not a single subject–rather, it is taught across different disciplines, including Finnish language and literature, math, and art to grow a well-rounded set of analytical skills. In a survey published by the Open Society Institute in Bulgaria, Finland has ranked No. 1 of 41 European countries on resilience against misinformation for the fifth time in a row. Finland’s population also has a higher level of trust in news and other institutions, with 76 percent of Finns considering print and digital newspapers to be reliable, according to a survey conducted by market research company IRO research.

There is no denying the impact of disinformation and the stronghold it is having on political processes around the world. We will doubtless see the use of disinformation throughout 2024 U.S. presidential election battle, but a concerted effort on developing greater critical thinking can help alleviate the impact. By becoming more knowledgeable about what disinformation is, as well as different countries, cultures, and subjects, we can better navigate the array of disinformation scenarios in the digital world and foster a questioning mindset.

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Dr. Marc Owen Jones is an Associate Professor of Digital Humanities at Northwestern University in Qatar.

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Open Access

Peer-reviewed

Research Article

Teaching critical thinking about health using digital technology in lower secondary schools in Rwanda: A qualitative context analysis

Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Methodology, Project administration, Validation, Writing – original draft, Writing – review & editing

Affiliations Institute of Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway, School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda

Roles Data curation, Formal analysis, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation School of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda

Roles Conceptualization, Methodology, Validation, Writing – review & editing

Affiliations Institute of Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway, Tropical Institute of Community Health and Development, Kisumu, Kenya

Roles Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing – review & editing

Affiliations Institute of Health and Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway, Department of Medicine, Makerere University, College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda

Affiliations Centre for Informed Health Choices, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway, Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo Metropolitan University, Oslo, Norway

Affiliation Department of Medicine, Makerere University, College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda

Affiliation Tropical Institute of Community Health and Development, Kisumu, Kenya

Roles Formal analysis, Methodology, Writing – review & editing

Affiliations Centre for Informed Health Choices, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway, Health Systems Research Unit, South African Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa

Roles Conceptualization, Data curation, Methodology, Project administration, Supervision, Validation, Visualization, Writing – review & editing

Roles Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Methodology, Project administration, Validation, Writing – review & editing

Affiliation Centre for Informed Health Choices, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway

Roles Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Methodology, Supervision, Validation, Writing – review & editing

* E-mail: [email protected]

• Michael Mugisha, 
• Anne Marie Uwitonze, 
• Faith Chesire, 
• Ronald Senyonga, 
• Matt Oxman, 
• Allen Nsangi, 
• Daniel Semakula, 
• Margaret Kaseje, 
• Simon Lewin, 

• Published: March 22, 2021
• https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248773
• Reader Comments

Introduction

Adolescents encounter misleading claims about health interventions that can affect their health. Young people need to develop critical thinking skills to enable them to verify health claims and make informed choices. Schools could teach these important life skills, but educators need access to suitable learning resources that are aligned with their curriculum. The overall objective of this context analysis was to explore conditions for teaching critical thinking about health interventions using digital technology to lower secondary school students in Rwanda.

We undertook a qualitative descriptive study using four methods: document review, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and observations. We reviewed 29 documents related to the national curriculum and ICT conditions in secondary schools. We conducted 8 interviews and 5 focus group discussions with students, teachers, and policy makers. We observed ICT conditions and use in five schools. We analysed the data using a framework analysis approach.

Two major themes found. The first was demand for teaching critical thinking about health. The current curriculum explicitly aims to develop critical thinking competences in students. Critical thinking and health topics are taught across subjects. But understanding and teaching of critical thinking varies among teachers, and critical thinking about health is not being taught. The second theme was the current and expected ICT conditions. Most public schools have computers, projectors, and internet connectivity. However, use of ICT in teaching is limited, due in part to low computer to student ratios.

Conclusions

There is a need for learning resources to develop critical thinking skills generally and critical thinking about health specifically. Such skills could be taught within the existing curriculum using available ICT technologies. Digital resources for teaching critical thinking about health should be designed so that they can be used flexibly across subjects and easily by teachers and students.

Citation: Mugisha M, Uwitonze AM, Chesire F, Senyonga R, Oxman M, Nsangi A, et al. (2021) Teaching critical thinking about health using digital technology in lower secondary schools in Rwanda: A qualitative context analysis. PLoS ONE 16(3): e0248773. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248773

Editor: Gwo-Jen Hwang, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, TAIWAN

Received: February 1, 2021; Accepted: March 4, 2021; Published: March 22, 2021

Copyright: © 2021 Mugisha et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Data Availability: The data underlying the results presented in the study are available from Norwegian Data Center at http://nsddata.nsd.uib.no/webview/index.jsp?node=0&submode=ddi&study=http%3A%2F%2F129.177.90.161%3A80%2Fobj%2FfStudy%2FNSD2930&language=no&mode=documentation .

Funding: This research was funded by the Research Council of Norway ( https://www.forskningsradet.no/en/ ). Project number 284683, grant no:69006 awarded to ADO. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

We are confronted all the time with claims about the world. Many of these claims are not directly testable by most of us. We must figure out how to evaluate other people’s arguments to come to our own conclusions, particularly about causal claims [ 1 ]. Adolescents, like adults, encounter a wide range of health-related claims in their daily lives, and many of those are claims about health interventions, i.e., statements or messages about purported benefits or harms of actions people can take to protect or improve health. When confronted with such claims, most people are not trying to be scientists. Rather, they are trying to figure out what to believe and what to do.

Such claims are obtained from peers, families, the community, social and mass media. Misleading claims can lead to bad decisions about health, if they are believed. For example, there are endless claims about what people can do to prevent or treat COVID-19 [ 2 ]. Acting on unreliable claims can lead to unnecessary suffering and wasted resources [ 3 – 7 ]. Conversely, failure to believe and act on reliable claims about health interventions also leads to unnecessary suffering and inefficient use of health services [ 8 – 10 ].

Making good decisions about health depends on critical thinking, people’s ability to obtain, process and understand health information needed to make informed decisions [ 11 – 14 ]. Additionally, people need to think critically about health information, for instance to assess the trustworthiness of claims about health interventions or to understand how to deal with conflicting claims [ 15 ]. Many countries have moved towards competence-based curricula and include critical thinking as a key competence [ 16 , 17 ], although not specifically critical thinking about health. A strong case can be made for investing in health education for adolescents based on developmental science [ 18 ]. However, few educational interventions to improve adolescents’ ability to think critically about health have been evaluated rigorously [ 19 ].

We are a team developing and evaluating resources to enable young people to think critically about health claims. The team includes researchers from East Africa, where the resources are being developed and evaluated, as well as from Chile and Norway. The team is part of the Informed Health Choices (IHC) network, which includes researchers from over 20 countries who are developing and testing learning resources for primary and secondary schools [ 20 ].

We first identified key concepts (principles) that people need to understand and apply when deciding what health claims to believe and what to do [ 21 ]. Together with teachers in Uganda, we prioritised concepts that were relevant for primary school children [ 22 ]. We have also prioritised concepts for secondary schools, together with national curriculum committee members and teachers in Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya [ 23 ]. We developed and tested learning resources in Ugandan primary school children [ 24 , 25 ]. In a follow up study, we showed that children retained what they had learned for at least one year [ 26 ]. The team has translated primary school learning resources to Kinyarwanda and Kiswahili and piloted their use in Rwanda and Kenya. Key findings from the Rwandan pilot study indicated that IHC resources were useful and feasible to use in Rwandan primary schools [ 27 ]. The primary school resources have also been translated to other languages, including Chinese, Croatian, French, Greek, Italian, Norwegian, Persian, Portuguese, Spanish and pilot testing of translated resources is ongoing in several countries [ 28 ].

In a process evaluation, researchers found that lack of time in the curriculum and printing costs were major challenges to scaling up use of the IHC primary school resources [ 29 ]. One way of reducing the cost of the intervention would be to use digital resources. Digital learning resources are much cheaper to distribute than printed resources because they eliminate printing costs, and they do not need to be physically shipped. However, schools may not be equipped to use digital resources and teachers and students may prefer printed learning materials. Further, we conducted a context analysis in Norway to explore the demand for teaching critical thinking about health in primary schools [ 30 ]. We found that although teachers were interested, there was little time available for teaching new content outside the curriculum and little time for teachers to seek out and test new resources.

Building on what we learned in our work with primary school resources, and in collaboration with stakeholders in education, we are developing digital learning resources for secondary school students in East Africa that can be easily adapted for use in other countries. To inform the development of the resources and ensure that they are well suited for the Rwandan context, we conducted a context analysis to explore 1) the demand for learning resources, 2) the extent to which these fit with the curriculum and 3) ICT conditions in secondary schools. Researchers in Kenya and Uganda carried out similar context analyses [ 31 – 33 ]. While our focus is on understanding the context for developing suitable learning resources for critical thinking about health, our findings can also inform the design of other digital learning resources in low resource educational settings.

We used a qualitative descriptive study approach [ 34 ]. This entails describing a phenomenon without moving far from or into the data; it requires less interpretation than an “interpretive descriptive” approach. We chose this method because the nature of the data we sought was primarily factual. We employed four qualitative methods: document review, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and observations.

Document review

The document review included analysis of the existing curriculum, of approved learning resources in lower secondary schools, and of current documentation on ICT for education (ICT for education policy, ICT implementation plans, and guidelines for use of ICT in education). We searched for relevant documents on the official websites of the Rwanda Education Board (REB) and Ministry of Education. We consulted REB to retrieve and obtain clarifications of documents that could not be found on the official website. In total, we reviewed 29 documents for curriculum, resources and ICT use in Rwanda.

We reviewed the national curriculum for lower secondary schools. We read syllabuses for each subject taught in lower secondary schools. For each subject, we reviewed its rationale, competences, objectives, topic areas and units taught. We explored what health topics are covered in the curriculum and in which subjects and course units these health topics are located. We reviewed how critical thinking is generally covered in the curriculum and specifically in relation to health topics. We mapped if there were any IHC concepts and competences reflected in the curriculum. We used the IHC Key Concepts as a framework for reviewing the curriculum, mapping where in the curriculum IHC concepts are relevant explicitly or implicitly. The IHC Key Concepts includes 49 principles grouped in three categories, each with three high level concepts, and corresponding competences (see Table 1 ). We did not review international or special needs curricula used in Rwandan lower secondary schools.

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248773.t001

We reviewed e-books approved by REB. We started by reviewing all books used in lower secondary schools of Rwanda. For each electronic book used in lower secondary schools, we reviewed whether the content included health topics or critical thinking about health.

We reviewed existing documentation on ICT use in secondary education, including existing national policy for use of ICT in education, and strategic and implementation plans for ICT in secondary schools. We also reviewed existing e-learning platforms and digital learning resources available through the REB gateway. We explored the status of the rolling out of ICT infrastructure in Rwandan secondary schools, and the availability of resources (equipment, Internet access, e-learning content, etc) in schools where ICT has been rolled out.

Key informant interviews

We interviewed key informants such as curriculum development and ICT for education at REB, secondary school teachers, and school ICT support officers. We explored how the competence-based curriculum is implemented in Rwanda, focusing on critical thinking and health topics, and how competence-based learning is evaluated. We asked secondary school teachers and ICT support officers at schools to describe how they teach competence-based curriculum with a focus on critical thinking and health related topics. We also explored ICT use for teaching and learning, and challenges using digital learning resources.

Focus group discussions

We conducted focus group discussions with students to explore how they obtain health information, what they use as a basis for making health decisions, and claims they hear in everyday life. We explored whether critical thinking about health is something they would be interested to learn in school. We also explored how they search for information about health and other topics at school. Finally, we explored how they access and use ICT for learning in school.

Observation

We visited selected schools and observed what ICT infrastructure is available and how it is used for teaching and learning. We observed existing ICT labs, digital equipment, Internet access, and content. Where we were able to access ongoing classes, we observed how ICT was used in teaching and learning.

First, we sampled documents to review according to the objectives. We purposively selected curriculum documents, approved learning resources and ICT policy and implementation documents (n = 29). For the curriculum and learning resources we selected those used in lower secondary schools in Rwanda. Second, we used convenience sampling to select five schools to conduct observations, interviews with teachers, and focus group discussions with students. Due to time and budget constraints, we applied convenience sampling to select five schools. We took care to choose schools that varied as much as possible in terms of ownership (private/public), day/boarding, equipment, and location (urban/rural). In each school, the school administration identified at least 10 students from lower secondary school with whom we conducted a focus group discussion. Two of the five focus group discussions were conducted out of school premises due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In each school, we purposively selected two to three teachers of biology and English because the current curriculum informed us that health topics were mainly taught in those subjects. We also interviewed people in charge of ICT at each school. Lastly, we purposively selected 5–10 key informants from REB’s departments of curriculum development and ICT for education. In order to capture the opinions, views and experiences of a wide range of participants, we selected participants that were of direct relevance to our study objectives.

Data collection procedures

For the document review, we used the study objectives and IHC Key Concepts as frameworks for collecting data. We extracted statements pertinent to each study objective. We summarised all findings in a single table, including the name of the document, the extracted statement, and the page number where the statement was found. This exercise was done independently by two researchers who then compared the data they extracted and resolved any disagreement through discussion.

For key informant interviews, we used semi-structured interview guides to collect information from the study participants, one for teachers and one for policy makers. Guides included questions that covered critical thinking about health, resources for teaching critical thinking, and ICT infrastructure used in teaching and learning. Guides also explored existing challenges and opportunities for using ICT for teaching and learning. We piloted the two interview guides with a few participants first and slightly modified them as needed. We interviewed participants face to face in a private place of their choice. Participants were encouraged to express their views freely and take discussion in a new relevant direction. We conducted some interviews with two or three teachers or REB key informants at the same time.

We also used an interview guide to conduct focus group discussions with students. We asked questions to explore how they learn to think critically, what claims about treatment effects they are familiar with, which sources of health information they use, and how they use ICT for learning purposes. We approached and conducted interviews at the workplace of study participants in a designated room that assured privacy of participants and recording of discussions. Interviews and focus group discussions were moderated by a male PhD fellow with Master of Public Health and experience qualitative research (first author). Each interview lasted at least an hour and the focus group discussion lasted between one hour and half. At least two researchers conducted each interview and focus group discussion. One person guided the discussion, and another took notes and recorded the discussion. Interviews and focus group discussions were recorded, transcribed verbatim and translated to English if the interview was conducted in Kinyarwanda. We collected observations using a checklist that covered ICT equipment, internet-connectivity, and e-learning content used in schools.

The amount of data we collected was guided by considerations of the variation in issues emerging from the data and the extent to which we were able to explain these variations. We considered our time and resource constraints and the need to avoid large volumes of data that cannot be easily managed or analysed as highlighted in the literature [ 35 , 36 ].

Data analysis

We compiled and analysed all data from the document review, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and observations together, using a framework analysis approach for applied research [ 37 ]. This approach differs from thematic content analysis in that it is deductive in nature with pre-set objectives [ 38 ]. It also involves analysing, classifying and summarising data in a thematic framework [ 39 ]. We began by reading all notes, transcripts, and documents to familiarise ourselves with the data. Then we conducted an analysis based on a coding scheme of initial themes derived directly from the objectives of our study: 1) demand for learning resources to teach critical thinking about health, 2) links between critical thinking about health and the curriculum, and 3) current and expected ICT conditions for teaching and learning in secondary schools. We determined sub-themes from data within each initial theme. We indexed all the data using the initial themes and sub-themes and rearranged data within and across themes (charting) to compare summaries of data during analysis. Two researchers independently analysed the data and compared their findings. The two researchers discussed disagreements in codes and themes and agreed on the final themes.

We summarized the key findings and assessed our confidence in these using a version of the Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research (GRADE-CERQual) approach [ 40 ]. GRADE-CERQual was modified for primary qualitative studies [ 29 , 41 ]. GRADE-CERQual is a systematic and transparent method for assessing the confidence in evidence from reviews of qualitative research through the lens of four components: methodological limitations, data adequacy, coherence and relevance [ 42 ]. Although CERQual has been designed for assessing findings emerging from qualitative evidence syntheses, the components of the approach are also suitable for assessing findings from a single study with multiple sources of qualitative data. We modified the components slightly as follows: 1) Methodological limitations: the extent to which there are concerns about the sampling and collection of the data that contributed evidence to an individual finding, 2) Coherence of the finding: an assessment of how clear and compelling the fit is between the data and the finding that brings together these data, 3) Adequacy of the data contributing to a finding: an overall determination of the degree of richness and quantity of data supporting a finding and 4) Relevance: the extent to which the body of evidence supporting a finding is applicable to the context (perspective or population, phenomenon of interest, setting) specified in the study question.

Two authors applied the modified GRADE-CERQual approach to each study finding and made a judgement about our overall confidence in the evidence supporting the finding. We judged confidence as being high, moderate, low, or very low. All findings started as high confidence and were graded down if there were important concerns regarding any of the components described above [ 43 ].

Ethical considerations

The study was performed in accordance with the protocol and regulatory requirements, guidelines, and principles for conducting studies involving human subjects in Rwanda. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Rwandan National Ethics Committee (RNEC) for the entire informed health choices project (approval number 916/RNEC/2019). Study participants signed a written informed consent before participating in the study. Students under the age of 18 signed assent forms and consent was obtained from their corresponding school administration at school.

We reviewed 29 documents related to the curriculum, syllabuses, textbooks, and ICT for education in Rwanda. We interviewed 27 key informants, including policymakers, and teachers. We conducted five focus group discussions with groups of nine to 11 students, and we made observations in five schools. Characteristics of the schools, students, teachers, and policymakers are summarised in Table 2 . We categorised our findings in themes and sub-themes as described below. CERQual assessments are in parentheses.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248773.t002

Demand for resources to teach critical thinking about health

Demand in the curriculum..

The competence-based curriculum requires that students develop generic competences including critical thinking, research and problem solving in all subjects (high confidence). In 2016, Rwanda switched from a knowledge-based curriculum to a competence-based curriculum. The current curriculum emphasises developing learners’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes that together build competences needed in real life. It also places the learner at the centre of teaching and learning processes. The learner is considered a source of information and is expected to drive learning processes, while the teacher’s role is to guide.

“The former curriculum was objective-based , where the teacher was the source of everything , He/she was the one teaching students , providing all the information , and students could write all that the teacher said , But now in the current competence-based curriculum , the focus is more on learners , where students participate more in learning and teaching process than the teacher himself . ” Policymaker 03

The current curriculum aims for learners to develop generic competences that promote higher order thinking skills. These competences are expected to impart learners with understanding of subjects and skills needed in the job market, as well as to promote life-long learning. The curriculum describes generic competences that include critical thinking, research, and problem solving.

In developing critical thinking competence, learners are expected to demonstrate that they “ think reflectively , broadly and logically about challenges encountered in all situations , weigh up evidence and make appropriate decisions based on experience and relevant learning , think imaginatively and evaluate ideas in a meaningful way before arriving at a conclusion and explore and evaluate alternative explanations to those presented by others . ” Similarly, for research and problem-solving skills competence, learners should “be resourceful in finding answers to questions and solutions to problems , produce new knowledge based on research of existing information and concepts and sound judgment in developing viable solutions , explain phenomena based on findings from information gathered or provided . ” Rwanda Curriculum framework , page 11.

According to the curriculum, these generic competences and others must be reflected and developed in all subjects taught in lower secondary schools in Rwanda.

The current curriculum lays out the demand for development of new textbooks and teachers’ guides to facilitate a learner-centred approach (high confidence). REB’s department of curriculum and material production is developing learning resources for each subject to increase the availability of such resources in schools.

“The learner-centred approach required for the new curriculum demands a variety of teaching and learning textbooks and resources , Teachers’ guides for textbooks and the National Curriculum Syllabuses will provide subject teachers with advice and guidance on effective strategies for teaching their subjects and for optimising students’ progress in terms of subject knowledge , skills , attitudes and competences . ” Rwanda curriculum framework , page 24 .

Demand for critical thinking learning resources in subjects taught in lower secondary schools.

Health related topics taught in secondary school subjects provide opportunity for developing competences for critical thinking about health among learners (high confidence). We explored all subjects in the lower secondary curriculum to determine where health topics are covered. Among 14 subjects taught in lower secondary schools, three subjects (biology and health sciences, home science, and English) covered health topics in their syllabuses. Broad health themes are included, such as sexual and reproductive health, infectious and non-infectious diseases, food and nutrition. Table 3 provides an overview of which subjects and units in the curriculum cover health topics.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248773.t003

In reviewing the content and activities for health-related topics, we found opportunities for teaching critical thinking about health. In addition, statistics and probability, which are taught in mathematics are linked to concepts for critical thinking about health research.

We did find some competences of biology, chemistry, mathematics subjects that aligned with competences in the IHC Key Concepts framework. These competences are rooted in generic competences described in the curriculum framework. They include “critical thinking, research and problem solving, creativity and innovation, communication, lifelong learning, cooperation, interpersonal relations, and life skills.” Specific broad competences in the syllabuses for subjects are based on these generic competences (see Table 4 ). The learner studying those subjects is expected to appreciate that science is evidence-based and should apply science in real life to make good choices and find solutions. Students use small-group discussions to conduct class activities and reflect on content delivered in class, a learning strategy that is aligned with critical thinking. At the end of lower secondary school, students should be able to apply science in advocating for personal, family and community health (high confidence).

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248773.t004

Students should be able to “ … apply basic mathematical concepts , principles and processes to solve problems; analyse and explain scientific phenomena relating to real life experience; use and experiment with a range of scientific and technological tools and equipment and draw appropriate conclusions; advocate for personal , family and community health , hygiene and nutrition … ” Rwanda curriculum framework , page 14 .

Teachers’ needs in relation to resources to teach critical thinking about health.

Understanding and developing critical thinking about health varies among teachers (moderate confidence). The teachers we interviewed noted that they understand critical thinking as a way of reflecting on class lectures through discussion among learners. Some teachers we interviewed also develop research and problem-solving skills by encouraging learners to search the Internet and books to get further information beyond what is taught in class. Other teachers understand critical thinking as a way of reflecting on topics learned in class and how these apply in real life.

“We give them health topics to search on the Internet or in books , They discuss in class and present [what they find] during debates . ” English teacher

“For example , we teach infectious and non-infectious diseases , We can ask them some diseases they see at home , we ask a nurse to explain these diseases , so they think beyond class and get understanding of what infectious diseases are .” Biology and health sciences teacher

We interviewed five staff from the REB curriculum department to explore the need to develop learning resources to teach critical thinking about health. They noted that, in their view, teachers have little experience in teaching critical thinking and other new competences. This, they stated, is because most teachers have been trained in the previous knowledge-based curriculum. They also noted that teachers have different understandings of what is meant by critical thinking, and their competences vary. The curriculum department staff suggested that teachers do not know how to develop their competences in this area, and that there are no learning resources to help them.

“Critical thinking is reflected in the curriculum but teaching it is still problematic because understanding of teachers for critical thinking varies and some don’t even understand it , Yes , you need to develop critical thinking , but how do you do it and what materials do you use ? Which books do you use ? You see it is a problem . ” Policymaker

Students’ needs in relation to learning about critical thinking for health.

We found that students are aware that critical thinking would help to make decisions about health for themselves and others (high confidence). Most students said that they search for health information on the Internet or ask their peers or family. Some said they could find out which treatments are better by trying them out and seeing what the effect was, or by asking friends or parents. Students shared their experiences of treatments they were familiar with for common conditions. Students commonly heard about treatments claims from peers, and that they generally accepted and believed them.

“You can ask elders , your parents , your elder brothers/sisters , neighbours , and you know what they used which healed them quickly or you do research on Google . ” 14-year-old student

They had a general belief regarding what people can eat or drink to improve their health and which treatments they can use to improve common health conditions. Their beliefs about treatments were influenced by peers, the community, media and their families.

“ … when you are sick of flu or cough , you take ginger and lemon , you boil them , then you mix with honey . ” 13-year-old student

When we asked them whether it is important to learn critical thinking about health, they responded that it is important because it would give them confidence in their treatment choices. They also mentioned that knowing critical thinking, they can help themselves or others to make better choices. When we asked them how they can apply critical thinking about health in their daily lives, they said they would use medicines with caution and not accept every suggestion.

“In order to avoid a person who can mislead you , because some can even give you wrong information on the treatment , Then when you take it without critical thinking , you have bad effect , which can even lead to death or you become disabled . ” 14-year-old student

Current and expected ICT conditions

Policy and guidelines for use of ict in teaching and learning..

There are policy and guidelines in place that promote ICT use in teaching and learning (high confidence). The Government of Rwanda recognises ICT as a key pillar for national transformation. In 2016, the government approved the ICT for education policy [ 44 ]. The policy aimed to mobilise use of ICT in teaching and learning processes by developing ICT literacy and providing devices, connectivity, and digital content. In the education sector, ICT is regarded as a key strategy to drive teaching and learning.

REB has produced guidelines for establishing “smart classrooms” in schools to facilitate teaching and learning. Smart classrooms are computer laboratories with laptops, an Internet connection, and learning materials that develop 21 st century skills. There was an ICT implementation plan to provide all schools with smart classrooms by 2019.

“Development and acquisition of digital content , aligned with the curriculum and that [ … ] is fully integrated with the use of ICT , [ … ] eventual shift from print to digital content as infrastructure is deployed in schools [ … ] Digital content has advantages of reducing costs of printing , distribution , replacement due to wear and tear and enriching the learning experience . ” ICT in education policy , page 4 .

Devices and connectivity for teaching and learning.

The government of Rwanda has provided computers, connectivity and other ICT devices to more than 50% of schools for supporting teaching and learning (high confidence). According to the REB ICT for education department, over 50% of secondary schools in Rwanda have at least two smart classrooms and laptops for teachers in each department. Most schools have at least 100 computers for students and five computers for teachers in each department. The laptops are supplied by the government and have similar features, and the government pays for Internet access at the schools. Some schools have additional computers not supplied by the government. At the five schools we visited, there was also at least one data projector in the smart classrooms. Based on interviews with teachers, few students or teachers own a computer. Only one of the five schools we visited had some students who owned laptops.

Digital content for teaching and learning.

There is an e-learning platform for schools that hosts non-interactive digital content in pdf formats. Some work is going on regarding interactive digital content (high confidence). All books developed for the competence-based curriculum are freely available. Interactive digital content is under development in pilot projects, according to the REB.

“Well , we have not done so much on digital materials , what we have now is soft books in PDF , Digital content is different from soft content of the book because in digital content we should have animation , audio , Yeah , digital materials look like that , But we have that project , where we will make digital content for primary and secondary . ” Policymaker 3

“So far we have developed few interactive digital resources for each unit in a chapter , but we are now developing virtual labs . ” Policymaker 2

Use of ICT for teaching and learning.

Use of ICT for teaching and learning in Rwandan schools is limited due to limited ICT resources. Therefore, use of ICT in teaching is done in combination with traditional teaching (without ICT). Schools’ ICT facilities are available for teaching and learning on a rotating schedule, since there are not enough computers for all students to use at the same time (high confidence). In each school there is a timetable indicating when each class is scheduled to use a smart classroom. During breaks and weekends, smart classrooms at boarding schools are open for students to use. Students reported that their use of computers for teaching and learning outside of ICT classes occurs once or twice a week. Students use computers primarily for searching the Internet and for learning ICT skills. Teachers we interviewed reported that teaching and learning across subjects occurs mostly in classes without computers.

“It might not always be possible for all classes to access smart classrooms in a bigger school but the need for it is weighed and classes are allowed accordingly , For boarding schools , they can even extend the learning hours to weekend program where students can have access to computers depending on the school timetable . ” Policymaker 3

Confidence in the findings . Details of our assessment of confidence in the findings are summarised in the ( S1 File ). We judged that it is possible to have high confidence in all but one of the findings (which we rated as ‘moderate’).

The study aimed to explore the demand of teaching critical thinking about health conditions in Rwandan lower secondary schools using digital technology. We found that critical thinking is a key competence in Rwandan curriculum and health topics cut across different subjects. Furthermore students, teachers, and policy makers agreed there is a need for students to learn to think critically about health, and a need for learning resources to help teach critical thinking about health. We found that ICT devices and connectivity has already been supplied by the Rwanda Education Board to more than half of the schools in the country. However, use of ICT in daily teaching activities is limited by high computer to student ratios.

Internationally, there has been a shift towards competence-based curricula, and critical thinking is identified as a key competence in most curricula [ 16 ]. Critical thinking is a priority competence across subjects taught in lower secondary schools in Rwanda. However, critical thinking about health is not addressed explicitly and is not being taught. In the curricula, health is not a stand-alone subject, but health is included in three subjects: biology and health sciences, home science, and English. For English, health topics are used as a context for teaching English.

Teachers and curriculum developers did not express a direct ‘demand’ for these learning resources, likely because critical thinking about health is not explicitly described as a subject in the curriculum. However, both teachers and curriculum developers expressed a need for resources to help teachers teach critical thinking. We also uncovered opportunities in several subjects where teaching this content would fit with the existing curriculum.

Though critical thinking about health is not being taught, students recognise the importance of learning to think critically about health. They encounter many claims in their daily lives about the effects of health interventions and lack skills to critically appraise those claims. People have access to a massive amount of health information and need skills to know what is trustworthy [ 19 ].

We found that challenges to teaching critical thinking generally and critical thinking about health specifically include teachers’ lack of experience, training, and resources to help them. Similarly, a context analysis in Norway found that both critical thinking and health are emphasised in the curriculum, but teachers lack experience teaching critical thinking about health [ 45 ]. Other research has identified a lack of experience and training as a challenge to teaching critical thinking generally [ 46 ]. Our analysis suggests that to address these challenges, critical thinking learning resources should include support or training for teachers. In addition, because critical thinking and health are taught across subjects, resources are needed that can be used across subjects. If teaching critical thinking about health is distributed across subjects, teachers are likely to need a tool for coordinating this.

We also found challenges to using ICT for teaching and learning. Although more than half of the public schools in Rwanda now have smart classrooms, most schools have only two smart classrooms. This makes it hard to use them in daily teaching activities. Also, digital learning resources are limited to PDF textbooks provided by REB and available on their website. The use of digital learning resources, and particularly resources not provided by REB, is uncommon. Our results are similar to those of other studies which have found that barriers to using ICT for teaching and learning include poor infrastructure, lack of Internet connection, and sporadic electricity; teachers’ lack of competence, confidence, technological literacy, and pedagogical skills; and teachers’ perceptions and beliefs [ 47 , 48 ]. Our findings suggest that close collaboration with policymakers—in Rwanda, the REB—is important in addressing these challenges, to ensure that digital learning resources are suitable for and integrated into the national platform, which would facilitate scaling up and sustaining use.

UNESCO has highlighted four mistakes to avoid when people want to integrate ICT in teaching and learning: “ installing learning technology without reviewing students’ needs and content availability , imposing technological systems from the top down without involving faculty and students , using inappropriate content from other regions of the world without customizing it appropriately , and producing low quality content that has poor instructional design and is not adapted to the technology in use ” [ 49 ]. This context analysis will help us to avoid those mistakes. In addition, we will develop learning resources iteratively, with continual in-depth feedback from students, teachers, and the curriculum committee.

Strengths and limitations

A strength of this study is the use of multiple sources of data, including documents, interviews, focus group discussions, and observation. This provided a basis for triangulating the findings. In addition, data from our document review informed our collection of data from key informants’ interviews and focus group discussion. Another strength was the use of a modified version of CERQual to assess confidence in our findings.

A potential limitation is the possibility of social desirability bias among interview participants, particularly curriculum developers and teachers who teach critical thinking. They may have wanted to defend the extent to which critical thinking about health is covered in the curriculum and taught in Rwandan schools. We tried to mitigate this by emphasizing to all participants that we were not assessing the curriculum or teaching performance, but rather seeking to inform the development of our learning resources.

This qualitative context analysis identified a need for learning resources to teach critical thinking about health to students in Rwanda. Students saw critical thinking about health as important for making better choices and are therefore likely to be motivated to engage in this learning. They are confronted with many claims about the effects of health interventions and recognize their need to know how to assess the trustworthiness of those claims. Critical thinking is a priority competence in the Rwandan curriculum. However, teachers need support for teaching critical thinking skills generally, and critical thinking about health specifically. Experience from elsewhere suggests that digital learning resources can reduce costs compared to printed material, and interactive resources may have additional advantages. However, widespread use and sustainability of digital learning resources depends on support from the Rwanda Education Board. Resources also need to be designed in a way that makes them adaptable for use in schools with limited ICT resources, as well as suitable for use by teachers with limited ICT experience.

Supporting information

S1 file. cerqual assessment of key findings for context analysis..

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248773.s001

Acknowledgments

We thank Rwanda Education Board which guided us to access documents and relevant participants to interview. We would like to acknowledge schools, teachers and students who agreed to participate in the study. We also acknowledge the University of Rwanda’s support for introduction letters to institutions we collected data from.

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Jessica Grose

What teachers told me about a.i. in school.

By Jessica Grose

Opinion Writer

Leila Wheless, a North Carolina teacher who has been an educator since 1991, tried to keep “an open heart” about using artificial intelligence in her middle school English and language arts classroom. She reviewed the guidance of her state’s generative A.I. “ recommendations and considerations ” for public schools. But the results of her students’ A.I. use were dispiriting.

“For one particular assignment related to the novel ‘Persepolis,’ I had students research prophets,” Wheless explained, because the main character fantasizes about being a prophet. But, she told me via email, internet searches that incorporated A.I.:

Gave students jewels such as “the Christian prophet Moses got chocolate stains out of T-shirts” — I guess rather than Moses got water out of a rock(?). And let me tell you, eighth graders wrote that down as their response. They did not come up to me and ask, “Is that correct? Moses is known for getting chocolate stains out of T-shirts?” They simply do not have the background knowledge or indeed the intellectual stamina to question unlikely responses.

After I wrote a series in the spring about tech use in K-12 classrooms , I asked teachers about their experiences with A.I. because its ubiquity is fairly new and educators are just starting to figure out how to grapple with it. I spoke with middle school, high school and college instructors, and my overall takeaway is that while there are a few real benefits to using A.I. in schools — it can be useful in speeding up rote tasks like adding citations to essays and doing basic coding — the drawbacks are significant.

The biggest issue isn’t just that students might use it to cheat — students have been trying to cheat forever — or that they might wind up with absurdly wrong answers, like confusing Moses with Mr. Clean. The thornier problem is that when students rely on a generative A.I. tool like ChatGPT to outsource brainstorming and writing, they may be losing the ability to think critically and to overcome frustration with tasks that don’t come easily to them.

Sarah Martin, who teaches high school English in California, wrote to me saying, “Cheating by copying from A.I. is rampant, particularly among my disaffected seniors who are just waiting until graduation.”

When I followed up with her over the phone, she said that it’s getting more and more difficult to catch A.I. use because a savvier user will recognize absurdities and hallucinations and go back over what a chatbot spits out to make it read more as if the user wrote it herself. But what troubles Martin more than some students’ shrewd academic dishonesty is “that there’s just no grit that’s instilled in them. There’s no sense of ‘Yes, you’re going to struggle, but you’re going to feel good at the end of it.’”

She said that the amount of time her students are inclined to work on something that challenges them has become much shorter over the seven years she’s been teaching. There was a time, she said, when a typical student would wrestle with a concept for days before getting it. But now, if that student doesn’t understand something within minutes, he’s more likely to give up on his own brain power and look for an alternative, whether it’s a chatbot or asking a friend for help.

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Teaching about history standards can provide critical thinking inroads

Having students consider the motivations behind what’s included or omitted in learning standards can broaden their analytical skills, one educator suggests.

Dive Brief:

While curriculum standards typically serve as guidelines for what is taught in core subjects, one educator suggests history standards can be used to help students develop and exercise critical thinking skills.

Stephen Jackson, assistant professor of educational leadership and policy studies at the University of Kansas, has crafted a curriculum that South Dakota history educators can use to help students analyze the decisions that go into the creation of standards and who decides what information does or doesn’t make the cut.

“I think it’s important for students to consider the focus that shapes their education,” Jackson said. “It should be a tool we use to bring students into a conversation about these changes.”

Dive Insight:

Before joining the University of Kansas, Jackson taught at the University of Sioux Falls in South Dakota and took part in helping update the state's existing social studies standards in 2021.

However, the standards he helped to submit were redrafted, and a new version was ratified the following year despite pushback from groups including the American Historical Association , ACLU South Dakota and others. The primary points of contention? Disputes over “divisive concepts” and “critical race theory.”

The final version is set to be implemented in the coming 2024-25 school year, said Jackson.

The process ultimately sparked an idea for Jackson: With three versions of the standards available, students could examine the differences and consider what helped shape the viewpoints behind tweaking these documents.

“The big question is what gets left out and what stories aren’t told,” Jackson said. “Students get very passionate about what drove the choices.”

To that end, Jackson drafted a lesson published in The American Historical Review that focuses heavily on South Dakota but invites educators to apply their own state standards. 

The outline also delves into the history of state standards across the U.S., offers analytical questions — again based on South Dakota’s social studies standards — and writing assignments, and provides a suggested reading list with links to available articles and papers.

To Jackson, this kind of approach may help students learn how to “take control of their own education.”

“They’ve had experience with textbooks and going to classes all their life, but [with this approach] they can look at how we got from point A to point B and question the authoritativeness of these documents,” Jackson said.

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How We Can Harness AI to Fulfill Our Potential

August 20, 2024 • 6 min read.

Visiting scholar Cornelia Walther explains the four assets you need to protect your personal agency and critical thinking skills as AI becomes a bigger part of our lives.

The following article was written by Dr. Cornelia C. Walther , a visiting scholar at Wharton and director of global alliance POZE . A humanitarian practitioner who spent over 20 years at the United Nations, Walther’s current research focuses on leveraging AI for social good.

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence has brought immense potential to revolutionize our lives, from automating mundane tasks to offering unprecedented insights and predictions. However, as we increasingly integrate AI into our daily routines and decision-making processes, there is a growing risk of delegating too much of our cognitive autonomy. This shift can lead to overreliance on AI, diminishing our ability to think critically, make independent judgments, and maintain a sense of personal agency. Stanford studies have shown that when individuals rely excessively on AI, they tend to experience a reduction in cognitive engagement and decision-making capabilities ​.

AI’s allure lies in processing vast amounts of data and performing complex calculations far beyond human capabilities. Initially, this technology serves as a valuable tool, enhancing our productivity and aiding in various domains. As utilization turns into reliance, we may begin to trust AI systems more than our own judgment, leading to a passive acceptance of AI-driven outcomes. This transition can eventually evolve into dependency, where AI’s influence over our decisions becomes so pervasive that we lose the ability to operate independently.

A study published by the MIT Sloan School of Management highlights the dangers of this dependency. Overreliance on AI in decision-making processes can lead to a decrease in critical thinking and problem-solving skills among professionals​. Vigilance toward our own mind matters even more now. In addition to the well-known caveats of human thought like bias and prejudice, we are now at risk to slip from AI delegation to AI dependency.

The biggest challenge of the 21st century will be our ability to maintain and enhance our agency amid the growing presence of AI. We can address this challenge by adopting four assets: Attitude, Approach, Ability, and Aspiration.

1. Attitude : Cultivating Awareness, Appreciation, Acceptance, and Accountability

To counteract the risks associated with AI dependency, we can start by adopting a specific attitude. This involves cultivating awareness of the capabilities and limitations of both AI and humans, appreciating their respective potential, accepting the responsibility to use AI ethically, and holding ourselves accountable for the decisions made with AI assistance. A word on each:

Awareness: Understanding the scope and constraints of our own minds — and of AI — helps us set realistic expectations and avoid blind trust in its outputs. Awareness involves mindfulness, staying informed about AI developments, and being critical of the data and algorithms that drive these systems.

Appreciation: Recognizing what makes us unique as human beings and how AI might serve us in complementarity makes it possible to harness technological benefits while retaining our critical faculties. Appreciation involves acknowledging AI’s contributions to efficiency and innovation, but not at the expense of our judgment and free will.

Acceptance: Embracing the ethical implications of AI usage means accepting our role in ensuring these technologies are used responsibly. This includes being vigilant about the biases of humans and algorithms, and the ethical concerns in AI applications that reflect those.

Accountability: Holding ourselves accountable for AI-driven decisions ensures that we remain active participants in the decision-making process. Accountability involves regularly evaluating AI’s impact on our choices and adjusting as necessary. Ultimately, we are responsible for the outcomes that derive from the technology in our lives.

(All of these come together in the “A-Frame,” a concept that is explored further in this forthcoming book .)

2. Approach: Aligning Aspirations to Values and Actions

The second asset involves adopting an approach whereby we align our aspirations with our values and actions. This means ensuring that our use of AI reflects our personal and societal values and that our actions are consistent with these principles.

Aligning Aspirations to Values: Our goals in using AI should align with our core values, such as fairness, transparency, and inclusivity. This alignment helps prevent the misuse of AI and ensures that its deployment serves the greater good.

Aligning Values to Actions: Translating our values into concrete actions is crucial for maintaining agency. This involves implementing ethical guidelines and practices in AI usage, advocating for responsible AI policies, and participating in discussions about AI’s societal impact.

3. Ability: Developing “Double Literacy,” or Brain Literacy and Algorithmic Literacy

To preserve our agency amid AI, we must develop “ double literacy ”: a 360-degree understanding of both our own cognitive processes (brain literacy) and the mechanisms behind AI systems (algorithmic literacy) and how they interplay.

Brain Literacy: By understanding how our brains work, we can better recognize when AI might be influencing our decisions and take steps to mitigate this influence. Brain literacy involves being aware of cognitive biases and the ways in which AI can exploit these biases.

Algorithmic Literacy: Knowing how AI algorithms function allows us to critically assess their outputs and identify potential flaws or biases. Algorithmic literacy involves learning about the data, models, and assumptions that underpin AI systems and using this knowledge to make informed decisions.

Both types of literacy must be embedded in a holistic understanding of people and planet, and the kaleidoscope of constant change in which technology is increasingly omnipresent. AI holds the promise to enhance our lives, at work and at home. Whether it fulfills that promise depends on our ability to understand what it is (not) and who we are (not).

4. Aspiration: Embracing the Vision of a Society where Everyone Gets a Chance to Fulfill Their Potential

We have grown used to a world where only the strongest survive and resources are limited. What if we shifted our focus from scarcity to abundance, and from judgment to curiosity?

AI might serve as an ally in exploring unknown parts of our own frame of mind and expanding existing resources, whether it is knowledge or material assets to make all ends meet. Whether we are moving toward an age of abundance or perpetrating the status quo of scarcity depends on our Attitude, Approach, and the Action that we take — but most importantly, it depends on the Aspiration that underpins them, online and offline.

It is a slippery slope from experimentation with AI, to regular use of AI, to reliance and full-blown AI addiction. Hence our biggest challenge today is to consciously curate our cognitive autonomy and the power of personal agency that depends on it. By investing in cognitive autonomy, we are positioning ourselves for a journey where we remain the masters of our own decisions.

Read more of Walther’s thought leadership about agency amid AI on Forbes and check out her books here .

More From Knowledge at Wharton

School Is Back in Session. What Role Will AI Be Playing in a Student’s Education?

What Will AI in Education Look Like? | Christian Terwiesch

Can the Mobile Wave Help Us Navigate the AI Wave?

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Registration for this book study is now closed.  We have reached our capacity and are no longer accepting applications.

The Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages (OBEWL) of the New York State Education Department (NYSED) is proud to sponsor a series of book studies in 2024-25 using The Keys to Strategies for Language Instruction:  Engagement, Relevance, Critical Thinking, Collaboration by Leslie Grahn and Dave McAlpine. Four virtual book studies will be facilitated by teams of individuals who were trained by Leslie Grahn and Bill Heller during the 2023-24 school year.  NYS world language educators from district, charter, religious, and independent schools, as well as administrators who supervise world language departments, are encouraged to participate. 

Through this virtual book study, participants will do a deep dive into the why and how of instructional strategies for the world language classroom in alignment with the revised New York State World Languages Standards adopted in 2021. Gain thought processes for selecting and implementing instructional strategies that have communicative purpose and lead to growth in language proficiency. Time will be provided for small group processing and application of new ideas to classroom contexts. During the last session, participants will meet with and ask questions of Leslie Grahn and Bill Heller.

The dates for each book study are listed below.  Book study groups will meet once a month from September to May after school via Zoom (please note meeting times below).  Participants may earn up to 27 hours of CTLE credit (1.5 hours for each of 9 meetings and 13.5 hours for reading the book and preparing for meetings).  Participants must attend at least eight (8) of the nine (9) meetings in order to receive credit, a certificate of attendance, and a digital badge for their participation. The book, Enacting the Work of Language Instruction:  High Leverage Teaching Practices, Vol. 1, will be mailed to participants, free of charge, over the summer.  There is no cost to participate in this book study.

The book studies are organized by language; however, educators of any language may participate in any of the book studies.  Educators must select one (1) of the following book studies in which to participate.

Please contact Candace Black via phone (585.356.0951) or email ( [email protected] ) with any questions regarding this book study.

To register for this book study, click here .

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New York State Education Building

89 Washington Avenue

Albany, NY 12234

NYSED General Information: (518) 474-3852

ACCES-VR: 1-800-222-JOBS (5627)

High School Equivalency: (518) 474-5906

New York State Archives: (518) 474-6926

New York State Library: (518) 474-5355

New York State Museum: (518) 474-5877

Office of Higher Education: (518) 486-3633

Office of the Professions: (518) 474-3817

P-12 Education: (518) 474-3862

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