Photo Credit: Undisclosed colleague
“Why should we use coconut-plant liners in metal baskets for hanging plants?” I did a double-take. “Why would you want to do that?” I asked. But then, I realized I really knew nothing about coconut plant liners. Why would anyone use them? This question helped me realize how I could identify core competencies for AI, at least, from my limited perspective at this time. Come along as we explore the path taken.
Preparing Our Students
In a previous blog entry, I shared key points from Our Students' Future in an AI-World is Debatable. This article shifted my perspective a bit, breaking down in a little more detail how we need to prepare our students. That said, the article didn’t go far enough in detailing those skills and strategies students need. I suspect that’s because certain terms the authors relied on were inclusive of the skills and strategies.
The authors, Anand Rao and Stefan Bauschard, point out:
Developing…metacognitive abilities equips learners with the higher-order thinking skills necessary to effectively leverage AI tools, evaluate AI-generated information, and maintain a competitive edge in an increasingly automated workforce. (source)
Let’s dig into this a bit more.
Getting Metacognitive
For example, one of the most valuable skills, they said, was meta-cognition. What does it mean to be meta-cognitive, though? If you ask someone off the street, you might get, “Thinking about thinking?” posed right back at you. But since “thinking” isn’t well-defined for most people, I’d bet folks don’t know.
Educators might define metacognition in this way:
Metacognition is the science of paying attention to how we learn so that we can learn better. (Source: Four Ways to Show Your Teacher You’re Paying Attention in Class)
The use of the word “science” suggests a research-based process, a formal way of going about things. What’s evident is that scientific research offers several actions can be taken (elaborated on in the blog entry cited). But for many, “metacognitive awareness” is not well-defined. A lack of a clear definition isn’t the only obstacle for human beings.
The main obstacle human beings face? It’s our own respective brains:
Authors Dr. Judy Willis and Malana Willis highlight the power of the brain’s Reticular Activating System (RAS). The Reticular Activating System (RAS) works as an information filter. The RAS allows only one percent of the information to filter through. That’s right; your attention intake filters block millions of bits of information, keeping out the irrelevant. This is a challenge for teachers because it prevents students from paying attention to and retaining what is being taught.
How do you get around that?
Three Strategies for Meta-cognition
From an educator’s perspective, the following three strategies are helpful:
- Boost curiosity to make learning memorable and desirable. Some approaches to achieve that include heightening engagement through story, humor, anecdotes, questions with long pause (5+ seconds) to wait for response, topic-related visual aids (e.g. cartoons, photographs, charts), entry/exit tickets (a.k.a. bell ringers).
- Encourage predictions enhance learning while it is happening (ask students to make predictions about how something works, what it does, and how it is relevant)
- Get metacognitive. Encourage students to reflect on learning so increase depth of knowledge, identify deficient or missing areas, contextualize knowledge, make structural connections in knowledge and social networks among learners
The purpose is to train our “attention filter” (the RAS in our brain to prioritize information over distraction.
It’s also important to think of meta-cognition to heighten awareness, self-regulation, and, reflecting on how well we are thinking about something. You know, that self-regulation is so important. Let’s come back to it.
When my colleague sets out to use coconut liners for hanging plants, the path she takes is different than mine. We might arrive at a similar conclusion but how we got there might be biased towards aesthetics (“Oooh, they look nice” or “Oh, they drip water all over the place”) or utility (“Plant that require water and aeration live longer”). The RAS in our brains is going to limit or free us based on past experiences that caught our attention. And, every person has prioritized information differently from childhood.
Self-Regulation
Self-regulation is included in meta-cognition because it is about students predicting progress towards meeting set goals. In other words, as a learner, I have an idea of where I might be at (phase of learning) and my teacher has identified success criteria that describe where I need to be (learning intention). How do I move from here to there?
Note: Source of chart linked below
Depending on what phase of learning I’m in (e.g. Pre-Structural, Uni/Multi-Structural, Relational, or Extended Abstract), better described in The SOLO Taxonomy chart above, I’m going to need help (e.g. scaffolding) identifying where I’m at, and how to get to desired level.
In Pre-Structural phase, I know nothing about the value of coconut liners or that they even exist. Over time, I start to see how they might be a viable alternative to existing hanging plant containers and other types of liners. At some point, I’m able to get abstract about my understanding of coconut liners and apply that concept to a new situation. It might be a situation that allows the affected organism what they need to survive (e.g. food, water, air or peace, hope, and love).
Easy Peasy
This seems really simple as I write it, right? I think of it as a video game, where you get wiped out by the obstacles in the game until you slowly learn to navigate them safely. You “grow” and improve until what stopped you before isn’t an obstacle any longer.
We do this constantly in real life, and self-regulation is a big part of that. We are able to gauge and predict our progress as we work towards our goals in a constant, ever-changing adjustment to that work.
Critical Thinking
Another key aspect of all this is critical thinking. Critical thinking can be a tough area for human beings. It has an effect size of .84, according to the Visible Learning MetaX database.
The reason why it’s tough, albeit important to learn, is that there is so much to be an expert at. You have to know quite a bit about a field of knowledge.
You also have to understand how to apply critical thinking processes, and you have to do this while avoiding logical fallacies (source).
…critical thinking appears among necessary outcomes at educational institutions. Yet, “it is not supported and taught…in daily instructions.” Why? “Teachers are not educated in critical thinking” (Source: Improve with Metacognition)
Core AI Competencies
For human beings, the core competencies are important to highlight. They don’t change for us as human beings, but they get fine-tuned with new technologies, of which the latest is Artificial Intelligence.
To identify those, here’s a single-point rubric that identifies them.
Critical Thinking
| Glows How Do You Do This Now? |
Outcomes What is the Desired Outcome? |
Grows How Can You Get Better at This? |
|---|---|---|
| Break complex tasks into manageable parts to reach a working solution | ||
| Raise questions and problems, gather relevant data, interpret information to reach well-reasoned conclusions and solutions, and test solutions iteratively | ||
| Observe, develop explanations, and create experiments to test explanations (scientific reasoning) |
#2 - Problem-Solving
| Glows How Do You Do This Now? |
Outcomes What is the Desired Outcome? |
Grows How Can You Get Better at This? |
|---|---|---|
| Continually identify and solve complex problems Question assumptions and adapt to new situations | ||
| Question assumptions and adapt to new situations |
#3 - Meta-Cognition and Reflection
| Glows How Do You Do This Now? |
Outcomes What is the Desired Outcome? |
Grows How Can You Get Better at This? |
|---|---|---|
| Be aware of your own thought processes (e.g. you use George Polya’s 4 step problem-solving steps) | ||
| Engage in self-regulation (i.e. how you go about learning) | ||
| Evaluate the efficacy of your own thought processes | ||
| Reflect on learning to increase depth of knowledge | ||
| Identify deficient or missing areas | ||
| Contextualize knowledge | ||
| Make structural connections in knowledge | ||
| Build and engage in social networks among learners | ||
| Predict progress towards meeting set goals (self-regulation) |
Communication and Collaboration
| Glows How Do You Do This Now? |
Outcomes What is the Desired Outcome? |
Grows How Can You Get Better at This? |
|---|---|---|
| Communicate effectively with others | ||
| Collaborate one-on-one and in groups | ||
| Engage in interactions with other people | ||
| Test ideas, perceptions, and interpretations of reality in a scientific community | ||
| Allow your ideas to be tested by others, have errors brought to light, and ideas corrected or discarded in a civil manner |
Leveraging AI
| Glows How Do You Do This Now? |
Outcomes What is the Desired Outcome? |
Grows How Can You Get Better at This? |
|---|---|---|
| Gauge and self-select AI tools that align to your stated goal and are most likely to produce desired outcome | ||
| Be ethical, establishing norms for the use and citation of AI-generated content | ||
| Craft prompts and participate in interactions with AI tools to achieve a stated goal | ||
| Converse in an interactive manner that scaffolds AI creations |
Coconut Plant Liners
Let’s go back to coconut plant liners. We need to know quite a bit about coconut plant liners for hanging plants before deciding we can use them, right? In a moment, we’ll apply the single-point rubric to our thinking.
Why Coconut Plant Liners?
There are several reasons why coconut plant liners are useful. They provide the following for plants:
- Excellent moisture retention
- Good drainage of water (to prevent over-watering)
- Possess aeration properties (allowing for air flow)
- Natural coconut fibers are highly absorbent. They hold lots of water but release it slowly, and that helps the root system of a hanging plant (which might dry out too quickly since it’s hanging, not buried)
- Antifungal
In addition to benefits to the hanging plant, coconut plant liners are:
- renewable
- biodegradable
- environmentally friendly
- aesthetically pleasing
- come in various shapes and sizes
How would we use our single-point rubric to assess our research into coconut plant liners for hanging plants? I’m not sure if this works the way I intended. I could be totally wrong.
Result
Here’s the revised response in a 3-column table format, divided by section, similar to the provided rubric. This particular response to my prompt (shown below) was crafted by Claude.ai Opus:
Prompt: Let’s apply the single-point rubric to the question of whether you should use coconut plant liners for hanging plants on your Austin, Texas backyard porch, given the daily heat of 100 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit.
Of course, I could have spent more time crafting this prompt. See the end of this blog entry for the RETO acronym to prompt engineering.
Critical Thinking
| Glows How Do You Do This Now? |
Outcomes What is the Desired Outcome? |
Grows How Can You Get Better at This? |
|---|---|---|
| - Break the problem into manageable parts: 1) Understand the properties of coconut plant liners, 2) Consider the effects of high heat on these liners, 3) Evaluate the suitability of coconut liners for your specific situation. | ||
| - Raise questions and gather data: What are the advantages and disadvantages of coconut plant liners? How do they perform in high heat? What are the alternatives? | ||
| - Develop explanations and test them: Hypothesize how coconut liners will perform in your backyard and, if possible, conduct a small experiment to test their durability in high heat. |
Problem-Solving
| Glows How Do You Do This Now? |
Outcomes What is the Desired Outcome? |
Grows How Can You Get Better at This? |
|---|---|---|
| - Identify the problem: Determine whether coconut plant liners are suitable for hanging plants in high heat conditions. | ||
| - Question assumptions: Do not assume that coconut liners are suitable for all climates. Consider the specific challenges posed by your local weather conditions. |
Meta-Cognition and Reflection
| Glows How Do You Do This Now? |
Outcomes What is the Desired Outcome? |
Grows How Can You Get Better at This? |
|---|---|---|
| - Be aware of your thought process: Consciously follow a problem-solving approach, such as George Polya’s 4-step process. | ||
| - Engage in self-regulation: Monitor your learning about coconut liners and their suitability for your needs. | ||
| - Evaluate the efficacy of your thought process: Reflect on whether your approach to the problem was effective and if there are areas for improvement. | ||
| - Contextualize knowledge: Consider how the information you gather about coconut liners fits into your broader understanding of plant care and gardening. |
Communication and Collaboration
| Glows How Do You Do This Now? |
Outcomes What is the Desired Outcome? |
Grows How Can You Get Better at This? |
|---|---|---|
| - Communicate effectively with others: If needed, discuss your findings and thoughts with other gardeners or experts to gain additional insights. | ||
| - Test ideas in a community: Share your experiences with coconut liners in high heat conditions with others, and be open to feedback and alternative perspectives. |
Leveraging AI
| Glows How Do You Do This Now? |
Outcomes What is the Desired Outcome? |
Grows How Can You Get Better at This? |
|---|---|---|
| - Select AI tools that align with your goal: Use AI tools like Gemini, Perplexity, CoPilot to help you gather information, analyze data, and generate ideas related to your problem. | ||
| - Be ethical: If sharing AI-generated content, ensure that you cite the AI tool appropriately. | ||
| - Craft prompts to achieve your goal: Develop clear and specific prompts to guide the AI in providing the most relevant and helpful information for your needs. |
RETO Prompt Example
The following is one way to use the RETO prompt engineering tips:
- Role: Define the AI’s role or persona in the context of the prompt.
- Expectation: Clarify what is expected in terms of behavior, tone, or style.
- Task: Specify the task or objective to be accomplished.
- Output: Describe the desired format, structure, or features of output.
Output
- Role: As an AI, provide a detailed assessment based on the single-point rubric method, focusing on the effectiveness and practicality of using coconut plant liners in a high-temperature environment.
- Expectation: Maintain an objective and informative tone, ensuring the evaluation is clear and based on relevant data and user experiences.
- Task: Analyze the properties of coconut plant liners, such as water retention, durability, and plant health support, especially in the context of Austin’s hot climate.
- Output: Deliver a structured evaluation using the single-point rubric format, highlighting key advantages and potential drawbacks, and conclude with a recommendation based on the assessment.