Preserving Critical Thinking in a Time of Pervasive AI: A Guide for Educators

A rigorous, evidence-based pedagogical foundation for educators who wish to help students maintain and cultivate their critical thinking skills in the age of generative AI. The book provides an important overview of the cognitive impacts of offloading intellectual labor to AI, and defines and probes key concepts such as critical thinking, AI literacy, and meta-cognition. It contextualizes the challenge faced by educators by mapping the global state of AI literacy integration across K-12 and higher education, identifying how and where AI literacy is being taught, and where it is currently missing. The book reflects on best practices and evidence-based research from around the globe, providing educators with specific and actionable methods to help their students gain the skills, motivation and habits of mind to use AI more selectively and avoid offloading their cognitive capabilities. It also explores strategies for knowledge transfer and retention, featuring insights from diverse critical thinkers, and provides educators with guidance on designing “AI resilient” assignments and assessments and integrating education-focused AI models that effectively incentivize critical thinking and learning. This book is essential reading for educators - teachers, professors, and librarians – currently grappling with the challenge of preserving critical thinking in an age of pervasive AI and will be particularly useful to those teaching information literacy, media literacy, and digital literacy.