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Designing AI‑Enhanced Learning Tasks: A Practical Guide for Educators

  • Jul 22
  • 4 min read

Despite growing interest in AI, many teachers are still unsure about how to bring it into the classroom meaningfully. There’s fear around plagiarism, shortcuts, or losing the heart of learning altogether. But used well, AI can spark thinking, deepen reflection, and help students become more intentional, not less.


This isn’t about handing over learning to a machine. It’s about creating tasks where AI becomes part of the process, not the product.


Recent research supports this shift: teaching prompt engineering and critical analysis of AI output can enhance student self-regulation, digital literacy and metacognitive skills. When students learn with, about and through AI, they gain the tools to thrive in a world increasingly shaped by it (Zhou et al., 2024; Singh et al., 2025; Favero et al., 2024).


Here’s a practical five‑step guide for designing AI‑enhanced learning tasks that build critical thinking and agency.


  1. Start with the Learning, Not the Tool


Before introducing AI, clarify your learning intention.

What do you want students to practise or develop?

  • Are they analysing arguments?

  • Exploring voice and tone in writing?

  • Comparing perspectives?

  • Generating ideas or refining drafts?


When you’re clear on the learning goal, you can design a task where AI supports – rather than shortcuts – the thinking.


💡 Example: A Year 9 English class exploring persuasive techniques could start by feeding a prompt to an AI like ChatGPT, then critiquing the output for structure, tone and impact. Students use this as a springboard to craft their own improved version.


  1. Teach the Art of Prompt Crafting


Prompting is a new literacy. Don’t assume students know how to ask good questions.


Model how to:

  • Include context (audience, topic, tone)

  • Be specific and structured

  • Experiment and iterate


Emerging research refers to this as “prompting as pedagogy” – using structured questioning to activate higher‑order thinking via Bloom’s taxonomy and Webb’s Depth of Knowledge framework (Spessard et al., 2024).


Try this: ask students to write three different prompts for the same task and compare how the AI responds. Which one generated the clearest, most relevant answer? Why?


This builds clarity in thinking and expression.


  1. Analyse the Output – Don’t Accept It at Face Value


The real power of AI in learning comes after the output. Make analysis the centre of the task.


Encourage students to ask:

  • Is this factually accurate?

  • Is anything missing? Whose voice is being centred?

  • Does the language suit the purpose and audience?

  • Would I say it differently?


A 2025 study showed that metacognitive prompts like these increased student engagement and encouraged deeper inquiry, especially when used during AI-supported tasks (Singh et al., 2025).


Use routines like “I Notice, I Wonder” or “Claim, Support, Question” to guide critique. Students can annotate the AI response or write a short reflection on what they’d improve.


  1. Layer in Student Voice and Original Thinking


Now it’s time to move from critique to creation. Ask students to write their own version, clearly building on (or challenging) the AI’s starting point.


You might have them submit:

  • Their original prompt

  • The AI response

  • Their critique or annotations

  • Their final version


Assess the thinking and decision‑making, not just the final product.


This approach aligns with findings that AI, when used deliberately, can enhance self-regulation and problem-solving, especially when the task includes space for student agency (Zhou et al., 2024).


  1. Keep Ethics and Agency in the Frame


These tools raise important questions – don’t shy away from them. Use AI tasks as a chance to explore digital ethics and authorship.


Consider co‑creating a “Responsible AI Use” protocol with your class. Ask:


  • When is AI support helpful, and when is it overstepping?

  • How do we show which ideas are ours and which are assisted?

  • What does it mean to learn with integrity in an AI world?


A recent study into Socratic AI tools found that students who engaged in ethical dialogue and critical questioning with AI tutors developed stronger reflective habits and more sophisticated responses (Favero et al., 2024).


Bonus Tip: Make AI the Process, Not the Product


If you’re not sure where to start, try these AI‑enhanced processes:


  • Brainstorming ideas

  • Refining structure

  • Drafting feedback

  • Comparing tones

  • Generating multiple perspectives


The trick is to use AI as a thinking partner, not an answer machine.


Final Thoughts: A New Kind of Literacy


Just like calculators didn’t end maths or Google didn’t end research, AI won’t end learning. But it will change how we teach, what we value, and what it means to be a learner.


If we embrace AI thoughtfully, we can guide students to use it critically, creatively, and responsibly.


Let’s design learning that reflects the world we’re in – and the future we’re heading toward.


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