February 2025
I remember watching our brilliant neighborhood computer guru, Bryan Spooner, untangling my scrambled computer.
Bryan was on the phone with his computer business partner, talking out loud about each step he was taking and where he was hitting obstacles. Throughout the process, his partner asked questions, like, “Have you thought about this?” “Work backward from there – something went wrong.” “You’re almost there, don’t give up!”
That’s the genius behind a study method I taught for years to students, as a college professor and volunteer tutor. It’s called, Thinking Aloud Pair Problem Solving, or TAPPS. It’s been proven to increase your learning efficiency and comprehension – understanding a complicated text, solving a math problem, designing an event, etc.
But here’s the rub: to do TAPPS, you need a partner, like Bryan's.
Meet Your New Study Buddy -- Artificial Intelligence
Now, you might find that friendly voice in a lab partner, or a study group friend, or even a helpful parent.
But what if you’re working alone – or Mom never studied calculus?
You now have that special partner in Artificial Intelligence, AI.
I’ve been experimenting with AI in my own studies, writing, and fun. I’m using the free and easy AI program, ChatGPT.
For example, preparing for a book club meeting, I wrote these “prompts” in the Chat request window.
What questions should I ask myself to understand and master key facts about the book, “Brave the Wild River”?
How did the book’s women researchers contribute to stereotypes of women’s roles?
What plants did Elzada Cotter discover in her Grand Canyon exploration?
ChatGPT became my Thinking Aloud study partner, helping me prepare for our discussion.
What Can AI Do For You?
Think about what you could do, enlisting ChatGPT . . .
prepare for tests,
troubleshoot problem sets for math or science,
create an outline for a research paper.
Of course, you MUST not use Chat or other AI to do your work – that’s cheating. And why would you cheat yourself out of the confidence that comes from deeper learning? (And yes, you will get caught someday. My saddest days as a professor were confronting students who had cheated. With the dean at my side, these students were punished with a failing grade -- and one was even dismissed from her nursing program.)
Purpose Projects and AI
Beyond daily homework and test prep, you can use forms of AI to help you create a Purpose Project. Harvard University recently studied 27 graduate students to see how they used AI in their independent study projects. The students used AI to brainstorm ideas, organize project steps, and create their projects’ final outputs like lesson plans, teaching apps, board games, non-profit proposals, etc.
The Harvard study especially encourages you to play with AI – have fun! Why not experiment with it now, when you’re not under a stressful deadline? Make friends with AI, and soon it will be your Thinking Aloud Learning Partner!
(If you’re considering a summer Purpose Project, now is the time to be in touch. Contact me.)