Thinking Still Required: Designing for Critical Thinking in an AI World

This workshop explores how educators can intentionally design learning experiences that preserve and strengthen students’ critical thinking in an AI-rich environment. Rather than treating AI as either a threat or a shortcut, the session offers a practical framework for structuring AI use to support analysis, reflection, and independent judgment while avoiding cognitive offloading. Participants will examine common instructional uses of AI, identify where critical thinking is most at risk, and leave with concrete, adaptable strategies for classroom design across grade levels and disciplines. The focus is on purposeful pedagogy, not technical expertise. The presenters represent a K-12 district and a university setting, and will discuss applications across the educational spectrum.