AI Just Entered the Classroom. Are We Teaching Students How to Question It?

AI is here and it is here to stay. It has now trickled into aspects of daily life and education, creating newfound skills, productivity, and ideas. It has also created new challenges in need of new solutions. Now, education leaders in both school districts and higher education need to ensure students grow not just as consumers of information, but as critical thinkers ready to navigate an AI-driven world.

This topic was the focus of the most recent episode of EdTech Connect: Innovators in Conversation with Eric Stano, VP of Consulting, Curriculum, and Product Strategy at Magic EdTech, and Merve Lapus, VP of Education Outreach and Engagement at Common Sense Media. Their conversation uncovered new opportunities and responsibilities that come with introducing AI into learning, not just for students, but also for educators.

Building AI Literacy Through Curiosity

Both Eric and Merve emphasized that curiosity remains at the core of preparing students for an AI-powered future, and not to master every tool.

“The best thing we can do for students is to teach them how to ask the right questions and think critically about the information in front of them,” Eric explained, which also seems to correlate with the original pedagogical philosophy of the Socratic Method. This highlights a crucial point, that AI literacy is less about technical mastery and more about cognitive habits and the core of humanities skills.

In a world where tools will evolve and be created faster than the curriculum, the lasting underlying skill is the ability to evaluate, question, and adapt. One of the most important skills is to step back and ask “why?” This will help educators ensure that students do not assume that AI outputs are the only correct answer and help them engage with AI outputs critically.

Merve agreed and added that while AI can provide tasteful shortcuts, it is the skills of inquiry and evaluation that will set students apart in their academic and professional lives.

“AI can give you an answer in seconds, but it can’t tell you if it’s the right one for your situation. That’s where the human skill comes in,” he added.

The insight here is profound: AI accelerates access to information, but it does not replace judgment.

The New Role of Educators: Guides, Not Gatekeepers

No one likes a gatekeeper when it comes to new trends and topics. The same is true with education and edtech. For some, new technology in the classroom produces excitement; for others, it creates new anxiety.

Both Eric and Merve stressed that educators should be seen as guides who help students navigate new AI usage responsibly, not as gatekeepers who block its use altogether. “Teachers don’t need to have all the answers about AI,” said Merve. “What they need is the space and support to explore it alongside their students.”

This reflects a shift from the traditional teacher-as-expert model toward a facilitator mindset. When educators position themselves as co-learners, they also help students understand that it’s okay to be intimidated and to be a beginner at something. This sets the stage for AI to become a shared exploration, not a forbidden shortcut.

Preparing Students to Embrace the Unknown

Educators cannot predict every tool or platform students will use in the future. However, they can equip them with skills that are flexible and applicable to many different scenarios, such as critical thinking, adaptability, and ethical awareness.

“We don’t have to have all the answers about AI,” Merve explained. “But we can give students the mindset to approach these tools with curiosity, caution, and creativity.”

This perspective demonstrates the main goal: not to chase every new application of AI, but to build a future-proof mindset. By teaching students to balance curiosity with skepticism, educators can prepare them not just for today’s era of AI but for the unknown technologies of tomorrow.

A Future Built on Human Connection

The conversation between Eric and Merve makes one thing clear: AI’s promise in education is not about automating learning but about amplifying humanity, helping educators and students thrive together in a rapidly changing world. Technology can support, but it will never replace, the mentorship, trust, and inspiration that teachers bring to the classroom.

At Magic EdTech, we believe that AI should enable better learning outcomes, not diminish the relationships and pedagogy at the core of education. Be sure to catch the full conversation on our YouTube channel, available now!