PEDAGOGICAL MEDIATION OF GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENT CRITICAL THINKING
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56219/trascendere.v3i8.6637Keywords:
generative artificial intelligence, pedagogical mediation, critical thinking, educational technologyAbstract
The accelerated incorporation of generative artificial intelligence into educational settings raised new questions regarding its role in the development of students' critical thinking. This essay examined the pedagogical mediation of these tools, contrasting the viewpoints that regarded them as cognitive enhancers with those that identified them as generators of intellectual dependence. The central thesis was that generative artificial intelligence did not develop critical thinking on its own, but that its effect depended on the pedagogical intent with which the teacher mediated its use in the classroom. Using an analytical-hermeneutic approach to critical documentary analysis, recent research was examined on the impact of these technologies on learning outcomes, the barriers perceived by higher education students, the teacher-student trust gap, and student-centred strategies for technology integration. The analysis revealed that, without deliberate pedagogical mediation, generative artificial intelligence tended to reinforce patterns of passive information consumption, whilst when used as a tool for comparison, questioning and verification, it fostered processes of analysis and reflective evaluation. As an original contribution, a model of phased pedagogical mediation was proposed, structured in three stages: guided exploration, critical comparison and autonomous production. It is concluded that teacher training in critical digital skills is an essential prerequisite for generative artificial intelligence to fulfil a cognitively enriching role in secondary education.
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