Teaching in Higher Ed Deep Background: Using AI as a Co-Reasoning Partner with Mike Caulfield
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Oct 2, 2025 Mike Caulfield, a researcher known for the SIFT verification method, dives into the innovative use of AI as a co-reasoning partner. He shares insights about balancing AI's strengths, like source discovery, with its limitations in tracing provenance. Mike emphasizes teaching students to approach AI interactions iteratively, transforming critical thinking into practical doing. He reflects on the importance of maintaining the journey of discovery and advocates for ethical AI usage in communities. Plus, he introduces his Deep Background tool to enhance information literacy.
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Starlight Opera Memories And Sound Of Music
- Mike recalls watching musicals at San Diego's Starlight Opera as a child and freezing when planes flew over.
- He uses a Sound of Music reference to connect musical memory to AI discussion.
Iterate With AI Using Evidence-Based Follow-Ups
- Teach students to treat AI interactions as iterative exploration, not single transactions.
- Prompt follow-ups like 'evidence for and against' to force the model to weigh sources and reveal contradictions.
Critical Thinking Often Follows Better Doing
- Many student 'critical thinking' failures are actually failures to do preparatory work first.
- Caulfield emphasizes doing source investigation before deep analysis to improve thinking quality.
