Creativity and Critical Thinking in the AI Age: A High School Perspective

Abstract

Educational institutions around the world have been integrating AI into their educational practices. Many studies and reports highlight both the advantages and disadvantages of this integration. This paper focuses on the positive aspects of AI in education, specifically through the lens of a high school geometry project at a technology-focused urban high school in New Jersey. The project was an innovative initiative created by a math teacher who used AI to verify that the project complied with copyright policies. The project consists of two slides: the first slide presents problem-solving and informal proofs of geometric examples, while the second slide features a piece of art in which students fill the drawing with triangles. Afterward, students remove the original drawing, transforming and coloring the triangles. Once the students complete both slides, they write a paragraph reflecting on their work in the second slide. Additionally, students upload their drawings to Gemini (an AI tool) to receive feedback. They then revise their designs based on this feedback and write a second paragraph, incorporating insights gained from the AI. Moreover, researchers compare and contrast the students' reflections to assess the impact of AI on enhancing creativity and critical thinking. Geometric art figures and paragraphs will be presented in a Google Form for respondents to choose which student’s paragraph is better (the one without and the other with AI assistance). Finally, researchers collect and analyze anonymous Google Form responses from teachers, verifying the positive impact of AI on creativity and critical thinking in education.