Chatbots as Catalysts for Inquiry

In an age where information is abundant but attention is scarce, helping students become curious, discerning thinkers is more essential than ever. This session explores how safe, thoughtful, and intentional use of chatbots can spark student inquiry, deepen curiosity, and support the development of critical thinking skills. Rather than replacing the learning process, chatbots can act as intelligent partners; prompting questions, offering alternative perspectives, and modelling how to investigate ideas.

Participants will learn practical strategies for using conversational AI to:

• Encourage students to ask deeper, more meaningful questions
• Support inquiry-based learning through guided exploration
• Strengthen critical thinking by analysing chatbot responses
• Teach reliability, fact-checking, and verification skills
• Build digital literacy and responsible AI use

Through examples and hands-on demonstrations, this presentation will illustrate how educators can integrate chatbots in ways that are safe, ethical, and aligned with curriculum goals, empowering students not just to find answers, but to understand how to question, evaluate, and think independently in a rapidly evolving digital world.