What does this research mean for the field?

Generative Artificial Intelligence can serve as a cognitive 'Mindtool' to facilitate Generative Learning by augmenting student engagement, knowledge organization, and critical thinking through various supportive roles rather than replacing the learning process. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.METHODOLOGICAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

This study explores how Generative AI can facilitate Generative Learning by enhancing active engagement and knowledge construction.

June 20, 2026Open Access

Generative AI (GenAI) as a Mindtool that Supports Generative Learning (GL)

Key Points

This study explores how Generative AI can facilitate Generative Learning by enhancing active engagement and knowledge construction.
Describes the use of GenAI as a knowledge representation tool to enhance learning strategies.
Examines GenAI's role in fostering collaborative thinking and project-based activities.
Introduces a pedagogical model for implementing Generative Learning Activities using GenAI.
Generative AI significantly improves knowledge organization and comprehension monitoring among learners.
Students report enhanced critical thinking and problem-solving skills when using GenAI as a study buddy.
The model for Generative Learning Activities shows promise in tailoring experiences based on student understanding.

Abstract

Grounded in the learning sciences, Generative Learning (GL), is a learning method or process that encourages students to actively generate information and make connections between new and existing knowledge. This active participation in the learning process promotes a deeper understanding of the instructional material, fosters long-term retention of knowledge, and cultivates critical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities. The magic lies in the “generation” process, where learners actively make sense of the material rather than passively receiving information. In this paper, we argue that Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) can be used as a Mindtool (knowledge representation tool) to facilitate GL by enhancing and augmenting learning rather than replacing the learning process. More specifically, we describe how GenAI can be used as a learning strategy or study buddy to support knowledge organization and comprehension monitoring in varying degrees of complexity; as a collaborative thinking tool to foster teamwork and facilitate project-based activities by encouraging the sharing, discussion, and integration of spatial representations of content in order to construct a more cohesive and comprehensive knowledge structure; as a possibility engine that helps students explore different ways of expressing ideas by generating alternative responses; as a Socratic opponent that challenges students to develop and refine their arguments; as a personal tutor that provides personalized feedback; as an exploratory research engine that allows students to explore and interpret data; as a motivator that proposes games and challenges to engage learners; and as a dynamic assessor that can evaluate students' knowledge in real time, allowing for tailored generative learning activities (GLA) based on the students' current understanding. The paper ends with the conceptualization and application of a pedagogical model or framework that can be used to design and support GLA using GenAI technologies.

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