VERDANT
CONSULTANCY
OLD SCHOOL // NEW SCHOOL · VERDANT CONSULTANCY
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Old School
// New School
Analog Minds, Augmented Classrooms: Blending Tradition & AI for Motivated, Deeper Learning
Practical Pedagogies 2026
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CONSULTANCY
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What makes learning stick?
Think of a lesson that stayed with you.
What motivated you?
What made the learning last?
What motivates your students?
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CONSULTANCY
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Two different questions
MOTIVATION
Why will a student
invest effort?
BETTER LEARNING
What will they retain,
understand and apply?
Autonomy · Competence · Relatedness
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CONSULTANCY
FOUNDATIONS · COGNITIVE SCIENCE
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Three psychological needs for motivation:
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Autonomy
I have ownership of my learning.
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Competence
I believe I can improve
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Relatedness
I feel connected and supported
Self-Determination Theory (Deci and Ryan)
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CONSULTANCY
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Three cognitive principles
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Retrieve
Recall it without looking
Retrieval practice
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Explain
Make meaning and justify
Elaboration
03
Simplify
Remove unnecessary demands
Cognitive load
https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/evidence-reviews/cognitive-science-approaches-in-the-classroom/
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CONSULTANCY
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One lesson. Three approaches
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CONSULTANCY
ACTIVITY
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A toolkit, not a contest.
Work with the prepared sheet on your table. Think of an activity in which your class, which uses “old school” methods and add a “new school” method.
OLD SCHOOL
A familiar teaching method
NEW SCHOOL
A considered use of AI
THE SCIENCE
Why it might support learning
Build two combinations. Be prepared to defend one.
Better learning comes from the quality of the activity, not the novelty of the technology.
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Make the case for your pairing.
Does it increase motivation?
Does it improve learning?
What thinking or lessons stay with students?
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Biology: Retrieval. Critique. Elaborate
Does correcting AI's mistakes develop deeper understanding than simply asking AI to label the cell?
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CONSULTANCY
CLASSROOM EXAMPLE · HISTORY
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Topic: Causes of WWI
Traditional
AI Integration
Motivation Impact
Outcome:�Historical thinking skills deepen beyond content recall.
History: Predict. Test. Question.
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CONSULTANCY
ACTIVITY 2 · TRANSITION
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00:28–00:30
The Lesson
Redesign Lab
One real lesson. One A3/A1 sheet. One improvement.
15 minutes to produce something usable
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CONSULTANCY
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Keep. Add. Remove.
KEEP*
The teaching practice
that already works.
ADD +
The precise place
AI may extend learning.
REMOVE -
What creates clutter, kills motivations
or unnecessary effort.
AI is an option, not an obligation.
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CONSULTANCY
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Build something usable.
In your group, complete a redesigned lesson on the A3 paper.
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Name the learning goal.
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Write what you would Keep / Add / Remove.
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Choose a learning principle.
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Decide how you will notice better learning.
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SHARE · SHOW & TELL
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Show & Tell
KEEP
What stayed?
ADD
What changed?
REMOVE
What went?
What idea would you borrow, and why?
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What makes learning stick?
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CONSULTANCY
CLOSE · INDIVIDUAL ACTION
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What will you change
in your next lesson?
Write down one action and one sign of better learning.
The question isn't whether AI belongs in our classrooms. It's whether we're using it to make students think more, or think less. Thinking is the key to “buying-in” to the education systems.
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CONSULTANCY
CLOSE · INDIVIDUAL ACTION
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Thanks
Chris Clyde Green
LinkedIn, Instagram cg@verdantconsultancy.com