Reclaiming Agency
Educators as Architects of AI-Enhanced Learning Architectures
“Can I use X for Y?”
These are questions on the architecture for learning.
Shearing Layers of Change
Each layer changes at different pace, and acts as a platform for the layer above it.
Stuff (days-months) Furniture, books
Space Plan (3-30 yrs) Interior layout
Services (7-15 yrs) Wiring, plumbing
Skin (20 yrs) Exterior surfaces
Structure (30-300 yrs) Load-bearing
Site (eternal) Geographical setting
Learning Architectures
Layers in Learning Architectures
Alex: “Can I use ChatGPT to outline my paper?”
Buildings
| Stuff |
| Space Plan |
| Services |
| Skin |
| Structure |
| Site |
Classrooms
| Practices (days): Activities, interactions |
| Plans (wks-mons): Lessons, assignments |
| Protocols (mons-yrs): Norms, routines |
| Pedagogies (yrs): Approaches, relations |
| Principles (decades): Foundations, lens |
| Philosophy (centuries): Epistemologies |
Principles of Thinking Like an Architect
1. Recognize the Layers
What layer am I actually working at?
Locate which layer a problem or decision primarily affects. A student question might seem like a practice issue, but may be more relevant to the pedagogy layer.
Look deeper—surface questions often have slow-layer reasons. A fast-layer question may stem from ambiguity in the slow layers below.
Principles of Thinking Like an Architect
2. Work Across the Layers and with Tensions
What other layers should I also consider?
- Fast learns, slow remembers. Fast gets attention, slow has power. Practices experiment and adapt; principles and philosophy provide stability and wisdom
- Tensions arise between layers during sudden change. New technologies can create ripple effect across layers.
Dwelling Precedes Building (Martin Heidegger)
be → dwell (wohnen) → build
- Dwelling = being genuinely “at home”; not just occupying space
- Building should serve dwelling, not determine it
Space is a social product (Henri Lefebvre)
A triad that’s always in tension:
- Conceived space: Expert-designed plans
- Perceived space: How people actually use it
- Lived space: Emotional, symbolic experience
The political problem: Conceived space dominates—expert abstractions override lived reality
Principles of Thinking Like an Architect
3. Begin with Dwelling, Not Building
How do learners actually dwell in the space?
- Ask: “How do we dwell?”, not “What can we build?”
- Start with lived experience, not technological capability.
- Let perceived and lived space inform design: Resist expert abstractions dominating learner reality and experience
Principles of Thinking Like an Architect
4. Mediate, Don’t Dominate
Does this defend autonomy or impose control?
- Center human autonomy: They navigate; algorithms support
- Connect learners to different worlds, without prescribing the journey or shying away from struggle
- Resist conceived-space domination: Don’t let institutional metrics dictate real learning
Example: ChatLab
An app I built for my learning theories class
Principles in Action:
- Learning is multifaceted, requiring dialogue and reflection [Dwelling]
- ChatLab facilitate connections with theorists [Mediate]
- Students set the topic, ‘invite’ voices, and critically analyze and reflect [Autonomy]
Results: New practices and protocols, but same pedagogy. Surprising connections by students that deepen understanding.
Example: CraftPad
An AI-embedded canvas for teachers to design knowledge-building lessons
Principles in Action:
- Teachers craft designs based on pedagogical principles and their goals [Autonomy]
- Teacher design is iterative [Dwelling]
- Teachers and AI interact in many ways on the canvas that foreground their design [Mediate]
- Built-in AI coach for continual reflection [Dwelling]
Result: Teachers designing with AI iteratively, not consuming AI-generated content. Professional agency is nurtured.
