This research article synthesizes four studies conducted at a special education independent school and affiliated liberal arts university with teachers, high schoolers, and college learners 18 and up, focusing on 1) using AI to design course blueprints, 2) to create comic strip assignments, 3) to mediate interactive Socratic classroom discussions, and 4) to use data produced by AI to assist students with disabilities in mathematics classes. Gordon Pask’s conversation theory (CT) is used to visualize emergent interactions to show how AI was a component in emergent networks of minds in motion. The four sets of results, taken together, showcase how to implement principles of cybernetics in designing AI-mediated collaborative classrooms. Five out of six configurations of AI’s collaborative use outlined by Mike Sharples that the author’s research program has so far explored are showcased through the four scenarios and tied back to grey areas carved out by experts in AI education research concerned with design and implementation, classroom relationships, and assessment. Implications of current progress in the principal investigator’s research, and further directions yet to be undertaken in implementing a series of subject-specific educational scenarios to utilize AI as a collaborative coach are discussed. Practical suggestions to shepherd effective machine-mediated curriculum design, classroom problem-solving and/or information acquisition, as well as nimble student evaluation are provided.

The work titled “A Cybernetic Guide to Implementing AI for Collaborative Learning: A Synthesis of Four Studies Conducted with Adult Learners”, was published on Frontiers of Digital Education (published on September 25, 2025).
DOI: 10.1007/s44366-025-0074-7