Flora Debora Floris is an associate professor at the English Department of Petra Christian University, Indonesia. Her academic interests include language teacher professional development, the integration of technology in language learning, and the study of English as an international language. Her publications appear in both academic journals and teaching magazines, reflecting her commitment to bridging theory and practice in language education.

Email: debora@petra.ac.id
 

Abstract

This paper presents ten practical classroom activities to address Artificial Intelligence (AI) over-reliance. Grounded in literary texts, these activities foster essential human skills such as reasoning, creativity, and higher-order thinking, reducing dependency on AI and ensuring meaningful educational experiences.

 

Introduction

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an increasingly valuable tool in education, particularly in tasks requiring written assessments. It can assist students in generating ideas, conducting literature reviews, offering suggestions for structuring, and improving grammar and vocabulary (Yasin & AL‐Hamad, 2023). AI tools can significantly enhance the writing process. However, the growing reliance on AI also raises concerns. Overuse of these tools can hinder critical thinking and creativity, leading students to produce work that lacks originality, authentic author voice, and ethical consideration (Praphan & Praphan, 2023).

One response to these concerns has been the development of AI detection tools such as GPTZero, Crossplag, or AICheatCheck, designed to help teachers verify the authenticity of student work in written assessments. However, these tools are not always reliable. The study by Weber-Wulff et al. (2023) found that AI detection tools are generally unreliable, with significant misclassification issues, particularly when AI-generated text is paraphrased by machines. The study by Elkhatat et al. (2023) also found that current AI detection tools are more effective at identifying text generated by older AI models, such as ChatGPT Model 3.5, but struggle with newer models like ChatGPT Model 4. Additionally, the tools showed inconsistencies in accurately distinguishing between human and AI-generated text. These findings reveal significant limitations in current detection tools and the risks of misuse in academic contexts.

 

Basic principles

Instead of focusing only on detecting AI use, it is more effective to design tasks that reduce reliance on AI and build critical thinking, creativity, and originality. Teachers can create activities that emphasize human skills and values, preparing their students to navigate effectively and responsibly in an AI-driven world. Such activities should be based on the following basic principles:

 

Principle #1. Sustained Engagement and Progressive Development

AI excels at generating polished outputs quickly but struggles with tasks that require sustained effort and incremental growth. Milestone-Based Assessment is one approach that effectively leverages this limitation. Tasks are broken into stages, evaluated at multiple points throughout a semester (Orban, 2023). This method provides students with continuous feedback, enabling them to refine their skills over time. By emphasizing steady progress, milestone-based tasks encourage authentic work and discourage over-reliance on AI tools, as students must demonstrate consistent development throughout the process (Orban, 2023).

 

Principle #2. Ethical Reasoning and Emotional Intelligence

AI struggles with tasks that involve ethical reasoning, empathy, and moral judgment, as these require uniquely human qualities (Lee, 2023). Activities such as counselling simulations, ethical discussions, mentoring exercises, or reflections on humanistic themes such as love and beauty are essential and particularly resistant to AI automation (Yang et al., 2021). By incorporating emotional intelligence and moral reasoning into assessments, teachers can foster students’ capacity for empathy and ethical decision-making, skills that are critical in both personal and professional contexts. 

 

Principle #3. Diverse Perspectives and Cultural Contexts

AI systems tend to standardize experiences and struggle with tasks requiring engagement with diverse or unfamiliar perspectives (Lee, 2023). Assignments that encourage students to explore multiple viewpoints, analyze gender and ethnic biases, and navigate complex social and cultural dynamics present challenges that AI cannot effectively address. Such tasks demand complex understanding, adaptability, and critical thinking—qualities that rely on human insight in addressing complexities that AI cannot replicate (Yang et al., 2021).

 

Principle #4. Creativity and Novel Ideas

AI systems, being data-driven, excel at producing structured and predictable outputs but struggle to foster creativity and the exploration of novel ideas (Lee, 2023). Tasks that encourage students to think outside the box—such as open-ended projects, interdisciplinary studies, and assignments requiring innovative applications of knowledge—can counter these limitations. These activities not only resist AI's capabilities but also promote originality, adaptability, and intellectual curiosity. By challenging students to develop unique solutions, such tasks ensure meaningful engagement and foster the critical and creative thinking skills.

 

Principle #5. Higher-Order Thinking Skills

Tasks involving higher-order thinking skills, such as analyzing, evaluating, and creating, are essential for fostering deep cognitive engagement and align with the upper levels of Bloom's Taxonomy (Elim, 2024). These activities challenge students to critically assess information, distinguish between fact and opinion, and construct well-reasoned arguments. Unlike repetitive or rote tasks, higher-order thinking tasks demand intellectual depth, complex understanding, and the ability to connect ideas across contexts—areas where AI struggles to replicate human capability. By engaging students in such tasks, teachers can foster higher-order thinking skills that are very useful in both academic and professional settings (Elim, 2024).

Incorporating these principles into classroom activities can help teachers create assessments that reduce reliance on AI while fostering critical thinking, creativity, and originality. The following section presents ten practical classroom activities aligned with these principles. 

 

Practical classroom activities

The following activities focus on engaging students with literary texts. Rashid and Hasan (2020) highlight that literary texts enhance linguistic skills while motivating learners through relatable contexts. Furthermore, the thematic elements and characters within literature foster higher-order thinking skills such as analysis, evaluation, and synthesis, making these texts ideal for promoting originality and meaningful engagement (Rashid & Hasan, 2020). The themes and characters in literature also promote critical thinking. The activities proposed below draw on these qualities of literary texts to promote critical thinking, creativity, and originality in an AI-integrated educational landscape.

 

Activity #1. Multimedia Literary Analysis

Students will create a multimedia presentation analyzing a theme, character, or literary device in a selected text, using a combination of visuals, audio, and text to enhance their analysis. For example, a student might explore symbolism in The Great Gatsby, examining how the green light and the Valley of Ashes reflect themes of ambition and moral decay, or analyze irony in Romeo and Juliet, showing how it influences the perception of fate. A reflective piece will accompany the presentation, explaining the creative process and the rationale for integrating specific media elements. For instance, a student analyzing ambition in Macbeth could include visuals like a timeline of key decisions with symbolic imagery, audio clips of dramatic readings to highlight tone, and quotes with commentary on Shakespeare’s language.

 

Rationale

This task fosters sustained engagement by requiring students to plan, research, and refine their presentations through a process that includes continuous feedback for improvement. The multimedia format encourages creativity and originality, as students integrate visual, auditory, and textual elements to enhance their analysis. The task develops higher-order thinking skills, such as analysis, evaluation, and creation, aligning with Bloom’s Taxonomy. It also broadens students’ understanding by exposing them to diverse perspectives and cultural contexts, resisting AI’s tendency to standardize analysis. The reflective component further deepens learning by fostering ethical reasoning and emotional intelligence, as students evaluate their creative decisions and consider their impact on audience understanding. While AI can assist with generating text-based analyses, it struggles with tasks requiring multimedia integration and reflective reasoning. This activity demands originality, creativity, and critical thinking, which require sustained effort and meaningful engagement with minimal AI reliance.

 

Activity #2. Literary Debate

Students are assigned to have a debate about different meanings of a text's themes or author's purpose. For instance, they may discuss if Katniss Everdeen critiques performative activism in The Hunger Games. They might also analyze whether Killmonger is a villain or a tragic anti-hero in Black Panther due to systemic injustice. To prepare the debate, students need to create outlines with evidence, key arguments, and counterarguments. In the debate, they share their opinions, interact with other views, and reply to questions or comments immediately. They can use videos or images to support their ideas and make the debate more interesting. After the debate, students are asked to write a reflective essay on their performance, discussing how their views evolved, and analyzing the strength of their evidence and reasoning. This reflection encourages deeper engagement with the topic and self-assessment of their critical thinking skills.

 

Rationale

This task fosters ongoing development through preparation, debate, and reflection, with feedback integrated at each stage to encourage active participation and reduce reliance on AI. The debate format enhances creativity, critical thinking, and adaptability, while the use of multimedia tools such as videos or infographics inspires innovative and engaging presentations. By requiring logical argumentation and the synthesis of ideas, the task aligns with higher-order thinking skills as outlined in Bloom’s Taxonomy. The activity also promotes diverse perspectives and cultural understanding by examining themes such as activism and injustice. Debating Killmonger’s actions in Black Panther, for example, allows students to analyze social influences and engage in discussions about systemic inequality. Ethical reasoning and emotional intelligence are further developed as students confront moral dilemmas and emotional issues within their arguments. Reflective writing strengthens self-awareness and deepens students’ ethical understanding by encouraging them to evaluate their performance and reasoning. While AI can generate basic arguments, it cannot replicate the spontaneity, critical thinking, and responsiveness required in live debates. The task’s reliance on real-time interaction and adaptability ensures authenticity and originality. By integrating interactive engagement, continuous effort, and emotional involvement, this activity promotes meaningful learning and minimizes dependence on AI tools.

 

Activity #3. Personalized Literary Connection

Students will analyze a text by connecting its themes, characters, or conflicts to their personal experiences or cultural background. For example, students might explore how the challenges faced by the protagonist in The Hate U Give reflect issues of racial inequality or social activism in their own communities. Alternatively, they could examine how the struggles in Pachinko resonate with migration experiences or intergenerational dynamics in their own lives. Students can then present their analysis either in writing or orally, incorporating real-world connections and reflecting on how these parallels deepen their understanding of the text. A reflective component asks students to explain how their background shaped their interpretation.

 

Rationale

This task minimizes reliance on AI by encouraging students to connect their personal experiences with the text. Through brainstorming, drafting, and refining ideas, students produce authentic and thoughtful work. The activity fosters creativity and originality by encouraging personal interpretations of literary themes. By linking personal experiences to texts, students develop higher-order thinking skills, including critical evaluation and synthesis, aligning with Bloom's Taxonomy. The task also emphasizes diverse perspectives, allowing students to explore connections between the text and their own backgrounds. The reflective component promotes ethical reasoning and emotional intelligence, fostering empathy and self-awareness—qualities that AI cannot replicate. The subjective and nature of this task makes it challenging for AI to imitate. 

 

Activity #4. Collaborative Story Development

In small groups, students are asked to create an alternate ending to a popular story, such as Stranger Things or The Hunger Games. Each member is responsible for a specific aspect, such as dialogue or character development. After completing the story, groups present their alternate ending along with a reflective piece explaining their creative choices and how their contributions formed a cohesive narrative. For example, students might rewrite The Hunger Games to explore a non-violent rebellion, detailing how their decisions maintain the story’s emotional and thematic depth.

 

Rationale

This task minimizes reliance on AI while fostering active engagement by encouraging students to collaborate and refine their ideas through feedback. It challenges students to create new narratives while maintaining the original themes. By requiring students to analyze existing stories and develop new ending, the activity encourages creative thinking and enhances higher-order thinking skills, Collaboration introduces diverse perspectives, enabling students to enrich their narratives with unique cultural and personal insights. This task challenges AI reliance, as it demands teamwork, originality, and a depth of creativity that AI cannot replicate.

 

Activity #5. Evaluating and Revising Perspectives

Students are assigned to review and evaluate excerpts from literary criticism about a modern text popular with Gen-Z audiences, such as It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover or the webtoon Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe. They compare these perspectives with their own interpretations, then peer-review their classmates’ essay drafts, offering feedback informed by both the criticism and their understanding of the text. Finally, students submit a revised essay and a reflective piece explaining how peer feedback and critical perspectives influenced their revisions. For example, a student analyzing It Ends with Us might consider critiques on its portrayal of abusive relationships and use peer suggestions to strengthen arguments about Lily’s journey toward self-empowerment.

 

Rationale

This task minimizes reliance on AI while fostering active engagement by requiring students to evaluate criticism, peer-review essays, and revise their work. Through continuous improvement driven by feedback from peers and sources, students enhance their understanding and refine their ideas. Exposure to diverse viewpoints and cultural contexts broadens their perspective and enables them to analyze complex ideas. Analyzing texts through multiple lenses promotes collaborative insights and deeper comprehension. By focusing on comparison and revision, the task encourages higher-order thinking skills in line with Bloom’s Taxonomy. Students integrate feedback and synthesize perspectives, developing critical and innovative thinking. Additionally, the activity emphasizes the importance of constructive criticism, helping students understand impact on their work. While AI may assist with basic drafting or summarization, it cannot replicate the complex synthesis of feedback and critical perspectives required for meaningful revision. By engaging deeply with the material and relying on their intellectual abilities, students achieve authentic and meaningful learning outcomes.

 

Activity #6. Character Development Analysis and Presentation

The activity is structured in four stages to ensure clarity and progression. First, students identify significant moments in the story that reveal the personalities and motivations of two characters. Second, they create an outline that highlights key similarities and differences between the characters, supported by relevant textual evidence. Third, students prepare an oral presentation to share their findings, incorporating visuals such as charts or timelines to illustrate character development. Finally, they submit a reflective piece explaining how the analysis process deepens their understanding of the narrative and how the characters contribute to the story’s broader themes, such as power and morality. For instance, in Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, students might compare the contrasting paths of Alina Starkov and General Kirigan, focusing on how their decisions shape their character development and reflect the narrative’s core themes.

 

Rationale

This task minimizes reliance on AI tools by promoting engagement through a staged analysis process. Students refine their work gradually based on the feedback given. This task fosters critical thinking as students analyze and interpret information, particularly when evaluating character development. By assessing evidence and understanding character motivations, students engage in higher-order thinking skills aligned with Bloom’s Taxonomy. The task also emphasizes diverse perspectives and cultural contexts, encouraging students to connect character experiences to societal issues. Discussing Alina’s identity struggles in Shadow and Bone, for example, could lead to reflections on leadership and societal expectations in the real world. Unlike AI, which can provide generic summaries or basic comparisons, this task demands deeper analytical engagement and personal interpretation. The oral presentation requires real-time critical thinking and clear articulation. The visual aids and personal insights require original thinking, adaptability, and effective communication skills. The reflective element ensures authenticity by prompting students to explain their process and insights. By combining sustained effort, higher-order thinking, and creative expression, this task promotes meaningful, human-centered learning and counters AI’s tendency to produce standardized and superficial analysis. 

 

Activity #7. Creative Character Perspective

The activity begins with students selecting a minor character from a modern Asian story and analyzing their role, motivations, and emotional depth within a key moment of the narrative. In a real-time, in-class writing session, students create a diary entry, letter, or social media post, focusing on capturing the character’s unique voice and perspective. For example, in Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-joo, students might write a letter from Ji-young's mother’s perspective, reflecting on her sacrifices and societal pressures. Alternatively, students could write a social media post from a side character in the webtoon Tower of God by SIU, exploring their internal struggles during the climb. Afterward, students are asked to participate in a follow-up discussion or submit a reflective piece explaining their creative choices and how these align with the character’s established traits and the story’s themes.

 

Rationale

This task reduces AI dependence and encourages creativity by exploring minor characters. The in-class writing session promotes engagement by having students generate ideas independently. This method supports authentic work and limits reliance on AI tools. The reflective part strengthens understanding as students analyze their choices related to the character. By analyzing, evaluating, and creating, students develop higher-order thinking skills, interpreting motivations and assessing character roles —skills that align with Bloom’s Taxonomy. The task also emphasizes diverse perspectives and cultural contexts, as students engage with stories rooted in Asian cultures and societies. Analyzing Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 or Tower of God helps students to explore how cultural influences shape motivations and character development. Unlike AI tools, which often generate generic content and lack context-specific understanding, this task requires students to blend evidence, creative interpretation, and personal insight. The in-class writing session ensures originality, while the reflective component fosters critical analysis and intellectual depth. These elements collectively make the task resistant to AI automation, ensuring meaningful and authentic learning.

 

Activity #8. Cross-Textual Theme Synthesis

The activity is structured in four stages to ensure thorough engagement. First, students select two texts that address a shared theme, such as identity or conflict, and analyze how each text explores that theme. Second, they read the texts and compile annotated notes, highlighting key passages and drawing connections between the thematic elements. Third, they draft an analysis that focuses on the similarities and differences in how the texts explore the theme. Finally, they refine their analysis into a polished comparative infographic or essay, presenting their findings visually or in writing to the class, supported by examples from their research. Literary texts entitled Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie and Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, for example, might be compared to examine how both works address family and cultural identity in the face of societal challenges.

 

Rationale

This task fosters meaningful engagement and minimizes reliance on AI by guiding students through a structured, multi-stage process of feedback and analysis. Working in stages allows for gradual improvement and encourages authentic effort, reducing dependency on AI for polished outputs. The inclusion of texts from diverse cultural backgrounds broadens perspectives and encourages students to explore themes such as migration and identity in unique contexts. This diversity counters the standardization typical of AI-generated analysis. By requiring analysis, evaluation, and creation, the task aligns with higher-order thinking skills outlined in Bloom’s Taxonomy. The comparative aspect fosters creativity, as students must represent themes through original visual or textual formats. While AI tools may assist with summarization or basic comparisons, the depth of analysis and creative interpretation required for this task demands personal effort and nuanced understanding. The final output, whether an essay or infographic, emphasizes originality and critical thinking, ensuring authentic engagement and meaningful learning that AI cannot replicate.

 

Activity #9. Genre Transformation Project

The activity is structured in four stages to guide students through the process of transforming a scene into a different genre. First, students select a scene from a best-selling text and analyze its key elements, such as tone, themes, and narrative style. Second, students rewrite the scene in their chosen genre, ensuring their adaptation remains consistent with the original characters and setting. Third, they participate in peer review by exchanging drafts with classmates and receiving constructive feedback. Finally, students revise their rewritten scenes based on feedback and submit a reflective piece discussing how the genre change influenced the original scene’s tone, message, and audience engagement. Literary texts such as The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich and It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover can be used for this task because it allows students to transform a dramatic courtroom scene into a comedic satire or turn a romantic moment into a suspenseful thriller.

 

Rationale

This task minimizes reliance on AI tools while fostering creativity and critical thinking in storytelling. By requiring students to transform a narrative into a different genre, the activity challenges them to rethink the original text's tone, themes, and writing style. Structured in stages, the task guides students through analysis, drafting, peer review, and revision, ensuring incremental improvement and authentic engagement. Through analyzing, evaluating, and creating, students develop higher-order thinking skills aligned with Bloom’s Taxonomy. The peer-review process introduces diverse perspectives, enhancing students’ understanding of different interpretations while also building collaboration skills. This task emphasizes originality as students interpret the text, apply genre-specific conventions, and reflect on their creative decisions. While AI may assist in genre transformation, it lacks the nuanced understanding and creativity required for meaningful storytelling. This task ensures authentic learning and skill development, reducing over-reliance on AI tools.

 

Activity #10. Analytical Narrative Reflection

The activity is divided into three clear stages. First, students begin with exploration and planning, where they identify a central theme from an Indonesian text, such as resilience in The Rainbow Troops by Andrea Hirata or generational trauma in Beauty is a Wound by Eka Kurniawan. They reflect on how this theme connects to their personal experiences or cultural background, Next, students draft their narratives, integrating textual evidence to highlight parallels between the text and their personal experiences. Feedback from peers or teachers is used to refine their work. Finally, students present a reflective oral presentation, sharing their narratives and discussing how the theme shaped their understanding of both the text and their personal experiences. 

 

Rationale
This task aligns with key principles while minimizing reliance on AI. It fosters sustained engagement through a staged process of planning, drafting, revising, and presenting, ensuring continuous improvement and authentic engagement. Students develop ethical reasoning and emotional intelligence by reflecting on personal experiences and connecting them to complex themes in literature, such as resilience or trauma. Higher-order thinking skills are enhanced as students analyze the text, evaluate its themes, and synthesize these insights into narratives and presentations. Students also engage with diverse perspectives and cultural contexts, linking societal and historical dynamics in texts such as The Rainbow Troops or Beauty is a Wound to their own cultural backgrounds and experiences. The reflective component and oral presentation encourage creativity and originality, as students articulate personal interpretations and connect the text’s themes to their lived experiences. While AI may assist with generic narratives, it cannot replicate the integration of personal insight, emotional depth, and cultural nuance required for this task.

 

Conclusion

The use of AI in education offers many benefits but also raises concerns about over-reliance and its impact on critical thinking, creativity, and originality. To address these challenges, tasks must emphasize human skills such as ethical reasoning, diverse perspectives, and higher-order thinking. The suggested activities, focusing on literary texts, demonstrate how thoughtfully designed tasks can engage students in meaningful learning while reducing reliance on AI. By fostering skills like analysis, synthesis, and personal reflection, these activities ensure authentic learning experiences that AI cannot replicate.

 

References

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Yang, S. J. H., Ogata, H., Matsui, T., & Chen, N.-S. (2021). Human-centered artificial intelligence in education: Seeing the invisible through the visible. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 2, 100008. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2021.100008

Yasin, Y. M., & AL‐Hamad, A. (2023). Harnessing AI for enhancing scientific writing in nursing research: Prospects, pitfalls, and solutions. Research in Nursing & Health, 46(4), 379-380.

 

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