This week’s featured AI tool is Riff, a groundbreaking chatbot designed to promote reflective practices in education. Developed by Stanford University’s d.school, Riff is currently in beta but already shows immense promise in helping students and educators deepen their learning experiences.
Riff is an AI-powered chatbot that engages users in thoughtful conversations. It generates personalized, open-ended questions based on the user’s input, encouraging deeper reflection on experiences, learning processes, and outcomes. Whether you're reflecting on a lesson, a project, or a personal experience, Riff provides tailored prompts to inspire critical thinking and self-awareness.
Reflection is a key component of meaningful learning. With Riff, educators can:
Facilitate independent reflection among students.
Encourage self-assessment and metacognition.
Create customized reflection bots for classroom or professional use.
Enhance group discussions by providing targeted, thought-provoking prompts.
Visit Riff’s Website and sign up for access (remember, it’s currently in beta).
Explore prebuilt reflection prompts or customize your own for your students.
Encourage students to engage with the chatbot after completing a task or lesson.
Use the responses generated by Riff to foster deeper discussions in the classroom.
After a Project: Students can reflect on what they learned, what challenges they faced, and how they can improve in the future.
At the End of a Semester: Encourage students to reflect on their overall growth and set goals for the next term.
For Educators: Use Riff to analyze and reflect on teaching practices or professional development sessions.
A collection of resources for educators curious about how AI affects their students and their syllabi, from metaLAB (at) Harvard. Includes lesson plans, guides, and tools designed to help educators and librarians integrate AI thoughtfully into their teaching.