Isanka Wijerathne

1paper

1 Paper

27.0CYJun 3
Agentic AI and Pedagogical Best Practice: The Tension Between Automation and Learning

Steve Woollaston, Brendan Flanagan, Isanka Wijerathne et al.

Artificial intelligence in education is evolving from passive chatbots to proactive AI agents capable of initiation and goal-directed interactions. While offering opportunities for personalised learning, this shift risks undermining learner agency and cognitive effort. This paper reviews six pedagogical principles-prior knowledge activation, collaborative learning, problem-based learning, formative assessment, scaffolding, and metacognition-through the lens of agentic AI. We discuss the tension between automation and learning, proposing design recommendations that prioritise intentional friction, dynamic scaffolding, human-in-the-loop oversight, and considered AI utilisation to ensure AI supports rather than supplants human learning.