Inquiry in the Age of AI: Keeping Curiosity Alive

A Masterclass with Dr. Leslie Maniotes, Co-Creator of Guided Inquiry Design®

Open to educators across Australia, SE Asia, and beyond

As AI reshapes classrooms around the world, educators face a critical moment:

Will AI replace student thinking — or expand it?

The difference lies in how we design learning.

AI is transforming how students learn, but without curiosity, reflection, and discernment, these tools can flatten thinking instead of deepening it.

Join internationally recognised inquiry expert Dr. Leslie Maniotes for a powerful session on how Guided Inquiry Design® helps schools create human-centered, inquiry-rich learning environments where AI becomes a genuine thinking partner.

Description of session

This session blends research, practical demonstration, and classroom examples across primary and secondary levels. Participants will see the phases of Guided Inquiry Design® in action and explore how AI supports, accelerates, and expands student learning only when anchored in curiosity and background knowledge.

Guided Inquiry Design® offers a proven structure for curiosity, meaning-making, and student agency, the very capacities AI cannot replicate.

About the presenter

Dr Leslie K Maniotes  is the co-creator of Guided Inquiry Design®, an internationally adopted inquiry framework grounded in decades of research on the Information Search Process. She is a leading voice on human-centered learning in the age of AI, helping educators worldwide design environments where curiosity thrives and AI becomes a tool for deeper thinking.

What You’ll Learn

Participants will walk away with:

• A clear model of how inquiry learning works with AI inside the GID process
• Non-negotiable human skills that must be intentionally built (reflection, evaluation, discernment, emotional awareness)
• Where explicit instruction fits inside the inquiry process (and why GID embraces it)
• Primary + secondary examples of AI-enhanced inquiry
• Concrete actions librarians can take to guide teachers and protect deep learning
• A practical framework for integrating lateral reading, source evaluation, and AI literacy
• Ready-to-use ideas to bring back to schools the next day

How do I participate?

This session is being held on Saturday morning the 7th of March 2026,  from 9-11am, consisting of a one hour presentation, a small group activity of a practical workshop-style, small and whole groups discussions, followed by a  Q&A session.

Completing this session will provide you with a total of 2 hours towards your accrual 100 hours of Professional Development, and it will take place in SLANSW's Zoom conference room.

Register via the School Library of New South Wales (SLANSW) website: https://slansw.net.au/events 

Payment is via credit card at time of registration.

Those who register for this event will receive an email within 24 hours before the event with details to access this online session.

As places are limited, we recommend you register for this session as soon as possible, as it is sure to fill quickly.

Suggested Standards addressed by this International Speaker Session

The following standards apply to the content being presented in the keynote and workshop:

1.2.2 Structure teaching programs using research and collegial advice about how students learn.

2.2.2 Organise content into coherent, well-sequenced learning and teaching programs.

3.3.2 Select and use relevant teaching strategies to develop knowledge, skills, problem-solving, and critical and creative thinking.

6.4.2 Undertake professional learning programs designed to address identified student learning needs.

7.4.2 Participate in professional and community networks and forums to broaden knowledge and improve practice.

Please note SLANSW's Cancellation and Refund Policy for Professional Learning Events when registering for this conference.