Shaking Things Up

A few months ago, I came across GALE Topic Finder. Instead of following my usual plan, I began opening lessons with this interactive tool. I watched as students perked up. Teenagers get bored with routine. While adult educators find security in familiarity, many high school students crave newness in their classes. During my research instruction I always highlight useful resources: our library databases, Google Books, SweetSearch, and others like Library of Congress and Purdue Writing Lab. I teach students to read laterally, to consume information before starting a paper, and how to format citations. I know it’s important to teach these basics, but I needed to add something different. 

Brainstorming with AI

Topic Finder is an Artificial Intelligence-fueled brainstorming tool that makes algorithmic predictions based on existing data, which is different from generative AI tools that create new content. It’s available in many states for free. After users type in a search term, it generates dozens of results. A click on each result leads to articles from the GALE databases. I was immediately attracted to its colorful graphics. From the initial test runs with students, so were they. Whether it was 11th graders researching a passion project of their choice, 10th graders choosing a topic for an argument paper, or ninth graders studying Greek mythology, they all appeared more invested in their work once they mastered this new tool. 

Reviving Curiosity

Because high school students’ brains have been programmed to seek out the highest grade possible in the shortest amount of time, their natural curiosity instincts have been squashed. As the authors of The Disengaged Teen point out, some adolescents “are so busy trying to win the race–to be extra-amazing at everything and get to the best college possible–that they fail to consider what race they want to be running” (Anderson and Winthrop). They often base their interests on ideas they think will benefit their goals.

On the other hand, the students who have stopped caring about grades seem to be even less interested in lesson details. Their disengagement, while often treated as a set trait, is, as Anderson and Winthrop point out, a result of the “interaction with their context, their environment” (2025). These groups of students mistakenly believe that if their interests aren’t part of the academic ladder, they’re not worthy of pursuing. By allowing both of these types of students to feel more agency through a tool like Topic Finder, we can facilitate improvement in their alertness and drive. 

Checking Off the Boxes While in Control

Part of students’ stress during research comes from pressure to fulfill specific assignment mandates. They examine teachers’ rubrics in anticipation of checking off all of the top boxes. Though they’ll still have to do this, with Topic Finder they can postpone that fixation while exploring topics in an enjoyable way. Even when they’re limited to a specific topic, they can have more say over the subtopics and the research path.

Another positive outcome I’ve noticed when students use this tool is they become more focused. As with everything in life, people like to be in control. When they’re not sure what their goals are, they’re confused. No matter how many times they hear teachers explain assignments, high school students feel overwhelmed. Topic Finder eases them into research with casual searches. They watch as the colored tiles digitally move into place. They click the wheel as if it’s a game show, exploring the topics that branch out and expand. 

The Joy of Research

There’s no magic cure for getting students to go back to learning for learning’s sake. In the modern education system, the pursuit of knowledge is inextricably linked to outcomes. There are ways, however, to persuade teenagers to forget the big picture for a moment. With the help of algorithmic AI, a little bit of guidance, and some colorful graphics, we can direct our students toward the joy of research.

 

Work Cited

Anderson, Jenny., Winthrop, Rebecca. The Disengaged Teen: Helping Kids Learn Better, Feel Better, and Live Better. United States: Crown, 2025.