The Nush Project ← Back to AI Ref
Ref-Bot thinking

For teachers · Free

Be the AI Referee

A no-technology lesson, about 50 minutes, that teaches the same big ideas as the AI Ref game. No screens, devices or internet needed.

Your class trains a classmate playing "Ref-Bot" to call badminton shots IN or OUT using picture cards, then tests and fixes what Ref-Bot learned. Along the way students discover for themselves how AI works.

Download the materials

1 SlidesAbout 14 slides with simple visuals. Teacher talking points are in the notes. PowerPoint ↓ 2 Lesson planObjectives, key words, timed flow, the five rounds, discussion questions, assessment and adaptations. Word ↓ 3 Printable cardsTraining cards, tricky close calls, test cards and role badges. Print and cut. PDF ↓

How to run it

  1. Use the slides to pose the question: "How does an AI know?"
  2. Run the five rounds from the lesson plan with the printed cards.
  3. Recap the big ideas. If you have devices, play AI Ref to go deeper.

No printer? The lesson plan includes a chalk-and-paper version. It also has adaptations for English learners and large classes.

What students learn

AI learns from examples, not from rules someone types in.
Testing shows what the AI really learned.
An AI needs diverse examples, including tricky ones, to be fair.
AI still needs people to check it and fix its mistakes.

Have phones or a computer lab? The game version takes students through five quick levels.

Play AI Ref ▶