– Soren Neupane (soren.neupane@gmail.com) in collaboration with Allan Chee, Ex Massey Uni, Wellington Polytech : Senior Lecturer and Program Leader; SeniorNet : Education Leader/Manager

I teach Chatgpt to seniors and I have come across many beliefs I’ve had to put aside as I work with them on a regular basis. Thanks to Allan Chee who encouraged me into this area.

What I found, amongst many other things, during my teaching experience was that
1. Some have extremely good vocabulary stock which was good for prompts and framing questions
2. And many have knowledge on a wide range of topics.

The Unexpected Teachers

Now, Allan Chee was also my teacher from Wellington Polytech from the year 1995. I was, as always, techno-phobic and, I am very sure, his patience must have given up very often and, he surely, must have given up on me. But he persevered. So, I know what it is to fear when it is technical and when it does not gel with your system. But – look at us both – we survived.

So, decades later, recently, when Allan Chee first suggested I teach ChatGpt to seniors, I confess I approached the task with a a bit of uncertainty. I thought they would not be interested or those who could use ChatGpt would think I was wasting their time.
Well…I was wrong on many counts.  

In medicine, we have a saying: “Listen to your patient—they’re telling you the diagnosis.” The same principle, I discovered, applies to teaching technology. My students, ranging from fifty-nine to eighty-nine, weren’t all struggling novices fumbling with foreign concepts. They were seasoned thinkers equipped with something I hadn’t fully appreciated: decades of refined language and accumulated wisdom.

Margaret, a retired English teacher, crafted prompts with surgical precision. Where I might hastily type “write about climate change,” she would construct elegant requests: “Compose a persuasive essay examining the intersection of environmental policy and intergenerational responsibility, drawing upon historical precedents for collective action.” Her vocabulary wasn’t just extensive—it was purposeful.

Then there was Harold, a former engineer, who approached ChatGPT like a research collaborator rather than a search engine. He would engage the AI in Socratic dialogue about nuclear energy policy, building complex arguments through iterative questioning. His prompts revealed not digital naïveté but intellectual sophistication honed over decades.

What struck me most was their natural grasp of context. These weren’t digital natives, but they were native thinkers. They understood that good communication—whether with humans or machines—requires specificity, nuance, and patience. They had spent lifetimes asking thoughtful questions and weren’t about to stop now.

I had expected to teach them about artificial intelligence. Instead, they taught me about authentic intelligence—the kind that comes not from quick reflexes with touchscreens, but from years of careful thought and measured conversation. In trying to bridge the digital divide, I discovered that the gap might be smaller than we think, and the direction of learning more mutual than I’d ever imagined.

The Quilt Maker’s Guide to Artificial Intelligence

Many decades ago at a national quilt exhibition in Stockholm, I stood mesmerized by enormous tapestries stretching across exhibition hall walls—intricate masterpieces that seemed to defy comprehension. Yet each began with the most elementary act: a single needle threading through fabric. The complexity that intimidated me from across the room dissolved into something manageable, even meditative, when understood piece by piece.

Teaching ChatGPT to seniors has taught me the same lesson. The technology arrives wrapped in breathless headlines and technical jargon that makes it seem alien, even threatening. But like those Swedish quilts, artificial intelligence becomes approachable once you understand it starts with simple, human-scaled interactions.

Allan Chee understood this when he encouraged me into this work. After several meetings, my initial intimidation gave way to something more useful: curiosity. We developed what I think of as the quilter’s approach to AI—beginning with basic stitches before attempting complex patterns. The principles are surprisingly straightforward. Start simple. Ask clear questions rather than vague ones—”What are some gentle exercises for seniors?” works better than “Tell me about health.” Treat ChatGPT as you would a knowledgeable but fallible research assistant, not a replacement for your doctor or financial advisor. Protect your privacy by avoiding personal details, just as you would with any stranger.

Most importantly, maintain realistic expectations. The technology is powerful but imperfect, much like those exhibition quilts that revealed small irregularities upon closer inspection—flaws that somehow made them more beautiful, more human.

My students have discovered that ChatGpt can help write letters, explain current events, suggest recipes, or provide gentle mental stimulation through puzzles and trivia. Each person finds their own pattern, their own rhythm of interaction.

The real revelation isn’t technological—it’s recognizing that learning, at any age, follows the same ancient pattern: needle through fabric, stitch by careful stitch, until something beautiful emerges.

What more is there in AI for Seniors

Show don’t tell : Then again there is the whole world of creating memoirs – using specific anecdotes like Dorothy organizing her husband’s wartime letters and students planning European trips to illustrate the practical applications. You can also create illustrated, personalised children’s story books.

These are the ways to preserve the dignity and wisdom of older learners while demonstrating how ChatGpt serves as a patient, respectful digital companion that adapts to their needs rather than forcing them to adapt to it.

The quilt metaphor, reinforcing the central theme that both traditional crafts and modern technology involve the same fundamental human process: patient, purposeful creation that transforms simple elements into something meaningful and lasting.

And now – I love my teaching job and the opportunity to learn from my students. And – last but not least –  thank you Mr Chee.

A “thank you” to Soren Neupane for sending this article to The Upper Hutt Connection.

08/09/25