Key points:
Avoiding or banning ai in the classroom hurts students, and if teachers aren't familiar with ai tools and how to use them, who is really in charge of teaching? ai literacy is not just for students; Today, it is an essential professional development for teachers, he explained. Holly Clarkai education strategist and author, during a FETC 2025 session on best practices for an ai-infused classroom.
Preventing students from using ai can often limit their abilities to achieve and feel good about themselves, Clark said. For example, ai can translate learning materials for ELL populations or can customize approaches for students struggling with dyslexia.
Using ai “is not about using it to get answers; it’s about students thinking critically,” Clark said. Classrooms that avoid ai do not prepare students for success when they leave high school.
“(Today's kindergartners) will retire in 2085. I've visited classrooms that are preparing kids for 1985. We have this gap that we need to fill, between what we're doing in the classrooms that works and what it looks like to the outside world. . ” he added, noting that while certain tools and approaches may technically “work,” they may not help prepare students for the future.
As educators incorporate ai tools into their instruction, it is critical that they become familiar with the different ai tools and know how to leverage the strengths of each tool. Understand the differences between Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT, etc. it is a requirement for ai literacy.
Teachers should ensure that students use ai as a thinking partner and for instant feedback, not simply to get answers to questions.
Guiding questions for an ai-infused classroom include:
- How do we inspire students to value authentic expression in an era where ai often does their writing for them?
- How do we help students thrive in a rapidly evolving ai-driven world?
- By the time kindergarteners graduate from high school, ai could be a billion times smarter than a human. How should education be rethought about this?
- What role can educators play in leveraging ai to meet the unique needs of each student?
- What does meaningful learning look like in the age of ai?
Best practices for introducing ai in the classroom:
- Understanding models and limitations: Teachers need to understand the different ai models and what they do. Many teachers only know ChatGPT and maybe Gemini. But there are others.
- Student agency: A student should be able to use a topic that interests them and apply it to their assignments. They will be less likely to use an ai tool to do the task for them if they have agency. This helps students have a thinking partner.
- Comment: How can students evaluate and think critically about their work and improve it based on real-time feedback?
Collaborating with ai isn't about cheating or completing tasks, it's about partnership thinking, Clark said. Some of his favorite ai tools for this purpose include: schoolai, snorkelingand curipod.
When it comes to preparing schools for ai, a few critical steps can make a difference.
- Community: Help parents and students understand the collaborative power of ai and how to do it ethically and effectively.
- Ethical guides: Provide guidance on the ethical use of ai, including data privacy and security considerations.
- Instructional design: Help teachers understand how to design activities that incorporate ai to improve student learning.
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)
{if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};
if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;
n.queue=();t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)(0);
s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,’script’,
‘https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’);
fbq(‘init’, ‘6079750752134785’);
fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);
