As educators look for innovative methods to engage students and enhance the learning experience, artificial intelligence (ai) is proving to be an invaluable asset. For English language arts (ELA) teachers, ai-powered writing tools help provide immediate feedback, guiding students through the writing process and encouraging a more personalized approach to learning.
Victoria Salas Salcedo, a Bay Area high school teacher who recently achieved National Board Certification in English Language Arts for Early Adolescence, has incorporated artificial intelligence into her classroom for the past three years. With extensive experience in visual arts, English language development, and multicultural studies, she strives to create an environment where all students feel welcome, valued, and empowered. Recently, EdSurge spoke with Salas Salcedo about the lessons she's learned by using ai-powered writing tools like Topeka Projecta program he piloted last year.
EdSurge: How did you introduce the topic of ai to your students and address any initial misconceptions they had?
Salcedo Rooms: Fortunately, with Project Topeka, ai was so seamlessly integrated into the program that it seemed like a natural step in the writing process. So introducing ai was relatively easy because my students were used to the writing process and revisions. Having this ai-powered tool to provide immediate feedback was really exciting for them because they didn't have to wait a week or more for me to critically read all of their articles.
Of course, at first they wondered if this tool would write the articles for them, and to their dismay, it simply told them to write more. (Laughter.) Some of my highest-achieving students, many of them among the first to finish, were surprised when they received less than perfect scores on their first submission. I had to explain that this tool was unbiased and was being used as a resource. I asked them to look at the comments and look at their work a little more closely to see if they really met the expectations of the rubric. Students on the other side were encouraged because they had direct, immediate feedback that would show them the exact space in their writing where they could improve. As a teacher, it was amazing to see students return to the review process multiple times. It was almost like having an extra teacher in the room, guiding them through the writing process.
One concern I hadn't anticipated was students gaming the system. They would try to just change a word or move some words to get a higher rubric score. Some students reappeared up to 80 times, which was not the result I was looking for. They weren't being thoughtful or deliberate, and that was disappointing. But now I know how to teach them to be more judicious and decisive in their forwardings.
What are some of the most common concerns or questions you've encountered when integrating ai tools into your teaching? How did you approach them?
Some students were wary of the idea, believing that the ai would do all this work for the professor and that perhaps the professor would no longer do the grading. They would think: This is just a machine. It doesn't matter what you write. He doesn't really see me.
So when I worked with the Topeka Project in my classroom, I told the students that ai was just a tool we were using and that I would be grading. Regardless of what the ai says, I'll still rate it. I am not comfortable allowing students' reflections on learning to be based on what a machine calculated. But adding this tool to my class: Wow! I made the most growth I've ever had in a year of writing instruction, and I haven't been able to replicate it because I don't have that extra “body” (the ai-powered writing tool) in the room. this year.
Teaching students how to use ai in a way that enhances their learning will be the next hurdle we overcome. I think if we can offer ai-based tools in the classroom, that's where we can really leverage them for growth and learning. Don't just open up the Wild West of ai; We don't need that. We need purpose-driven tools that are easy to use and that educators feel comfortable handing to students without worrying that they are doing the work for them. My hope is that developers will talk to teachers, see what we need, come into our classrooms and see where ai could be used to simplify the things that overwhelm us so we can focus on teaching.
What advice would you give to other educators who are considering implementing ai writing tools in their classrooms and may encounter concerns from their school communities and families?
Before introducing ai to students, test it out. Try using it to simplify some of the things you spend a lot of time on, like writing instructions for tasks. Try out some of the tools out there for creating slides, modify them to your needs, and start saving some time on your own. You will have your own understanding of the purpose of ai. Once you understand the purpose, bringing the kids is the natural next step.
Then, with that understanding, present the tools to students as just that: tools. Presenting it from an ethical perspective is what will make the difference between students who use it as a way to cheat and students who use it as a tool. Because really what we want is for students to be able to take advantage of ai to deepen their learning, extend and multiply their growth throughout the year. Present it in small applications in class; Use it to help students have an extra partner with them. It should be a tool that frees up your time to do the individualized teaching that we don't have enough time to do because of all the smaller things we're dealing with.
How do you envision the role of ai in education evolving?
I would like to have ai-driven processes that allow me to be in the entire room simultaneously. I cannot sit with all the students while they are reading a reading passage. If ai could respond to students' misunderstandings with probable reasons as they read and have them interact with that, it would be amazing. If ai could help with the writing process even more than we already are, that's an area of great need. Students don't practice enough because teachers can't read or respond fast enough.
We need help in our classrooms. What better way to use ai than to have it act as an additional assistant in the classroom? can Being everywhere and actually working with students who need more than just ai? This could open another portal of possibilities. Anything that can boost student growth is what I hope for. Teachers are exhausted and ai is just one way to help alleviate some of that stress.
