Many teachers are now using artificial-intelligence-powered apps in their daily work, which they say have become big timesavers and made a notoriously high-stress, high-responsibility job more manageable.
But there are still a lot of teachers who are not using AI in their daily work, according to EdWeek Research Center survey data. The top reasons for that, teachers say, are having more pressing priorities and lacking knowledge and support.
In a May 22 Education Week K-12 Essentials Forum, two teachers and a researcher discussed how teachers are using AI right now and what other teachers might need in order to start experimenting with the technology. The panelists were: Ana Sepulveda, a 6th grade math-honors and dual-language teacher at the School for the Talented and Gifted in Pleasant Grove in Dallas; Amanda Pierman, a high school science teacher and technology-integration specialist at the Benjamin School in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.; and Glenn Kleiman, a senior adviser for the Stanford Accelerator for Learning.
Below are four takeaways from their discussion.
1. Teachers need AI literacy more than ever before
A lot of fear persists around AI, because many teachers still don’t know what it is and how it works, the panelists said. That’s why it’s important for teachers to get training on AI.
Some teachers who have received training on AI most likely took it on their own rather than attending a PD session offered by their districts, the panelists noted. For instance, much of the training Sepulveda has had on the technology has been “just me taking action and trying to be innovative and staying up to date.” And most of what Pierman knows about using AI has been self-taught, as well, or knowledge she’s picked up from conferences.
Professional development on AI should feature a lot of hands-on experiences so educators can experiment as learners and as teachers, said Kleiman. Teachers need time to figure out what’s effective for their students and to collaborate with their peers. Learning how to use AI for instruction should also not focus on the tools alone but instead on educational needs and how AI can be helpful in bridging learning gaps.
2. Students should learn how to use AI ethically and responsibly
When Pierman first heard about generative AI, she said she was “heartbroken” that someone would come up with something that students could use to cheat. It’s a worry many teachers share.
“Students need to be taught how to use [AI] ethically and responsibly, the same way they need to be taught digital citizenship,” said Pierman, whose initial worries about AI eased the more she used the technology.
Sepulveda, who uses AI tools with her dual-language students, said she has to be very specific about what students can plug into generative AI tools. For instance, when students are working on translanguaging (the ability to move fluidly between languages), Sepulveda gives them question stems they can put into a generative AI tool to help them understand a topic.
“I have to be really explicit in the way [students can use AI tools],” she said, because so far, they haven’t had any other lessons on how to use the technology responsibly.
3. Teachers want clarity on what’s acceptable use of AI
One reason that some teachers have yet to start experimenting with AI is because they don’t know when it’s OK for them or their students to use the technology, the panelists said.
Schools don’t necessarily need to create a whole new policy, Kleiman said. They can update or strengthen existing policies around academic integrity and technology use, for instance.
For teachers who are navigating this on their own, Pierman recommended that they be very clear about their expectations with students: When is it OK for them to use AI? In what ways can they use it? Can they use it for brainstorming or proofreading?
“As long as you tell [students] what your expectations are, then that makes it significantly easier for you as the teacher and also for the students to know what you want and where your comfort level with AI is,” Pierman said.
4. What they think AI’s role in education should be
Overall, the panelists see AI’s greatest potential in helping teachers lessen their workloads and in differentiating instruction to better meet students’ individual needs.
For Sepulveda, her hope for AI is that it becomes an equalizer for all students—that their specific academic needs will be met regardless of their background. Pierman said she’d like AI to be a teacher’s assistant and help her find ways to reach her students at their levels.
The fear, Kleiman said, is that AI could further equity gaps. In a nightmare scenario, he said, students in high-poverty schools would be taught primarily by AI, while students in wealthier districts would have both qualified human teachers and AI tools.
A more likely scenario is where the benefits and drawbacks of AI play out in schools, the panelists emphasized.
“Asking ‘is AI effective?’ is like asking if books are effective,” Kleiman said. “It’s all about how is it being used, for what purposes, in what context, combined with other things. AI is a new, powerful partner for teachers and students that can do so many different things.”
