Generative AI is transforming the way educators approach instructional planning, assessment, and differentiation. AI tools can automate time-consuming tasks, provide personalized learning experiences, and support data-driven decision-making. However, if you are new to using AI-powered tools or supporting others who are just getting started, it may be tough to figure out exactly how to integrate AI effectively into your teaching and learning practice.
Over the past two years, I’ve worked with educators across the country to explore how AI can help them save time, enhance instructional strategies, and make the most of formative assessment data. This year at the FETC conference, I hosted a workshop on “Bringing AI to Your Team: Tips for Introducing AI to Your Colleagues.” And I’ve worked with a few groups of educators at schools and districts to think about the best way to have conversations with their colleagues about artificial intelligence.
So today on the blog, I have a few strategies I’ve shared with these groups to help them guide discussions around the use of artificial intelligence.
Coaching Strategy #1: Helping Teachers Identify AI’s Role in Their Workflow
One of the most effective ways to introduce AI to educators is by connecting it to their existing workflow. Instead of focusing on the technology first, start by identifying teacher pain points. This is a similar strategy that you may already use when introducing other types of educational technology – it’s something I do in my non-AI conversations, too.
Identifying Teacher Pain Points:
- Time-consuming tasks: Lesson planning, grading, and administrative work can take up valuable time.
- Differentiation: Providing personalized support for students with different learning needs is a challenge.
- Assessment: Gathering and analyzing formative assessment data can be overwhelming.
- Feedback: Offering timely and meaningful feedback to students is time-intensive.
Coaching Conversation Starters:
- “What’s a part of your planning process that feels repetitive?”
- “Where do you find yourself needing extra time when preparing lessons?”
Actionable Step:
Once you’ve identified specific challenges, introduce AI-powered solutions that address them. For example, tools that make supplemental resources to support differentiation, or tools that can help streamline lesson design.
Coaching Strategy #2: Introducing AI to Skeptical Teachers
Some educators may be resistant to AI due to concerns around safety, how quickly AI is moving, bias in these tools, and more. It’s important to acknowledge these very valid concerns. Addressing these concerns directly can help make space for exploring some of the possibilities related to this technology, without being dismissive.
Addressing AI Resistance:
- Job Replacement: AI is an assistant, not an expert. It enhances teaching, not replaces teachers.
- Accuracy Concerns: AI-generated content should always be reviewed by educators before use for accuracy and potential bias.
- Over-Reliance: AI should support critical thinking and creativity rather than replace our efforts entirely, we can use it as a stepping stone not a replacement.
Reframing AI:
- You are in the driver’s seat. AI doesn’t work without an educator’s guidance.
- It won’t replace you, but it can assist you. AI can automate routine tasks, freeing teachers for high-impact work.
- Your expertise is essential. AI can generate ideas, but teachers make final instructional decisions, including tweaks and changes.
Share Success Stories:
Showcase small wins where AI has made an impact in the classroom. For example:
- Lesson Planning: AI-generated lesson outlines that save time and spark new ideas.
- Content Enhancement: AI-assisted vocabulary lists that incorporate visuals and emojis for engagement. Something simple like showing how to add visual cues (aka emojis) to a list of vocabulary words can be a fantastic small win to share.
- Classroom Management: AI-powered discussion prompts that encourage student participation and help create high-interest supplemental content.
Coaching Strategy #3: Supporting AI Integration Through Modeling & Collaboration
For AI adoption to be successful, educators need hands-on experience and collaborative opportunities. By modeling AI usage and fostering shared learning, teachers can develop confidence in using AI tools. As someone who leads webinars and in-person workshops, I can tell you how important it is to give participants opportunities to try things out or as I sometimes say, “push all the buttons.”
If you have dedicated time to introduce and explore AI-powered tools, that’s wonderful. If not, you might find small moments to introduce artificial intelligence in action.
Strategies for Hands-On AI Exposure:
- Model AI tools in department meetings or PD sessions. Demonstrate how AI can generate assessment questions, lesson ideas, or instructional resources. You might carve out just a few minutes of a larger meeting to share one small strategy or new tool.
- Create a shared repository of AI-generated lesson ideas. Encourage educators to contribute and explore AI-generated materials together. Create a shared folder where teachers can drop in and documents or assessments they’ve created to make a grade-level or department shared folder.
- Encourage collaborative lesson planning. Partner teachers together to experiment with AI tools and co-create lesson plans that integrate AI. You might ask them to join another pair and share their observations to this new small group of colleagues.
Guiding Educators in AI: Tips for Meaningful Coaching Conversations
Coaching conversations about AI with educators should be practical, supportive, and rooted in real classroom challenges. You can help colleagues identify where AI fits into their workflow, address any understandable skepticism, and model AI integration through collaboration.
In my book, EdTech Essentials: 12 Strategies for Every Classroom in the Age of AI 2nd Edition, I share lots of strategies related to using artificial intelligence to support instructional planning. If you are looking for tips to share with colleagues related to AI and assessment, creativity and more, make sure to check it out. Already have a copy? Grab the study guide for free right here.
AI is here, and equipping teachers with the right strategies and tools will make sure they can harness its potential in ways that truly have an impact on teaching and learning!
