Demystifying AI: Beginning the Journey for Teachers

Introduction

In 2022, Generative AI burst onto the scene, profoundly impacting education. Technologies in schools can generally be classified as either “adoption” technologies or “arrival” technologies. According to Jason Reich, Associate Professor at MIT, “Traditionally, schools adopt technologies through a planned process of identifying needs, evaluating products, piloting, purchasing, training, and ongoing support. However, arrival technologies like ChatGPT bypass these processes, entering schools through the actions of students, teachers, or vendors.”

For schools, the introduction of arrival technology like ChatGPT and other Generative AI systems often feels disruptive — like a bomb going off. The most common questions we hear from educators and districts today include:

• “How can we stop it?”
• “What do we do to prevent students from cheating with ChatGPT?”
• “I can’t trust anything they turn in anymore!”
• “What firewalls or barriers do we need to protect learning at our schools?”

Far less frequently do we hear the questions:

• “How is Generative AI revolutionizing the purpose of education?”
• “How can I leverage AI to simplify my teaching workload?”
• “How do we prepare students for the AI-driven world they will inherit?”

Generative AI is here to stay, and the data underscores its growing presence in education:

• 50% of high school students use Generative AI (2024 Harvard Survey of 1,500 students).
• 86% of college students use AI in their studies (2024 Digital Education Council Survey).
• Yet 77% of educators feel unprepared to teach students the skills needed for an AI-powered world (2023 EdWeek Survey).

What Does This Mean for Educators?

Our reluctance to adapt and integrate Generative AI into education risks putting the next generation of workers and thinkers at a significant disadvantage. According to Travis Allen, CEO of ProSolve, Generative AI will fundamentally redefine the purpose of education — much like the transition from an agrarian to an industrial society. In the future, success will not depend on memorizing information, as nearly any query can be answered with a simple Google search or AI-generated content. Even complex tasks like medical diagnosis are increasingly handled by AI systems.

The question we must ask is: What skills will students need to thrive in an AI-powered world? We believe the focus should shift toward fostering collaboration, developing strong problem-solving abilities, mastering AI prompting techniques, and critically evaluating AI-generated solutions for accuracy, appropriateness and their ethical merits. The more we prepare students to combine human intelligence with artificial intelligence, the better equipped they will be for the workforce and for navigating an AI-driven society.

The rapid advancement of AI calls for educators and education leaders to embrace exploration and learning — not avoidance and resistance. To meet this challenge, we must focus on four key areas:

1. Exploring how Generative AI can enhance teaching and leadership.
2. Guiding students to use AI responsibly and ethically.
3. Leveraging AI to reach and teach every student more effectively.
4. Rethinking the purpose of schooling to prepare students for a world beyond the information age.

By embracing AI as an opportunity rather than a threat, educators can help shape a future where technology serves humanity, rather than replaces it.

About This Paper

This white paper is the first in a series of thought pieces designed to support teachers and education leaders in adapting to the realities of Generative AI. We begin with a case study of how one principal leveraged ChatGPT to create efficiencies in their work. Next, we address how to help teachers move past the “ChatGPT = BAD” mindset and begin the essential learning journey every educator needs to undertake and we close with some commentary on ethical considerations.

The First Step: Building Teacher Confidence and Skills

EdWeek emphasizes the importance of teaching students to use AI responsibly. However, we believe the first step is to help teachers overcome their natural resistance to change by equipping them to use AI effectively in their own practice — through a process of “play.” When teachers become comfortable and proficient with AI, they can address their fears and critiques, ultimately building the confidence and skills needed to guide students responsibly. To support this transition, we must create professional learning environments that mirror the future of education — encouraging exploration, experimentation, and adaptability as teachers navigate the evolving role of AI in their work.

Jean-Jacques Credi: A Principal’s Exploration with ChatGPT

So, what are we talking about here? You might be farther ahead, feeling curious, nervous, or even overwhelmed. All of that’s okay. But here’s the real question: Are you having fun?

ChatGPT is a free online AI system built on OpenAI’s open-source language learning model (LLM). The developers believed this tool should be widely available, encouraging others to innovate and expand on it. Think of it as the digital equivalent of Van Gogh’s Starry Night: a contribution to the human experience that future creators can interpret, emulate, and build upon.

Here’s how it works: You give ChatGPT a prompt, and it generates a response by synthesizing and producing content. Ask it, “Who was the first president of the United States?” and you’ll get a straightforward answer: George Washington, with a bit of extra context. Or ask it, “Write me a two-week meal plan that’s mostly vegetarian, including chicken, eggs, fish, and seafood,” and it will deliver detailed suggestions for every meal.

Last year, I decided to put ChatGPT to the test. I asked it to write a back-to-school letter for staff in the style of Robin Williams. The result? A playful and heartfelt message filled with references to Aladdin and Dead Poets Society — complete with parenthetical stage directions like “jazz hands.” It made people laugh and think, which was exactly my goal: to help staff embrace the inevitable growth of AI in education, not with fear, but with curiosity, humor, and openness.

Weeks later, a teacher told me they saved three hours of prep time by using ChatGPT to create small group lesson plans. Sure, it needed some tweaking, but they called it a “game changer.” Since then, I’ve used ChatGPT to draft messages, organize budget proposals, plan professional development, and write emails and letters. While everything still requires a human touch, AI saves me time by doing the heavy lifting on routine tasks. It gives me more space to focus on the mission-driven work of leadership: engaging stakeholders, supporting staff, and staying visible and present for my school community.

The launch of OpenAI has raised plenty of questions and concerns, and that’s natural. But like any new technology, Generative AI is here to help us work smarter, not harder. As leaders, it’s our job to create entry points for staff — helping them build comfort, creativity, and expertise with tools like ChatGPT. When we embrace what’s possible, we unlock the future of education.

Mariah Cone: How Might You Start Engaging Your Teachers with Generative AI?

In my several decades working in schools and with teachers and leaders, change is sometimes the most challenging aspect to schooling. Philip Schlechty coined an organizing theory that there tends to be three types of human response to school change: Trailblazers, Pioneers, and Settlers. Trailblazers are comfortable in the unknown, consummate learners and relatively fearless. They like to experiment and try new things. Pioneers will pay close attention to the success of Trailblazers, and when a new practice, curriculum, or process has some proven results — they too will jump on board. And finally, Settlers will resist change of almost any kind. The scope to which a change will impact their routines and ways of being is typically too much for Settlers and they must either be forced to change or will resist the change until it ‘goes away.’

As we consider the revolutionary change that Generative AI is having on the entire purpose of schooling, the scope to which that must change the classroom reality is expansive and daunting. As a long-time developer of teachers, I have found that change at this scale must be strategic, purposeful and deliberate. So here’s the recommendation — start with your Trailblazers (and Pioneers who are curious). Don’t come into the change with a “everyone’s going to do something different NOW” attitude. Instead, come with the introduction to Generative AI from a playful learning experience that is pitched as: “Come learn how to make your job easier and take less time!”

There are two facets to the teaching profession: the work teachers do behind the scenes (planning, assessing, calling parents, organizing their classrooms for learning, etc.) and the work teachers do with students. We’d suggest that where teachers will have the most fear with change is in the student-facing work. And while some of the biggest power of Generative AI ultimately needs to influence the student-teacher space, we recommend starting with the behind-the-scenes work.

Imagine your Trailblazers and Pioneers opting into a 1–2 hour workshop that is billed as a workshop to lighten the workload of teachers. Then instead of teaching teachers in a rote way “step-by-step training for how to use GenAI” — create the same kind of learning conditions that the future of the classroom could look like. Invite teachers into a “Hackathon.” In small groups, invite individual teachers to use whatever AI systems (we suggest Genesis, ChatGPT, possibly a free trial of Magic School) to find a shortcut in their teacher preparation work. Set the goal that after 20 minutes they’ll compete in table groups for the best uses to improve their behind-the-scenes teacher work.

The hackathon works to invite teachers into a “play” space that is more appropriate for the technology itself — there is no ‘one right way’ to use Generative AI, and users learn how to prompt the system by trying out different prompts and adjusting as they go. Depending on the skill of participants, a cheatsheet or short modeling can be an important inclusion in the process. Allow teachers’ experiments and emerging trials with potential applications to then teach each other in the vast uses of the technology. Here are a few of the queries we’ve found to be surprisingly powerful:

• “Here are the responses to a recent quiz, tell me what are the top two misconceptions. (And how might I reteach this?)”
• “Given this unit _____ in Springboard, how should I plan for my English Learners?”
• “Write an exemplar for this assessment at the level of 10th grade mastery. What must students know and be able to show in order to meet this level of mastery?”
• “I’ve prepared an email to send home to this parent, can you make my tone more welcoming while keeping the core message the same?”

By engaging teachers in this hands-on experience, they can discover a wide range of practical applications for AI in their daily work, building both confidence and competence with the technology. Prioritizing teacher exploration first — before introducing AI to students — creates fertile ground for Trailblazers and Pioneers to identify meaningful classroom applications. Subsequent training can build on this foundation, using the same playful approach to explore how Generative AI can be effectively integrated into student learning. Ultimately, this gradual process empowers teachers to confidently guide students in becoming skilled, responsible users of AI — an essential competency for the jobs of tomorrow.

An Important Note About Ethics

No conversation about GenAI is complete without also discussing the moral and ethical implications of GenAI use. We suggest always leaving a minimum of 20 minutes for session participants to elevate and discuss ethical implications. A few are non-negotiables: unless you’re using bounded AI systems like Magic School (which does not actively learn from teacher queries), never include student names or any other information that would violate HIPAA, FERPA and other student information protections. For example, if a teacher needs help drafting an IEP, they can use descriptors such as the disability, age, gender, and learning needs — but not the student name or other identifiers.

By opening the broader conversation with teachers, two important things can be gained: (1) You’ll be able to assess the inner thoughts, worries and dispositions of your staff; and (2) teachers are the best experts at recognizing ethical pitfalls, and by naming these, the school can develop “use” rules and other guidelines that can be adopted for all users moving forward.

Conclusion by Jean-Jacques Credi

When I think about moments of technological transformation, I’m reminded of a story from my childhood. It was the 1980s, and my brothers and I were locked in an intense rivalry on Nintendo’s Ice Hockey. Our father, a surgeon, watched us in amazement. “Look at how you keep your eyes on the screen while your hands work the controller,” he said, shaking his head. “This is the future of surgery.” Years later, he would pioneer advancements in laparoscopic techniques, using technology to transform the practice of medicine.

Like my father’s insight during that simple gaming session, we are at a similar crossroads with Generative AI. The tools at our fingertips have the power to revolutionize education, but only if we approach them with intentionality and curiosity. History and fiction — from the advent of the internet to dystopian tales like The Matrix and Ready Player One — show us that technology itself doesn’t determine the future. We do. It’s up to us to define how AI shapes our society and, in turn, how we shape AI to serve humanity’s needs.

This moment calls for educators to engage with AI not from a place of fear but with the playful curiosity of a toddler exploring a new toy. By experimenting, learning, and refining our approaches, we can channel the potential of AI to create more equitable, innovative, and effective learning environments. As we navigate this fertile ground, we must remember that what we invest — our questions, our creativity, and our effort — will determine what grows.

So, let us ask you: Are you keeping your eyes on the game, your hands on the controller, and your imagination open to the possibilities? And most importantly — are you having fun yet?

Note: All original text was written by the authors. ChatGPT 4.0 was used to polish the writing for clarity and readability, as well as generate APA citations and SEO hashtags for increased searchability.