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Teaching & Learning with
Key Understandings:
Key Understandings:
As AI emerges across all areas of our lives, it is essential to build in authentic instruction around AI Literacy. We envision primarily teaching K-8 students about AI without direct use, which high school students are guided and gradually released into the responsibility of decision-making around healthy and effective AI use.
Human-in-the-loop is non-negotiable: AI should support—not replace—teacher expertise and student agency. Establish classroom norms where humans evaluate, question, and guide AI outputs to ensure accuracy, appropriateness, and meaningful learning.
AI must amplify critical thinking, not shortcut it: Use AI to prompt analysis, comparison, and reflection (e.g., “Is this response reliable? What’s missing?”), ensuring students engage in deeper reasoning rather than passive acceptance.
Balance interdependence and independence: Students should learn when to collaborate with AI tools and when to think and produce independently, preserving original thought, creativity, and problem-solving skills.
Build comprehensive AI literacy: Teach students (and educators) foundational AI concepts, media literacy (evaluating sources and misinformation), ethical understandings (bias, fairness, responsible use), and cybersecurity practices (data privacy, safe tool use).
Redefine the teacher role as designer and facilitator of learning: Educators curate AI-rich experiences ONLY when they significantly increase learning posibilities, model responsible use, and create environments where technology enhances—not diminishes—human relationships, inquiry, and growth.
If using AI, follow a critical thinking routine like this:
The results users get on chat style AI products (LLMs) are directly related to the prompts that are given. Consider each step as you craft powerful prompts that address the task or problem you have in mind.
Consider following outputs with further questioning to enhance or evaluate the initial response.
AI is new and there is a lot of research left to be done in order to determine if the promises outweigh the perils. At this time is is most prudent to build the literacy and skills below rather than rushing into using the tools.
Build clear guidelines about when and how AI could or should be used in academic contexts.
Students need to know that it is important to us and to them to ensure that we are not limiting our own capacity and growth by overreliance on technologies.
As AI evolves it is important for students to evaluate their process in incorporating AI and provide relevant credit for the work and resources provided by these tools; consider what kinds of accountability, disclosures, or reflection tasks should be submitted with AI assisted work.
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