Generative AI x Instructional Planning

Generative AI tools have developed rapidly in the last year and have become increasingly accessible to the public. Yet the potential benefits and challenges of using these new tools within K-12 education remain largely unexplored. As with all new, potentially disruptive technological tools, it is important to work closely with practitioners to expand our understanding of how these technological tools can best serve students, teachers, and schools. One way to support the development of teachers is through the use of a Community of Practice (CoP). These loosely-configured networks have shown promise for supporting the professional growth of teachers, especially when it comes to incorporating digital tools (Trust et al., 2016). 

In many cases, professional development focused on educational technology involves a single workshop session offered for an entire school faculty. Depending on the focus of the session, teachers’ prior knowledge, learning styles or preferences, and years of teaching experience, the session may or may not be relevant to individual teachers or staff members. This is one reason why many educators tend not to value these kinds of required, “one-size-fits-all” PD experiences (e.g., Darling-Hammond, Meyerson, LaPointe & Orr, 2009; Wei, Darling-Hammond, & Adamson, 2010). Even when these training opportunities are beneficial, they might not occur at the optimal time for a particular educator nor do they allow for the type of ongoing support that may be necessary in order for the learning to be fully adopted into practice. These kinds of generalized PD experiences also limit the choice of the focus and delivery of learning experiences. 

The PLC will be structured with both face-to-face and online learning experiences. Specifically, participants will come together for two full-day professional learning sessions - one in August, 2023 and one in April 2024. In between these face-to-face sessions, participants will meet together online via Zoom to explore ongoing developments with AI, leveraging the expertise of IT professionals, and discuss how they have been using generative AI in their classrooms. 

Research Questions

The research questions that will guide this exploratory inquiry are:

• How do teachers think about and use generative AI in their instructional planning? 

• What features of the professional development sessions support and/or hinder teachers’ learning?