Summary of 60+ Educator Interviews

How Educators Are Using AI 

• Special Needs Context

  • Special education teacher using AI to support students with autism.

  • Uses programs like Brian and Fobizz for worksheet creation from YouTube links.

  • AI co-creation with students increases engagement and ownership.

  • AI supports routine, focus, and student choice.

• Primary/Elementary

  • Year 3 open learning with 60 students, 2 teachers, AI used for feedback and summarising.

  • Teachers using Brisk, Claude, and ChatGPT to support writing, programming, and planning.

  • Challenges in teacher buy-in gradually overcome as results show improvement.

• Upper Primary and Middle School

  • 4th grade poetry unit uses ChatGPT for poetry analysis, imagery, Adobe Firefly for visualisation.

  • Gamified learning (Dungeons and Dragons-style) enhances engagement and culture.

  • Multiple intelligences (Gardner's) catered through AI-enabled varied tasks.

• Secondary School (STEM/ICT)

  • Year 11 and 12 students using AI for coding, feedback, and ethics reflection.

  • Students build chatbots (Playlab), debate ethical AI use, and document reflections.

  • AI used in physics class, chatbot "battles" between teachers.

  • AI Literacy curriculum being piloted and shared via PD and Tech Tuesdays.

• Instructional Coaching & PD

  • Instructional coach integrates AI into PD, supports staff with custom GPTs.

  • Book clubs around AI texts like "Co-Intelligence" by Ethan Mollick.

  • 1:1 teacher support and teacher-led exploration models promoted.

• International & Multilingual Contexts

  • French language instruction using AI to assess student-generated work.

  • American International School in China piloting Flint AI tutor, developing custom prompts.

  • Romanian and German contexts using AI to support self-assessment and critical thinking.

• Equity-Focused Practice

  • AI used for trauma-informed practice, anti-racism role-play scenarios.

  • College courses for English language learners using AI for feedback and revision.

  • Students from disadvantaged contexts using AI via mobile apps to overcome tech access limits.

• Higher Education and Research

  • Chatbots used to teach professional writing, biology feedback tools, and scenario-based learning.

  • AI in qualitative research for theme generation, summarisation, and interview prep.

• Creativity and Culture

  • Students creating characters, songs, and art with AI (e.g., Malakai, emotion-based storytelling).

  • VR/AR and 3D avatar projects linked to sustainability and place-based education.

  • AI used for personalised STEM songs, image-to-text reflections.

• Career Education & Life Skills

  • Career navigation chatbots helping students identify passions and goals.

  • Use of storytelling and cultural identity for AI-driven projects in tribal communities.

• Curriculum and Assessment

  • Use of AI to generate mastery rubrics, break tasks into steps, and co-plan assessment criteria.

  • Integration into national curricula (e.g., machine learning for kids with IBM collaboration).

  • Educators in Mauritius and Uganda using AI in coding with limited tech.

• Policy and Implementation

  • Cautious staged rollouts with informed parent engagement (e.g., ChatGPT Teams, Adobe Firefly).

  • AI access moderated depending on student age (e.g., 13+ ChatGPT policy).

  • Teachers piloting tools like Magic School, Brisk, Diffit, Bobby AI.

• Ethics and Data Sovereignty

  • Discussions around bias, data ownership, and Indigenous data sovereignty.

  • Students encouraged to question AI outputs, engage in ethical use, and reflect critically.

• Emerging Use Cases

  • AI used for image generation, feedback, admin automation (e.g., Fireflies, Cogniti).

  • Multi-agent chatbots with personas created for research and storytelling.

  • AI literacy built through low-stakes testing, formative tasks, and ongoing student dialogue.