THE PREP PERIOD

Quick tips, tools & tricks you can take to the classroom on Monday

AI-Ready > AI-Proof | This week's tip comes from eSchool News​

There's a lot of energy right now around making classroom work "AI-proof."

Filters, detectors, locked-down browsers. But as educators, we know AI is in our students' pockets (pocket calculator throwback).

Designing around it may be less useful than designing with it in mind. That means shifting the question from "how do I prevent AI use?" to "what does good work look like when AI is available?"

Steven Baule's piece for eSchool News provides some help in answering that question. Here's a quick summary of what you'll find:

1. Grade process over product
2. Add one graded reflection question to the end of an assignment
3. Have students demonstrate understanding by critiquing AI output
4. Conduct quick verbal checks for understanding
5. Codify what "allowed" means

As always, I recommend going back to the students (see Issue #5: AI Detectors, 3rd Grade Policy-Makers, and "Mushy Brains" or Issue #18: AI Policy: Kids Know Best!). They know themselves and as we know metacognition is a superpower! Have them think through what could be added to assignments to at least remove some of the temptation to offload to their favorite pocket intelligence.

SARAH'S PICK

The 74

​​Schools Have a Motivation Problem. AI Is Making It Impossible to Ignore.​​

"If you ask people about the most meaningful experiences of their life, they’re almost always hard."

You may have seen firsthand the motivation-killing double whammy happening in schools. Standardized-test-focused efficiency meets the "brutal efficiency" of AI. The latter removes the steps necessary for active engagement and learning while the former kills joy.

“ "I have no doubt that this kid called the work fun because it was hard rather than in spite of being hard." — Seymour Papert, MIT Media Lab Co-Founder

This article dives into how one teacher, Alex Campbell, is working to overcome the motivation crisis. Y'all, this is WILD. Maybe I've been living under a rock, but I've never heard of the Murder 101 podcast or show until I read this article.

Mr. Campbell's sociology students worked on and ~actually solved~ cold case murders.

What Mr. Campbell found will sound straightforward, but it's worth reminding ourselves that presenting students with difficult, complex tasks also sends them a message about our confidence in their abilities. This can be very motivating in itself. He also found that authenticity, in this case a real-world problem, was key. As Mr. Campbell says, "Kids can spot a fake in about two seconds."

Talk about AI-Ready. Students show up not just ready but JACKED to do the thinking and learning in class and the teacher uses mastery grading to assess their work.

And, side note, if you haven't heard about the reversal of the Flynn effect before now, consider this your sign to read up on it and get motivated yourself.

Maybe we're still a ways away from giving standardized tests the boot. For now, presenting students with a real-world, as-yet-unsolved-by-adults problem that truly matters will light a fire in them. And maybe... we can solve the motivation crisis one murder mystery at a time.

LOUNGE READS

The AI headlines that matter for your classroom

New York City Public Schools and Los Angeles Unified School District both moved to severely restrict AI for most students, a new IBM study finds schools are buying AI tools faster than teachers are being trained to use them. Meanwhile, 83 percent of U.S. teens are already using AI regardless of any policy.

Tech Policy Press

​​America's Two Largest School Districts Impose AI Moratoriums​​

NYC and LA have both significantly restricted student AI access.

"The nation’s two largest public school districts issuing such restrictions — albeit temporary and, in the case of New York, partial — on AI in classrooms is especially notable given that most school districts have previously shied away from forbidding use."

IBM Newsroom

​New IBM Study Finds AI Adoption Is Outpacing K-12 Readiness​

A new IBM study finds teachers are not getting the support they need for AI tool use.

"76% of middle school and 73% of high school classroom educators report AI is used in their classroom at least weekly, compared with 45% of elementary educators. Nearly half of high school educators (45%) report AI is used in the classroom daily or almost daily... Only 20% of K-12 educators say they have received extensive AI training."

EdTech Innovation Hub

​AI Use Reaches 83% of US Teens as School Guidance Struggles to Keep Pace​

83% of teens are using AI while guidance lags behind.

"Some 57% of private school students say most of their teachers encourage AI for schoolwork, compared with 13% of students attending traditional public schools."

A NOTE BEFORE YOU GO...

I'm glad you're here! If something resonated this week, hit reply and tell me. If you know a fellow educator who would find this useful, forward it their way. The village grows when educators share with other educators.

Never hesitate to send me an email if you're looking for some human-forward AI thought partnership!