THE PREP PERIOD

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

See 3 Before Me, Reverse UNO Card | This week's tip comes from A Teacher I Met At EdTech Week

I attended EdTech Week in NYC last week and learned A LOT across a variety of AI-related subjects.

However, my favorite little takeaway was actually from a DC-area teacher (also serving as his campus AI leader) who implemented a policy of "See 3 Before Me" for any new edtech tool. I loved this practice as a busy teacher with a VERY full class. Nice little reverse UNO card!

Basically, if a teacher wants to try a new tool (AI or otherwise), before they bring it to campus leadership, they Red Team it with at least 3 other teachers.

The above image is obviously pretty intense and not exactly what his teachers are doing. But the idea is the teachers poke holes in the technology by identifying risks to the students, data, and systems. They note these risks (or just general pushback) and report their findings back to the teacher looking for feedback.

From there, the teachers and administrators can make more clear-eyed decisions in the face of honest feedback gathered by the actual stakeholders.

Some other learnings and takeaways from EdTech Week:

AI and the job market

• Routine work is shrinking while judgment-heavy roles are growing, and 41% of job postings now require decision-making skills.
• Hiring now takes 2 to 3 months and 5 to 6 interview rounds. Employers blame AI-written resumes that all look the same.

Skills that still matter

• Critical thinking, problem framing, curiosity, and adaptability top the list. Context and background knowledge make AI use more effective.
• AI works well for offloading skills you already have, which puts students who haven’t built those skills yet at risk.

Assessment and credentials

• Transcripts are no longer enough. Expect more portfolios, oral communication, verified micro-credentials, and comprehensive learner records.
• Districts want to own their data and validate measures themselves, pairing test scores with student and educator feedback.

SARAH'S PICK

THE Journal

​When Should AI Be Used in the Classroom? Learning Science Offers a Guide​

While reading Nancy Weinstein's article, I thought back to one of the tidbits I took from EdTech Week: AI works well for offloading skills you already have, which puts students who haven’t built those skills yet at risk.

Nancy makes the argument that students have to do early learning themselves (you know, the tedious, hard part) and then, only once they've gained foundational knowledge and skills, can AI help accelerate their learning.

This quote provides a good glimpse into what she means:

While her beef with NYC Public Schools could be a bit personal (her org did not make the NYC AI pilot cut), she cites its ban as a poor example of AI policy, arguing that schools should avoid blanket restrictions and age-based rules and consider context instead. In other words, AI should only be folded into the process once foundational knowledge and skills are developed within that particular subject. While this does make sense to me, I would push back a bit.

I do think there's merit to age-based rules when it comes to young developing minds.

A third grader may have fractions down, but does that mean they have the critical thinking skills to use AI for more complex homework help? (Chatbots can still make confident math errors.)

A second grader may read well above grade level, but does that mean they can judge whether what a chatbot tells them is true? (Chatbots be biased.)

Proficiency in a subject doesn’t account for skills that develop with age, like judgment and critical thinking, and research suggests those take a while. Metacognitive ability improves significantly through adolescence and peaks in late adolescence. In one study, 16-year-olds outperformed 13-year-olds on a critical thinking task, but even the older group didn’t consistently perform at the highest level. A student can be proficient at writing an essay and still be building the judgment necessary to evaluate chatbot output.

Some guiding questions for you to consider after reading this article:

• Do your students have an understanding of AI chatbots as simply pattern matchers that predict text? Or do they think of them as all-knowing oracles? (If you answered yes to the latter, maybe start with some AI knowledge lessons first...)
• In a unit you teach, what foundational vocabulary or skills do students need before AI help would be useful to them, and how do you currently tell when a student has reached that point?
• Where in your classes do students hit the tedious early work the author describes, such as memorizing terms or practicing simple problems, and what, if anything, are they using AI for at that stage right now?
• What does your school's or district's current AI policy say, and does it account for students' age as well as varying levels of subject-matter proficiency?
• How might you address AI use when students in the same classroom are at different levels of proficiency?

LOUNGE READS

The AI headlines that matter for your classroom

A Walton Family Foundation and Gallup survey finds nearly 3 in 5 educators used AI for their work last school year, and nearly two-thirds of those users say it freed up time for parts of the job they value most, like working with students. Meanwhile, nearly 100 students at Manhattan's LaGuardia High School walked out of class to demand a freeze on AI. Evanston Township High School updated its guidelines after a new Illinois policy and now lets students use AI on coursework when the teacher allows it and the student explains how they used it.

K-12 Dive

​Educators who use AI say it frees up time to interact with students​

"A separate survey released in May by Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation found that over 60% of teachers report receiving no guidance on how to apply artificial intelligence to parts of their jobs, such as analyzing patterns in student learning, tutoring, one-on-one instruction."

GovTech

​LaGuardia High Students Stage Walkout in Protest of AI​

"And the adults, the administrators, are the ones who are perpetuating the use of AI in the education system. Because adults don’t understand the effect that AI has on young minds. And the effect that it’s going to have on our future."

The Daily Northwestern

​New ETHS guidelines to allow AI use in class under teachers’ discretion​

"Chan said students in the ETHS community receive academic aid, whether it be from a family member or a paid tutor. AI, he said, offers a free alternative for students who may not have access to the same resources. The discrepancy in resources, he said, poses questions about what types of help should be 'allowed.'"

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.

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