As the school year drew to a close in 2022, many schools unrolled bans on artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, fearful of the ways students might use them to produce inauthentic work. But much has rapidly changed since that time, and AI is here to stay. As a result, many districts have repealed their original bans, recognizing that students will need to use AI in work and life contexts beyond school, and that accessing the technology at school might better prepare them and make learning more equitable. And many educators are now expected to explore teaching with AI.
Many teachers are using AI to streamline planning time: reaping the benefits of lesson plan generators, or templates for slides, parent emails, question sets, and more. How can we continue to balance the benefits and potential risks of AI with and for young people? In the context of the writing classroom, where authentic voice, original thinking, and critical analysis reign, what is the role of AI?
There is a lot of thought leadership already engaging these questions. To cut through the noise, here are some short, easy-to-implement ideas for using AI with students intentionally and responsibly, packaged as 90-second pedagogical soundbites below.
Teaching with AI: Pedagogical Soundbites
1. Real-world audiences.
Prompt ChatGPT to respond to student work from the perspective of a real-world audience—for example, a local politician, job interviewer, younger reader or community elder. This interactivity reinforces the idea, critical to all writing, that the audience informs the tone, message, and content of written work.
2. Professional contexts.
Ask the AI to generate a list of professional applications for the type of writing you’re teaching—for example, how informational text might be used in the daily life of a lawyer, plumber, or teacher (tailor according to your students’ aspirations). Pick one scenario, position AI as the real-world recipient tasked with giving feedback, and ask students to dive in.
3. Developmental and copyediting.
Position ChatGPT as a peer reviewer, teaching students the difference between developmental and copyediting; then, ask them to prompt the AI according to the type of feedback they prefer.
4. Supporting English Language Learners.
AI education tools can help to provide text at varying Lexile levels, differentiating instruction for English Language Learners. Students can also use the tools for translation assistance, or to check for grammar and mechanics issues as they write. Prompt the AI to teach the writer why their writing needs revision to align with language standards, so students are internalizing language conventions rather than just receiving the final edited version.
5. Differentiation.
AI tools can provide suggestions for aligning content with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) standards, and can customize content according to information about student demographics, interests, and performance levels. Students might use AI as a tutor, asking the tool to help them understand a passage of Shakespearean text, for example, by drawing parallels to their lives.
6. Busting through writer’s block.
Ask students to position AI as a teacher or friend helping them generate ideas or writing prompts related to a specific assignment. The goal here is not for the AI tool to tell students what to say but to spark their creativity and imagination by disrupting writer's block and providing multiple possible starting points upon which to build.
7. Analyzing prompt efficacy.
As students use AI, invite them to keep a log of their prompts and engage in metacognitive thinking by writing reflections or analyses of how they shifted their prompt-writing over time to achieve their objectives, what they noticed was most effective or ineffective, and why.
8. Comparing and contrasting AI and authentic texts.
Engage students in comparative analysis activities with AI-generated and human-authored texts. Can they discern the difference? Why or why not? How might they fact-check AI text to ensure accuracy? What writing techniques do the human and nonhuman writers employ, and to what effect (and affect)?
9. Facilitating informative and argumentative writing about AI ethics.
What take do students have on the current and prospective landscape of AI? Engage them in our interactive prompt* to gauge their view and ignite classroom conversation.
* Write the World is a free online community where teen writers aged 13-19 can write, share, and review each other’s works. Students can log in or sign up, click Start Writing, and look for the AI-themed prompts. Submissions in these prompts will be considered for publication in the next issue of the Write the World Review.
Do you have additional ideas, or ways you use AI to support students in the classroom? Reach out to hello@writetheworld.org with the subject line “AI Ideas” to add to the conversation. We could feature your idea here or on our social media!
