Webinar | Integrating AI for Deeper Literacy Learning

Speakers

Amanda Bickerstaff
Amanda is the Founder and CEO of AI for Education. A former high school science teacher and EdTech executive with over 20 years of experience in the education sector, she has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities that AI can offer. She is a frequent consultant, speaker, and writer on the topic of AI in education, leading workshops and professional learning across both K12 and Higher Ed. Amanda is committed to helping schools and teachers maximize their potential through the ethical and equitable adoption of AI.

Carey Swanson
Carey is a Director on the literacy team at Student Achievement Partners. Prior to joining SAP she was a school leader and classroom teacher for many years. Carey has also had consulting roles supporting leadership development, instructional coaching, and professional learning. Carey has a BS in film from Northwestern University, an MS in Teaching from Pace University and an MEd in School Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University. Carey is passionate about fulfilling the promise of learning that public education offers, and aware of the ways in which current conditions fall short of this promise for many students. She believes collaborative work, centered on students, focused on reading and research can advance equitable instruction and move us closer to fulfilling this promise.

Jasmine Costello
Jasmine is a Product Manager at Student Achievement Partners. Prior to this role, Jasmine was a project manager, education researcher, and classroom teacher in Philadelphia. She has an MS in Effective Teaching and Learning from the University College of London where she attended as a Fulbright scholar. Jasmine is committed to finding creative solutions that serve students who have been historically and systemically underserved by our country’s education system. She is passionate about working towards greater educational equity and creating tools that support all students to thrive as their authentic selves.

Mandy DePriest
Mandy is a Curriculum & Content Developer at AI for Education. She has over 15 years of experience in public education, having served as a classroom teacher, library media specialist, and instructional coach. She has also taught education technology courses in higher education settings as well as professional development workshops for teachers on the transformative power of technology. She is committed to ensuring that students are prepared for the dynamic demands of the future by leveraging the power of technology-driven instruction.

Discover how to harness the power of AI to enhance, not replace, the cognitive lift and meaningful learning in literacy classrooms. In this session, AI for Education collaborated with Student Achievement Partners to explore practical strategies for using generative AI to support productive struggle while maintaining the essential cognitive work that drives student growth.

Key Topics Included:
• Strategic AI Integration: Learn to differentiate between AI uses that enhance learning versus those that replace critical thinking opportunities, with special focus on elementary and secondary applications.
• Practical Implementation Strategies: Explore concrete for strategies like creating differentiated text resources, supporting multilingual learners, engineering effective scaffolds, and more.
• Student-Centered Planning: Master the framework for evaluating AI tools through the lens of student learning outcomes rather than technology-driven tasks.

The session also included a comprehensive downloadable guide that provides educators with a framework for thoughtfully integrating genAI into literacy planning and instruction.

AI Summary Notes:
High-Quality Literacy Instruction (08:44 - 20:17)
• Defined 5 key areas of high-quality literacy instruction
• Discussed importance of productive vs. counterproductive struggle
• Emphasized using AI to enhance, not replace, student cognitive work
• Mandy demonstrated using ChatGPT to create a text set on energy transfer
• Highlighted importance of teacher expertise in AI-assisted content creation

Guide Structure and Examples (20:17 - 29:35)
• Detailed walkthrough of the guide's structure and content
• Explained the process of creating worked examples using AI
• Emphasized transparency in AI use and citation
• Discussed the importance of educator judgment in AI-generated content
• Highlighted the guide as a starting point for responsible AI adoption

Reflections and Learnings (29:35 - 37:20)
• Carrie: Focus on specific instructional goals when using AI tools
• Jasmine: Importance of educator input in shaping AI products for education
• Mandy: Emphasized direct interaction with AI tools for better results
• Amanda: Highlighted the collaborative effort in creating the guide

Collaboration and Future Plans (37:20 - 47:12)
• Discussed potential for math guide in the spring
• Emphasized centering evidence, expertise, and student experience
• Addressed connection between guide and science of reading
• Discussed using AI as a thought partner in instructional planning

Q&A and Closing Remarks (47:12 - 56:17)
• Addressed questions on high-quality instructional materials and AI
• Discussed pros and cons of paid vs. free AI tools for educators
• Cautioned against over-reliance on AI as content expert
• Emphasized ongoing need for teacher expertise and evaluation of AI outputs
• Encouraged participants to try the guide and provide feedback

Resources Mentioned

• Guide to Integrating GenAI for Deeper Literacy Learning
• An Expanded Set of Pillars for High-Quality Literacy Content blog post
• SAP’s e² Instructional Practice Suite™
• Robert Bjork research: Memory and Metamemory Considerations in the Training of Human Beings (1994).
• Prompt Framework for Educators: The Five "S" Model