Artificial intelligence (AI) is proving to be a valuable asset as educators seek innovative ways to engage students and enhance the learning experience. For English Language Arts (ELA) teachers, AI-powered writing tools can help provide instant feedback, guide students through the writing process, and foster a more personalized approach to learning.
Victoria Salas Salcedo, Bay Area middle school teacher, recently achieved National committee certification in Early Adolescent English Language Arts, she has been incorporating artificial intelligence into her classroom for the past three years. With extensive experience in visual arts, English language development, and multicultural studies, she strives to create an environment where all learners feel welcomed, valued, and empowered. EdSurge recently spoke with Salcedo about the lessons she’s learned through using her AI-powered writing tools, including: project topekaa program she piloted last school year.
EdSurge: How did you introduce the topic of AI to your students and how did you address any initial misconceptions they had?
Salas Salcedo: Thankfully, Project Topeka integrated AI into the program so seamlessly that it felt like a natural step in the writing process. Therefore, the introduction of AI was relatively easy as the students were familiar with the writing and revision process. The ability to get instant feedback with this AI-powered tool was very exciting for them. Because he didn’t have to wait more than a week for me to read all the papers critically.
Of course, at first I wondered if this tool would write the paper for me, but unfortunately, the tool only told them to write more. [Laughs.] Some of my high-achieving students were shocked when they received less than a perfect score on their first submission. Many of them were students who finished early. I had to explain that this tool is unbiased and is being used as a resource. I asked them to look at the feedback and look at their work a little more closely to see if they were truly meeting the rubric’s expectations. For the students on the other side, it was encouraging because they got instant, direct feedback showing them the exact spaces in their writing where there was room for improvement. As a teacher, it was amazing to see my students return to the revision process again and again. It was like having an extra teacher in the room guiding you through the writing process.
A concern I did not anticipate was that students were gaming the system. They try to change words or move some words around to get a higher rubric score. Some students resubmitted their work as many as 80 times, which was not the result I was aiming for. It was a shame because they weren’t thoughtful or intentional. But I now know that I need to teach them to be smarter and more purposeful in their resubmissions.
What are the most common concerns or questions you encounter when incorporating AI tools into education? How did you approach them?
Some students did not believe in the idea and thought that AI would do all the work for the teacher and the teacher would no longer be grading. They will think: This is just a machine. It doesn’t matter what I write. It doesn’t really look at me.
So when I worked on Project Topeka in my classroom, I told my students that the AI was just a tool we were using, and that I would be the one doing the grading. No matter what the AI says, I’m going to score it. I am not comfortable with students reviewing their learning based on machine calculations. But when I added this tool to my class, it looked amazing. I experienced more growth than ever during his one year of writing instruction, and I have never been able to replicate that. Because I don’t have an extra “body”. [the AI-powered writing tool] This year in my room.
Teaching students how to use AI in ways that enhance learning will be the next hurdle we overcome. I believe that if we can provide tools that utilize AI in the classroom, we will be able to utilize AI for growth and learning purposes. We don’t just open up the AI wilderness. we don’t need that. You need a tool that is user-friendly and has a specific purpose that educators can safely hand to students without worrying about doing the work for them. My hope is that developers will talk to teachers, see what we need, come into the classroom and streamline what is overwhelming us so we can focus on teaching. We want you to see where you can use AI.
What advice would you give to other educators who are considering implementing AI writing tools into their classrooms and may face concerns from school communities and families?
Before introducing AI to your students, give it a try. Try using this to simplify some of the things you spend a lot of time doing, like writing instructions for assignments. Create slides, modify them to suit your needs, and try out some time-saving tools yourself. You will be able to understand the purpose of AI yourself. Once you understand your purpose, bringing your child along is the next natural step.
Then, with that understanding, introduce the tool to your students as just a tool. Implementing this from an ethical standpoint will make the difference between students using it as a method of cheating and those using it as a tool. Because what we really want is for students to be able to leverage her AI to deepen their learning and expand and double their growth throughout the year. Deploy it in a small application within your class. Use this to allow students to have additional partners present. This should be a tool that frees up time for one-on-one coaching, which we don’t have enough time for because of all the little things we’re working on.
How do you think the role of AI in education will evolve?
I want an AI-powered process that allows me to be in different parts of the room at the same time. I can’t be there for every student while they’re all working on their reading. It would be great if AI could interact with students by answering possible reasons for their misconceptions while they are reading. There is a huge need for AI to help the writing process more than ever before. Students don’t get enough practice because teachers can’t read and respond fast enough.
We need help in our classrooms. There is no better way to use AI than to have it act as an additional assistant in the classroom. can Can we actually work with students everywhere who need more than just AI? This could open up a whole other world of possibilities. I look forward to anything that can foster student growth. Teachers are experiencing burnout, and AI is just one way she can alleviate that stress.
