Lately I have been doing a lot more work around the use of AI in schools, not just from a strategic whole school perspective, but also from a very practical, in the classroom lens. As exciting, and at times overwhelming as it can feel, there is a familiar sense of déjà vu that comes with it.
In many ways, we have seen this before.
When the internet first arrived in classrooms, there was a scramble to understand its potential, its risks, and how it could actually enhance teaching and learning. ‘Students can just go to the Internet and find the answers – right?’. Then came the rise of one to one device programs, and again, schools had to navigate what it meant for pedagogy, policies, and professional learning. By providing students with a device and access to the internet were we giving away aspects of how and why we learn? With each wave of new technology, the schools that navigated it most successfully were the ones that did not just jump straight into tools and apps. They took the time to build a solid understanding of the technology itself, and in many cases it still does.
I don’t currently see AI as different in a process or implementation, but at the same time, it is very different.
First – Understand the Technology
If there is one thing we have learned from past technology shifts, it is that deep understanding comes first. Take the TPACK model for instance, the sweet spot of learning with technology, you must have clear technological knowledge (TK), to couple with your pedagogical and content knowledge. Before teachers feel comfortable using AI in the classroom, they need time to understand what it actually is, how it works, and how it could be used, both positively and negatively.
The key difference with AI is the broader ethical implications that come with it. Schools need to think not just about how to use it well, but also when not to use it, and how to guide students to engage with AI critically and ethically. From academic integrity, to data privacy, to bias in training data, the ethical layer of AI is far more complex than what we have seen with previous technologies.
Processes and Procedures are Surprisingly Familiar
That being said, when you strip it back, the process for introducing AI in schools is not all that different from past technology shifts. Schools already have processes and procedures for:
- Building staff awareness and comfort with new tools
2. Providing ongoing professional learning, from beginner to more advanced
3. Encouraging teachers to experiment in low stakes ways before embedding tools into practice
4. Creating policies and guidelines to ensure safe and responsible use
5. Reviewing and adapting curriculum links as technology evolves
These same steps, which schools refined through internet adoption, BYOD rollouts, and even STEM initiatives, absolutely apply to AI.
Targeted Steps for Schools Introducing AI
If you are looking for a practical guide to begin introducing AI in your school, these steps can help.
Start with Awareness
Help all staff, students and your community, not just tech leaders, understand what AI is and where they are already using it in their daily lives. Build familiarity and understanding before trying to apply it in learning.
Professional Learning that Builds Confidence
Offer bite sized professional learning that focuses on understanding AI, exploring ethical considerations, and then practical ways to try it, from using AI for admin tasks to classroom activities. It also can be framed around the ‘why’. Why am I wanting to use AI for this task? and take a deeper dive into digital integration models such as SAMR, PICRAT etc. to create meaning of ‘why’.
Create Ethical Guidelines Together
Involve staff, students and your community in shaping how AI should, and should not, be used in your school. Co create guiding principles that sit alongside existing policies for technology use, academic integrity, and digital citizenship. These will need to be adapted and modified as the technology evolves.
Support Early Adopters and Showcase Success
Identify a few teachers willing to experiment, share their experiences, and model creative and ethical AI use in teaching and learning. Their confidence will help bring others along. We’ve been doing this in schools for some time now, digital champions or tech coaches, so it comes back again how to be build up these uses of AI and find out ‘how’ and ‘why’ we want to use AI.
Focus on Understanding Before Integration
Encourage teachers to understand the technology first, then find their own creative ways to apply it to their specific subjects and students. This keeps AI pedagogy driven, not tool driven, and leads us back to TPACK.
Acknowledge the Broader Implications
AI is not just another digital tool, it is a cultural shift with ethical, social, and environmental implications. Building student and staff capacity to critically question AI outputs, understand bias, and navigate these ethical issues should be embedded into AI education from the start!
Creativity and Comfort Lead to Meaningful AI Integration
At the end of the day, teachers are creative problem solvers. Once they understand AI, and feel comfortable and supported using it, they will naturally find ways to integrate it meaningfully into their teaching. Whether it is using AI for personalised feedback, exploring natural language processing through writing activities, or teaching students to critically analyse AI generated content, or the emergence of Agentic AI the opportunities are endless.
We have seen this before, and if we apply what we have already learned, schools can move beyond the AI hype and towards AI confidence. If you’d like to chat more, please reach out.
_ Coby
📧 learn@mrcoby.com