How to Use AI to Improve Student Writing | The Teacher's Guide

In this episode, Alex sits down with the international co-authors of "Artificial Intelligence, Real Literacy," Paul Matthews and Jason Gulya, to tackle one of the most pressing topics in education today. From opposite sides of the world—a high school in Australia and a college in New York—they share a unified vision for turning AI from a perceived threat into a powerful classroom partner. They debunk the biggest myths surrounding AI and writing, challenge the fear that holds educators back, and provide a clear, evidence-based roadmap for using AI to enhance, not replace, fundamental literacy skills. Discover how to use AI for powerful differentiation, why the teacher's role as a human connector is more important than ever, and how to foster a classroom culture where students learn to use AI wisely and effectively.

• AI as a Literacy Partner: The most effective approach is to reframe AI not as a threat to writing, but as a tool to enhance foundational skills and make learning more accessible.

• Embrace, Don't Ban: Students have access to AI regardless of school policy. The educator's role is to model and teach wise, effective, and ethical use of these tools.

• Focus on "AI for Better Basics": Instead of chasing complex new applications, use AI to do the basics of education better—like text differentiation, vocabulary building, and providing scalable feedback.

• The Teacher is the Executive: The teacher remains in control, using their knowledge of students, curriculum, and context to guide AI as a tool, not cede control to it as a "co-pilot."

• AI Obliterates the "Average Learner": AI is an unparalleled differentiation tool, allowing educators to finally move past the one-size-fits-all model and cater to the diverse learning needs within a single classroom.

• Process Over Product: AI forces a necessary shift in pedagogy, encouraging educators to focus on teaching the messy, valuable process of writing rather than just grading the final product.

• The Human Connection is Irreplaceable: The pastoral, social, and emotional elements of teaching are crucial for learning. AI can handle administrative loads, freeing up teachers to lean into their uniquely human strengths.

• Model the Learning Journey: Educators have a powerful opportunity to model lifelong learning by showing students how to approach new, complex tools with curiosity and courage.

• "The big myth is that AI automatically kills writing. That is something that is really, really entrenched in a lot of departments."

• "Our vision in the book is for AI, we call it AI for better basics. What does that mean? It just means let's use artificial intelligence to do the basics of education better."

• "The big mistake that a lot of teachers are making when it comes to AI is not using it. They are fearful of it."

• "I don't think our core business is resource creation. I think our core business is student learning."

• "The invisible assumption... is that there is such a thing as an average learner. In reality... there's no such thing."

• "In a perfect world, in the ideal scenario, you will have human and AI really working together and augmenting each other."

• "These questions cut across levels, they cut across countries."

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