Since the introduction of ChatGPT to the public in November 2022, generative AI tools have become widely accessible to educators. As we reflect on over three years of integration, it’s essential to assess how this technology is being embraced in the classroom and identify the barriers preventing its full adoption.
Experts participating in Education Week’s recent A Seat at the Table webinar series highlighted that insufficient professional development and educators’ uncertainties about AI are significant obstacles.
The rise of AI has proven to be a valuable asset for educators, with increasingly advanced applications emerging to support their efforts in the classroom.
Teachers are leveraging AI to streamline labor-intensive tasks, such as quickly generating exams, crafting presentation slides, and developing grading rubrics. Furthermore, AI aids in providing feedback on student assignments, writing individualized education programs for students with special needs, and offering translation services.
Educators are also creating tailored chatbots to assist new teachers and to guide students through job interviews. One district leader even utilized AI to develop a course introducing students to AI.
Moreover, teachers find AI to be an invaluable personal assistant, engaging in ongoing dialogues with chatbots about newsletter content and lesson planning.
Enrique Noguera, an assistant dean and AI strategist at Passaic County Community College in New Jersey, shared his experience of using ChatGPT in unexpected settings, such as while washing dishes. He expressed, “I put my headphone in and I’m talking to ChatGPT, building content and discussing a specific design problem for a lesson. It wasn’t about offloading the task; instead, we were collaborating.”
Despite these positive applications, hesitance regarding AI’s role in education persists among many educators.
According to a survey by the EdWeek Research Center conducted last summer, educators were almost evenly split on AI’s potential impact on teaching and learning over the next five years. Forty-seven percent expressed concerns about a negative influence, while 43% viewed it positively.
Teachers Need More Professional Development to Use AI Effectively
A significant barrier preventing educators from embracing AI is the lack of support, particularly in terms of clear policies that define appropriate AI usage for both staff and students, alongside the necessary professional development to familiarize them with these tools.
Only 13 percent reported that their district had communicated a clear AI policy to students and teachers, as revealed by an EdWeek Research Center survey in October. Moreover, 44 percent of teachers, principals, and district leaders indicated they hadn’t received any training on integrating AI into their work.
While 29 percent received training on a one-time basis, 19 percent had multiple sessions, and only 8 percent reported ongoing training.
Melissa Weatherwax, a learning coach and former K-12 educator, emphasized the inadequacy of professional development, stating, “We’re in this tricky situation, where we’re using AI somewhat, but lack a deeper understanding of its potential to transform teaching and learning.”
Without proper experience and knowledge, educators cannot cultivate the necessary guardrails or teach students about responsible AI use in their classes.
Even teachers who frequently use AI might struggle to impart AI literacy effectively or model its productive application for their students, according to Weatherwax.
Often, teachers rely on AI tools designed solely for K-12 education and may not employ ChatGPT within their classrooms.
“Yet, we assign tasks to students, send them off, and it becomes the ‘Wild West,’” she pointed out. “They are free to explore anything once they leave our classrooms. How can we facilitate discussions and teach students these critical skills when we lack access to OpenAI for them to experience it firsthand?”
This gap often leads teachers to monitor students’ AI usage using detection tools, which limits the opportunity to guide students in responsible interactions with the technology, Weatherwax concluded.
Even Skeptical Educators Must Embrace AI
While skepticism about AI’s benefits in teaching is common, there’s a consensus that this technology will change how educators perform their roles.
A December 2024 survey by the EdWeek Research Center revealed that 90 percent of educators expect AI to influence teaching to some degree, with 42 percent anticipating significant change in the next five years.
AI serves as a double-edged sword; its powerful capabilities can easily lead to overdependence, as noted by the panelists.
Both students and teachers may find it too tempting to delegate challenging cognitive tasks to the technology, a point raised by Noguera.
He noted an example with one of his preferred AI tools, Google’s NotebookLM: “You can input a 1,200-page textbook and request a condensed paragraph. It handles all the heavy lifting, which may hinder your engagement with the material — this is highly problematic.”
Nonetheless, even skeptics must familiarize themselves with these technologies. Navigating AI responsibly requires a fundamental understanding of how to use it properly.
“It’s inherently designed to streamline and manage tasks,” Noguera stated. “You can’t articulate its necessity unless you actively engage with the tools available. That’s simply the reality we face.”
