“How do we encourage students to think critically when answers are available in seconds?”
How do we prepare students for a future where AI will likely be a regular part of everyday life? Kyle Youngblood, Social Studies and History Teacher at L’Anse Creuse Middle School South in Michigan, reflects on where AI tools aide his teaching – and where it’s beneficial to create technology free spaces for students altogether.
In just a few short years, artificial intelligence has gone from a curiosity to a classroom reality. From my perspective as an American teacher, navigating this new landscape has often felt like an overwhelming experience. Throughout the school year, new AI tools seemed to appear almost weekly, often outpacing the guidance available for how they should be used in schools. At the same time, I watched students quickly discover that many of these tools could generate answers, write paragraphs, and complete assignments in seconds. It became clear to me that ignoring AI was not an option. Instead, I spent countless hours exploring new tools, experimenting with different approaches, and learning how AI could support learning without becoming a shortcut around it. I am still learning every day, but that journey has helped me develop a set of guiding principles that allow me to embrace the benefits of AI while keeping student thinking and learning at the center of my classroom.
“Students can interact with historical figures, ask questions about life in ancient civilizations, and participate in choose-your-own-adventure style activities that place them in the shoes of people from different time periods.”
Rather than giving students unrestricted access to AI, I have found the most success using a handful of closed, teacher-controlled tools. These platforms allow me to closely monitor student interactions, see how they are thinking through problems, and gain insight into their understanding in real time. They have also allowed me to create learning experiences that would have been difficult to design just a few years ago. Students can interact with historical figures, ask questions about life in ancient civilizations, and participate in choose-your-own-adventure style activities that place them in the shoes of people from different time periods. Rather than simply reading about history, students are able to engage with it directly, making connections to people and experiences they might not otherwise find relatable.
Beyond student activities, AI has also changed many of my day-to-day responsibilities as a teacher. I regularly use ChatGPT to help create classroom posters and other learning materials based on information I upload. NotebookLM has become a valuable tool for turning readings and source materials into audio and video study guides that students can review at their own pace. I also rely heavily on MagicSchool AI, which has become an important tool in my planning process. It helps me create grading rubrics, generate discussion questions, adapt materials for students with different learning needs, and build many of the student-facing activities I described earlier. None of these tools replace my role as a teacher, but they save valuable time and allow me to focus more on supporting students and designing engaging lessons.
“AI has reinforced the importance of creating opportunities for students to unplug from technology altogether.”
Despite developing a strong understanding of how to use AI in my classroom, the technology has not been without its challenges. Like many teachers, I have seen students turn to ChatGPT, Google’s AI tools, and other platforms to quickly generate answers to questions or complete research tasks while working on the computer. This has forced me to rethink some traditional assignments and assessments. If information can be generated in seconds, simply asking students to find facts or summarize information is no longer enough. Instead, I have increasingly focused on activities that require students to analyze information, defend their reasoning, make connections between ideas, and explain their thinking. It has also reinforced the importance of creating opportunities for students to unplug from technology altogether. Discussions, handwritten responses, and in-class activities often provide a clearer picture of what students truly know and understand. Just as importantly, I have found that effective assessment now requires a strong understanding of each student’s abilities, writing style, and academic voice. When teachers know their students well, it becomes much easier to recognize when a piece of work reflects genuine thinking and when a student may be relying too heavily on AI-generated responses. In many ways, the rise of AI has reinforced the importance of critical thinking, strong teacher-student relationships, and authentic learning experiences.
While the United States and Germany may be approaching AI in education at different speeds, I believe educators in both countries are facing many of the same questions. How do we encourage students to think critically when answers are available in seconds? How do we take advantage of new technology without allowing it to replace the learning process? And how do we prepare students for a future where AI will likely be a regular part of everyday life? I certainly do not have all the answers, and I continue to learn alongside my students. What I have learned is that AI works best when it supports learning rather than replaces it. When used thoughtfully, it can create new opportunities for engagement, creativity, and deeper understanding while still keeping students, teachers, and authentic learning at the center of the classroom.
Kyle Youngblood is a Social Studies and History Teacher at L’Anse Creuse Middle School South in Michigan and an alumnus of our 2025 Transatlantic Study Trip for Teachers.