How AI is shaping the future of teaching and learning

By Robert Missonis, Assistant Head of School and Head of Middle School

I began my teaching career the same year Google Search was created. It was a time of tremendous innovation and change in teaching, as search engines had us reflect on how we taught research, intellectual property, and computer safety. Over the years, I have seen other disruptors come along and push education forward, such as student email, 1:1 devices, and collaborative websites. Now, we are in the midst of another technological seismic shift that has us pause and reflect on the impact of generative artificial intelligence (AI) on education and how we prepare our students to lead in a future that will be vastly different from our present.

Within the last year, the United States Department of Education released a comprehensive report on how AI can improve education—from supporting differentiation to creating efficiencies for teachers, allowing them to focus more on students, and improving student engagement. It’s an exciting time to be in education. These tools let students engage with material in new ways, express greater creativity, and enhance critical thinking, while freeing up time for teachers to focus on what matters most—student learning.

Recently, Stuart has dedicated time for faculty to learn about artificial intelligence and try out various tools to explore their potential for students and classrooms. I have observed teachers using AI to have students generate art, create writing prompts, and design chatbots for student interaction.

Anna Kachmarski, STEM Coordinator at Stuart, reflects on how AI has transformed the teaching and learning environment:

“With AI streamlining tasks for educators, the real opportunity lies in how we intentionally use this newfound time to elevate education. At Stuart, we’ve seen firsthand that success hinges on a school’s commitment to fostering strong student-teacher connections and collaborative environments for educators. By mapping relationships and prioritizing teacher collaboration, we are preparing to leverage AI not as a replacement for human interaction, but as a tool that empowers our educators to enhance student outcomes. Technology alone won’t drive change, but thoughtfully adapting our practices will.”

Kachmarski also shared how AI has been integrated into her own lessons:

“In my physics class, we utilize AI as an ‘expert’ in design engineering during our bridge design project. This allows students to ask AI specific questions about bridge design, receiving expert-level insights and guidance in real time, which helps them refine their ideas and make more informed design decisions. Another example is how AI assists students by offering step-by-step guidance for setting up lab reports, writing abstracts, and analyzing data. This approach ensures students follow a clear, structured process, meeting scientific standards while focusing on deeper learning and critical thinking.”

The use of AI in the humanities has been a gradual process but has already enhanced the way students connect with history, as Upper School History Teacher Dr. Brendan Wright explains: 

“I am in the process of intentionally integrating AI to deepen and enliven the way my students engage with the past. For example, they use AI to simulate dialogues with historical figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, gaining insights into their motivations and the key events they shaped. I also use AI as a tool to creatively reflect and represent historical content, such as creating AI-generated parody songs filled with historical facts, making complex topics like the Constitution or the Korean War fun and memorable through humor and music. Additionally, I use AI to help students visualize major historical themes like westward expansion, industrialization, and the civil rights movement, offering dynamic, data-driven representations of how these events unfolded. By selectively integrating AI into the classroom, I am working to make U.S. history more interactive, accessible, and engaging for my students, helping them connect with the material in meaningful and modern ways.”

Whether in STEM or the humanities, AI is reshaping how educators and students interact with content, making learning more dynamic, creative, and engaging. However, as with every technological advancement before it, fearmongering has accompanied AI, with concerns about students no longer writing their own papers or engaging in other forms of academic dishonesty. I don’t see that happening, just as I wasn’t panicked that students wouldn’t be able to research and understand the Dewey Decimal system once Google appeared. It does mean we have to teach, assess, and observe our students differently, but then again, it’s a much different world than it used to be. Anything that forces us to reevaluate how and why we do what we do to best serve our students is a good thing—and time well spent.

In this bi-weekly column, Robert Missonis will highlight the innovative developments within our curriculum and classrooms, demonstrating our commitment to academic excellence through Goal II: 'Schools of the Sacred Heart educate to a deep respect for intellectual values.' Robert Missonis is Head of Middle School and Assistant Head of School for Academic Leadership. These updates will explore how we continuously advance our teaching practices to foster intellectual growth and uphold our Sacred Heart mission.