Less Prep, More Impact: Making AI Work For You And Your Students
- PAST Foundation
- May 21
- 5 min read
By Jeff Schneider, PAST Foundation Teaching & Learning Innovator | a 4-minute read
Future-Ready Classrooms Start with Future-Ready Teachers
AI isn’t the future—it’s already here. In classrooms across the country, educators are waking up to the fact that generative AI isn’t just a trend. It’s a transformative shift that’s challenging how we teach, how students learn, and what it means to be “prepared for the real world.”
And let’s be honest—there’s a lot of noise out there. Some educators are energized. Others are skeptical. Most are overwhelmed. That’s okay. It’s a lot to take in.
But here’s the good news: you don’t need to become a coder or AI expert overnight. You just need to be curious, willing to experiment, and ready to reimagine your role as a learning designer.
From Information Delivery to Inquiry Design
For years, educators have talked about shifting from the “sage on the stage” to the “guide on the side.” AI finally gives us the tools to live that out in real-time. But to make the most of it, we need to rethink more than our tech tools—we need to reimagine the entire learning experience.
Enter Design Thinking. It’s not just for engineers or Silicon Valley startups. It’s a mindset and process that helps students tackle real problems, iterate on solutions, and build empathy along the way. Sound familiar? It’s the heart of what good PBL already does.
Now add AI to the mix, and you’ve got a recipe for deeper learning that’s responsive, personalized, and student-driven.
AI + Design Thinking = A More Agile Approach to PBL
Traditional PBL often starts with front-loaded content. Lots of prep. Heavy lift. Teachers feel like they have to predict everything students might need in advance. It’s exhausting.
But what if we flipped it?
With AI, we can embrace a more agile model—one where we provide micro-content, just-in-time resources, and dynamic support based on what students are asking, building, and wondering in the moment.
It’s not about doing more. It’s about doing things differently.
And the timing couldn’t be better. Today’s students live in a world of real-time feedback and rapid iteration. Our classrooms should reflect that.
At the Spring 2025 NSTA convention in Philadelphia, I had one of those moments that reminds you why this work matters. A teacher approached me, someone who had seen my session; “AI-Enhanced Learning” at the previous NSTA conference. She was beaming with excitement.
“I’ve been using that AI prompting structure you shared,” she told me. “It’s completely changed how my students think. The depth of their responses, the way they engage with content—it’s on a whole new level.”
That one simple framework empowered her and her students to move beyond surface-level answers and into more thoughtful, reflective, and creative territory. For her, AI wasn’t just a new tool—it was a catalyst for deeper learning.
I suggest using the PAST Foundation’s Design Challenge format:
AI Tools to Support Bite-Sized Learning
A foundational shift in PBL is moving from front-loading information to delivering support at the point of need. This “just-in-time” learning keeps curiosity alive and puts the focus where it belongs: on solving problems, not memorizing content.
Luckily, AI tools make this easier than ever. Here are a few platforms leading the way:
MagicSchool.ai – Generates standards-aligned resources like simplified texts, question sets, and writing scaffolds. Teachers can generate just-in-time support in seconds.
Eduaide.ai – Offers over 100 resource types including micro-explanations, rubrics, and graphic organizers. Its conversational AI acts like a co-teacher—perfect for real-time scaffolding.
Diffit.me – Turns any content into leveled reading passages, summaries, and comprehension questions. Ideal for differentiating during inquiry.
Khanmigo – From Khan Academy, this tool functions as a personal AI tutor with step-by-step academic support across subjects.
Curipod – Helps co-create interactive visuals and collaborative presentations—great for team check-ins or showcasing student solutions.
These tools don’t replace great teaching. They amplify it. They give you the power to respond to student needs on the fly—without burning out.
I have been using AI to help me give feedback since the fall of 2023. I can write ANYTHING and AI can soften angry comments, clarify overly long comments, and catch all my typing and grammar errors!
Shifting Teacher Mindsets
Let’s be real: adding “AI integration” to a teacher’s to-do list can feel like just another demand. But this isn’t about piling on. It’s about lifting off.
What we really need is a shift in mindset. Less pressure to “know everything,” more willingness to try something. Less emphasis on covering content, more focus on cultivating curiosity. And that starts with us.
If students are going to become future-ready problem solvers, they need teachers who are willing to model creative risk-taking, iteration, and human-centered thinking.
That’s the magic of Design Thinking. It gives us a roadmap—not for doing more—but for doing things more meaningfully.
I once had a sophomore Biology class confidently tell me they could fit a herd of 30 cows into a biodome the size of the Superdome in New Orleans—and that it would be sustainable for at least 30 years. As they laid out their plan, it became clear they had no real sense of spatial reasoning and how much space it would take to grow feed for these cattle. Most of the class couldn’t visualize what a square meter actually looked like.
So we pivoted. We sent them to the gym with straws and tape and challenged them to construct full-scale cubic meters. What I thought might take 30 minutes turned into two full 110-minute blocks of measuring, cutting, discussing, assembling, modifying, and problem-solving.
When they had completed this task, something clicked. They could finally see the difference between a square foot, a square inch, and a square meter. That abstract concept had become real—and their understanding of scale, space, and sustainability was suddenly on solid ground.
A Word on Ethics and Balance
AI is powerful. But with power comes responsibility. Dr. Monica Burns, a leading voice in educational technology from EdTech Classroom, wisely reminds us:
“AI has the power to make education more personalized and efficient. However, this progress must be guided by a steadfast commitment to student privacy, careful ethical considerations, and the preservation of the essential human connections that lie at the heart of effective teaching.” (EdTech Magazine, January 2023)
We couldn’t agree more. Human relationships matter. Community matters. Trust matters. No tool—no matter how smart—can replace the role of a caring, observant educator.
Looking Ahead: From Potential to Practice
This article draws on insights from leading voices in educational technology and current research on classroom implementation. Influencers like Matt Miller from Ditch That Textbook, AJ Juliani, and Dr. Monica Burns continually push the conversation forward—and we’re better for it.
For deeper dives, we recommend checking out EdTech Magazine, The Journal, and Ditch That Textbook—all of which offer practical strategies for making AI work for teachers and learners, not the other way around.
This blog was crafted with the assistance of several AI platforms including Perplexity.ai, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude, alongside years of firsthand experience working with educators and students to build better learning experiences.
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