Over the past year, advances in artificial intelligence have affected classrooms around the world, raising new questions about student behavior and teaching practices. One of the most prominent questions educators face is what role AI should play in learning.
AI has significantly changed school environments, and education today looks different than it did a year ago. Student use of AI outside the classroom has increased, prompting schools to examine both its benefits and potential drawbacks. While concerns about cheating and reduced critical thinking have grown due to the difficulty of monitoring AI use at home, educators also see opportunities for personalized learning, improved lesson planning and stronger student understanding.
Administrators and educators nationwide have been working to adapt their teaching methods to this new reality. Fremd High School Assistant Principal Scott Newmark said perceptions of AI in education have shifted over time.
“I think we’re starting to understand the benefits more now,” Newmark said. “As AI has evolved, it’s moved away from suspicion and dishonesty. Now we’re learning ourselves what the power of AI is. It can be very helpful and useful, especially knowing that AI will be a big part of our students’ lives moving forward.”
One growing use of AI in schools is adaptive learning platforms, which customize lessons and quizzes based on individual student needs. Platforms such as Knowt create and adjust study guides to help students prepare more effectively. Some teachers have also begun using AI tools to assist with grading and plagiarism detection.
At Fremd, teachers are encouraged to use AI in ways that best support their classrooms. Decisions about incorporating AI into the curriculum are largely left to individual departments.
Rather than banning AI outright, schools have introduced guidelines to ensure academic integrity. Instead of prohibiting AI models such as ChatGPT entirely, educators are allowing limited use under specific conditions designed to support learning.
Fremd teachers have begun incorporating AI moderately to benefit students while also guiding them in using the technology responsibly.
“So teaching and helping and giving advice on how we use this amazing technology that’s at our fingertips is the best way forward,” Newmark said. “I believe we have some bones of the curriculum that will help support the use of AI.”
Schools continue to work toward integrating AI in ways that benefit both students and teachers. Fremd junior Ally Blain shared her perspective on how AI has changed the learning experience.
“Although [AI] acts like a second teacher to me, especially in difficult subjects, I know a ton of people who have become reliant on it,” Blain said. “If they didn’t have access to AI, they would have to adjust. I think they mostly use it in educational ways, but the effects of misuse far outweigh the benefits.”
The use of AI at Fremd is still evolving, and administrators plan to continue refining how the technology is implemented.
“It’s a brand new way of thinking, and we’ll continue learning and professional development as we have over the past year,” Newmark said.
