3 Steps to Get Students—and Teachers

How do we teach students to use artificial intelligence?

It’s a question on everyone’s mind—teachers, school and district administrators, even families. Here’s the thing: starting with teaching students about AI might seem like the clear first step, but it’s actually the last. If educators don’t see the value of AI in their own lives, how can they feel motivated—or equipped—to teach it to students?

That’s why I recommend a three-step process for teaching AI, and it all starts with educators:

Start with how AI can improve your personal life.
Before diving into classroom applications, educators need to experience AI’s practical benefits in their own lives. Whether it’s streamlining tasks like meal planning, managing schedules, or finding resources, seeing AI in action personally builds buy-in and understanding.
Explore how AI can make your professional life better.
The next step is using AI to simplify and enhance daily work as educators. From lesson planning to data analysis, AI can save time and energy, letting teachers focus more on creativity and student engagement.
Think about how to teach AI to students.
Only after educators see AI’s value for themselves does it make sense to bring it into the classroom. At this stage, it’s about equipping students to use AI thoughtfully, creatively, and responsibly—ensuring they understand not just what AI can do, but how to use it in ways that matter.

How AI Can Improve Your Personal Life

In any conversation about implementing AI in schools, we have to start by addressing valid concerns around artificial intelligence. Then, we can reframe the conversation around opportunities and the positive, practical ways AI can be used in everyday life—including our personal, day-to-day routines and activities.

Here’s an example from my own experience: I’m a marathon runner. In the past, I’ve spent hours searching for training plans online, only to hit paywalls or end up with something that didn’t fit my needs. But when I asked ChatGPT to create a custom marathon plan for me, it gave me exactly what I needed in minutes. That’s the kind of practical, real-world value that makes people stop and think, Wow, this could actually make my life easier.

How AI Can Make Your Professional Life Better

Once we see how AI can be useful personally, the next step is to focus on how it can enhance our professional lives. It’s not about replacing the important, thoughtful parts of our work—it’s about offloading the tedious, repetitive tasks that don’t require our creativity.

A big concern I hear a lot: “Is AI going to take away critical thinking? Are we raising a generation of kids who don’t think deeply?” But I see it differently. AI isn’t a replacement for thinking—it’s a tool that lets us focus more on the things that matter, the things that require creativity and thoughtful effort.

Daniel H. Pink talks about intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation in his book “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us,” and I think it applies here. When we lighten the load of monotonous tasks, we free up mental energy for work that’s meaningful and fulfilling.

So before we can create meaningful guidelines for teaching students about artificial intelligence, we need to make AI relevant in our personal and professional lives. Educators have to understand the ins and outs of AI and feel personally invested in its value—or at least develop intrinsic motivation to explore its potential—before guiding students in its use. After all, we can’t expect students to embrace AI in a meaningful way if we’re only presenting it as an extrinsic requirement.

How to Teach AI to Students

A Human-Centric Approach

One of the biggest responsibilities we have as educators is to guide students to use technology in ways that are intentional and meaningful. If we just hand them tools like AI without proper guidance, they may use it in unintended ways. Look at cell phones: they’re incredible devices, but we’ve all seen how they can be misused, even by adults. If we don’t model thoughtful use of technology—whether it’s cell phones or AI—how can we expect students to figure it out for themselves?

We also can’t lose sight of the human-centered approach in this. AI is powerful, but it doesn’t replace what makes us human. For example, if we’re asking students to write essays that ChatGPT could easily generate, maybe the problem isn’t the tool—it’s the assignment. What’s the uniquely human element of the task? How do we focus on what’s more essential because of AI—like critical thinking, creativity, and perspective—while using the technology to support those goals?

Learner-Drive, Evidence-Informed Pathways

Teaching with AI also means rethinking how we assess learning. Are we still relying on traditional tests for skills that could be better demonstrated in other ways?

AI is changing the game, pushing toward an approach to assessment that more strongly centers creativity and originality. But this comes with a challenge: relying solely on traditional ways of measuring learning may not cut it anymore. If we want to embrace what AI can do, we need to rethink how we show meaningful learning—and let students figure out their own paths.

Ultimately, this shift requires a mindset change: assessment should drive teaching, not the other way around. If we want to show meaningful learning, we need to explore new ways to measure it—multi-media projects, portfolios, or other creative formats that align with how students are learning today. The introduction of AI means that learning looks different, but the way we measure it hasn’t caught up. It’s time to rethink how we assess student progress to truly meet this moment.

The Innovator's Mindset: Balancing New Ideas With Practical Implementation

Educators might feel overwhelmed by the rapid changes AI is bringing to teaching and assessment. But by leaning into an innovator’s mindset, we can shift our perspective. True innovation isn’t about rushing to adopt every new tool—it’s about identifying a few key opportunities and mastering them deeply to make a meaningful impact.

And here’s the best news: we don’t need to be AI experts to innovate. We do need to be comfortable learning and adapting as new tools and ideas emerge. That’s the essence of the innovator’s mindset: taking something new, learning its potential, and creating something better through the process.

One way to spark this mindset is to encourage curiosity. Curiosity is a timeless principle, and one we seek to foster in students. But are we fostering that same curiosity in our staff? If not, school becomes a checklist for everyone—this is especially true in the age of artificial intelligence.

Developing curiosity means creating a culture where challenging ideas are welcomed, not feared. It means embracing questions and concerns around AI alongside innovative, new approaches to implementing it. Curiosity takes courage to push back and explore; doing so strengthens understanding and sharpens everyone’s perspective.

Ultimately, the goal of fostering innovation and creativity isn’t about a checklist of next-day solutions—it’s about sharing ideas and then turning the responsibility back to the school community: What will we do with this information? That’s where creativity, wisdom, and the innovator’s mindset come to life: how we adapt AI to fit the unique needs, goals, and vision of each school community.

AI: What's Next for Education?

The truth is, we don’t know exactly what’s coming next—but that’s okay. What will guide us through these changes is the experience, knowledge, and creativity we already have as educators. The key is cultivating curiosity, critical thinking, and the ability to challenge and synthesize ideas—skills that will never go out of style.

Just like a great jazz musician can improvise because their fundamentals are rock solid, educators can navigate the unknown by leaning on their expertise and adapting as they go. The deeper work isn’t just about mastering tools like AI; it’s about applying our knowledge and experience to create something better, ensuring we’re not just teaching students to adapt but to thrive in a constantly evolving world.

George Couros is an Innovative Teaching, Learning, and Leadership Consultant, and author of "The Innovator's Mindset.” You can learn more about George at his website georgecouros.com.