Navigating AI in Education

As we approach the summer break, faculty will settle into their routine and dig into their summer reading. Head of School Lori Strauss shares how this year’s faculty reading selection, Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI by Ethan Mollick, explores how AI will change the demands on the workforce, institutions, and education. 

I offer conversations with graduating seniors every year and begin by asking them two questions: 

1. When you return to Field in 5 years, what do you hope we are still doing because you value or cherish it so dearly? 
2. When you return to Field in 5 years, what would you wonder, why are they still doing that? 

In a recent chat, one of the seniors mentioned the influence that AI might have on their response to my proposed future timeframe. I reacted with enthusiasm because this discussion mirrored one I have been having with our Academic Leadership Team, and why we have chosen Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI, by Ethan Mollick, as our faculty summer read.  

I am a reluctant adopter of AI. I have had to read many articles and books, and listen to several podcasts, to be convinced to begin experimenting with AI in my personal and professional life. Getting comfortable is taking time. I am not an AI evangelist or detractor. I am curious. It wasn’t until I read Mollick’s book and his section on “Tasks for Me, Tasks for AI” (pg. 130) that I launched into exploration. The idea that I am in control and my choices will reflect my ethics and values is important to me. 

I love to write. It isn’t an easy task for me. In fact, I love it because it is hard. I love it because I have to labor over my writing to produce a draft that I am proud of, that speaks to me and might speak to others. I have a messy writing process, and it is mine.  

Mollick gave me permission to say that this “just me,” task of writing is personal. I don’t have to defend my choice with a grand ethical reason why using Claude to abbreviate my process or edit my work is bad. It is important to me to keep writing personal communications without interference. This feels similar to the difference between asking a colleague to edit my text for grammar and syntax versus voice. I don’t want AI supplanting my voice, even when I recognize that it is getting better and better at mimicking me. For now, I have categorized writing as a task for me. 

Yet, I knew I was missing another part of the equation. I found it in John Warner’s More Than Words: How to Think about Writing in the Age of AI and the companion, The Writer’s Practice, which starts from the premise that writing is a critical way to expand thinking. That we deepen our skills as thinkers through the practice, process, labor, love, and hate of writing. That idea resonated. 

At Field, we value writing as thinking. Our work is to ensure we actively and explicitly teach thinking through writing. We are uniquely poised to meet the moment because “our purpose is to equip students to thrive in whatever future they imagine for themselves and the world. For that reason, we believe that transfer- the application of one skill to a new situation, area of study, or problem–is the most powerful outcome of learning.” This excerpt from the Vision for Teaching and Learning exemplifies our attitude and mindset. 

That doesn’t mean we don’t see the potential benefits of AI in writing tasks. What it does mean is that we are more convinced than ever that we need to evolve and strengthen how we teach writing in an AI world to preserve and deepen thinking.  

Just like our students who will receive their summer reading lists in a few weeks, our faculty will dig into Co-Intelligence in the quieter moments of summer. I’ll keep you updated on our thinking and our progress. Just like the graduating senior thinking about how AI will change the demands on education, we remain committed to balancing the needs of an ever-changing world with the skills necessary for our students to thrive.