MALDEN, MASS. (WHDH) - Before students take their seats, teachers are busy getting ready for the start of school.
“One of the biggest challenges is lesson planning,” James Gachau said, of Malden Catholic. “Even now, I’m still struggling to get there, at least have two weeks of plans done.”
At Malden Catholic High School, James Gachau is starting the year with some extra help, from artificial intelligence (AI).
“They way I use it, it doesn’t do the teaching,” Gachau said. “It helps me. It’s an assistant, like a digital personal assistant.”
“One of the ways I develop my lesson plans is by using AI,” Gachau continued. “I was introduced to Magic School AI, which is a really good app, a good website. So I use that for lesson planning.”
Magic School’s developer says it’s AI platform can handle the time-consuming tasks that normally pile up for teachers.
“So, take a lesson that they might be teaching and say, you know, I want to make this translated into multiple languages to serve different students in my classroom,” Gachau said. “Or maybe differentiate it for students on different levels. Extension activities based on the lesson for students who might be ahead of the curve, and then maybe leveling the question down for some of the students who might be behind in the class.”
While teachers use AI responsibly, some students aren’t making the grade when they try to pass off computer generated work as their own.
“One of my students gave me work that I could immediately tell was AI,” Gachau said. “It’s very tempting to use, but you always have to say that you used AI, you have to be open about it.”
That’s exactly why Massachusetts released new guidelines, spelling out how AI should and shouldn’t be used in schools.
Students should use AI transparently, with clear educator oversight, and must disclose usage to teachers. Educators must not let AI replicate authentic learning.
“AI is supposed to support, not bypass effort,” Gachau said. “Students still have to read, write, and do the work. AI is only to help with that.”
A reminder that as students head back to class, the real work still happens in the classroom with teachers leading the way.
“Follow your kids’ teachers’ guidelines, they’re the best person to listen to if you have questions about AI,” Gachau said.
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