We Can’t Teach What We Are Not Trained to Use: The Case for Intelligence Professional Development

Unless you’ve been living in the wilderness for the past few years, you know that the new hot word is AI (artificial intelligence). It is not so much a place anymore as it has become commonplace and has entered every aspect of our lives. From work to home, AI has promised to make our lives easier and more efficient. But what does this mean in the world of education?

There are many questions and concerns surrounding the use of AI in education. From the ethical and practical implications to what students need to know about using AI, there is no shortage of uncertainty about what the future holds. However, over the past few years one thing has become clear; AI is here and it’s not going anywhere. If schools don’t adapt quickly, we will fall far behind.

With AI changing at such a rapid pace, it seems an impossible task for schools to keep up. Impossible or not, students need to be taught about this technology in a way that will help them adapt quickly as it changes. To teach students how to use AI, teachers need a solid basic knowledge of the resources. To that end, it is imperative that school districts begin providing teachers with quality professional development around the use of AI in the classroom.

As a K-5 STEM teacher in a suburban school district outside the Twin Cities, most of my colleagues use AI to help them excel in their work writing emails, help with lesson planning, or maybe the occasional grading task. Most are not using AI with their students yet. This may explain the statistics that only 32 percent of students think that their teachers know how to use AI and only 30 percent of students are confident that their teachers can teach them how to use it (Kelley & Holquist, 2025). As a STEM educator, this is an alarming number and points directly to the need for more professional development around teaching students to use and understand AI.

Teachers should not be blamed for their lack of experience in teaching students to use AI. Most have too much on their plates with assessment requirements, parent communication, classroom management, and new curriculum initiatives. It is up to school administrators to find ways to support teachers with AI instruction. The first thing teachers need when trying to use AI in the classroom is familiarity with and understanding of the technology. In a study by Musgrove et al. on teacher TPACK and its role in 1:1 device acquisition, researchers found that the teacher’s ease of use (PEU) and perceived use (PU) of a given technology was a determining factor in whether the program was successful or not (Musgrove et al., 2021). I believe these results can be transferred to use AI with students. Starting with PEU, teachers must first understand how the technology works before successfully teaching it to others. In order to be able to teach it to others, they must also see it as useful to their students. This is where if teachers can increase their TPACK with AI, they will have an easier time using it themselves and seeing how it can be used in their classroom.

The type of PD states that provide AI is also very important. When I spoke to the director of Teaching and Learning in my district about providing PD to teachers, he agreed that teachers need training about AI. The challenge, as he sees it, is to ensure that professional development is focused on other PD and not just training alone. Teachers rarely get much out of a stand-alone PD session. Combining AI training with other rapid on-the-job professional development works very well. Teachers are more likely to use training if they see a quick way in their current teaching and curriculum to do so. Districts may also provide additional support with media and technology integration experts as a more effective way to support teachers in using AI with students. Seeing an expert use a tool like AI first hand is a great way to build confidence in teaching yourself and taking advice from these experts can be very effective.

Districts should also take the time, if they haven’t already, to develop policies regarding the use of AI to provide guidance to teachers, students, and families regarding its use. Having a policy in place regarding AI “gives clarity to students and teachers about when to use AI in school” (Vilcarino, 2026). Common concerns with AI include ethical use, data privacy, and copyright infringement. There has also been a backlash in recent years on the use of technology in schools in general and some would say we shouldn’t be using AI with students at all. Some of this is evidenced by the real concern that technology may have a negative impact on student achievement (Marcinek, 2026). Even in my practice​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ has returned to paper and pencil in many of the activities I used iPads to follow the epidemic when everything is changing to 1:1 devices.

However, as Andrew Marcinek points out, the real problem is providing students with powerful platforms without guidance from their teachers about how to navigate those platforms, not the technology itself. Providing students with critical thinking skills and the tools to use those technologies is paramount. Students need to learn these practical and ethical considerations in AI just as much as teachers do to begin to understand the role AI should play in their education and in the future. To be able to do that, teachers need effective professional development in the use of AI technology, especially with students in mind.

Districts must be involved in ensuring that their teachers are aware of their policies regarding AI. In my experience, I did not know that our district had a web page dedicated to AI policy and recommendations until it was pointed out to me in a conversation with an administrator about this topic. Doing the work of writing this policy is the first step, but promoting it and teaching teachers and staff about it is important. This is something that should be part of a larger PD program about AI in the classroom. It’s important for districts to provide clarity about acceptable uses of AI so that educators can teach their students what’s appropriate as well.

The use of AI in education presents exciting opportunities but also challenges for school districts across the country. It has the potential to help students gain a more personal experience and deepen their understanding of how these technologies will continue to shape the future. To make the most of AI’s potential, teachers need to be trained in its use and application in their classrooms. Understanding the technology, how it works, and what can be done with it will give educators the key to unlocking the door for students to become creative and knowledgeable users of AI in the future.

Works Cited

1. Kelley, C., & Holquist, S. (2025, November 4). Why school districts need AI policies to support STEM education. Trends for Kids.

2. Marcinek, A. (2026, April 14). The viral video that made EdTech wrong — again. Think Ahead.

3. Musgrove, A., Powers, J., Nichols, B., & Lapp, S. (2021). Examining the Role of Preservice Teachers’ TPACK in Adopting 1:1 Computer Use in All Subjects. International Journal of Technology in Teaching and Learning, 17(1).

4. Vilcarino, AP (2026, January 30). How school districts are shaping AI policy over time. Education Week.

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