Closing Science Gaps with AI

- Hi, everyone. Welcome.

As you are joining,

please feel free to put in
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We'd love to hear the things
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and we will start in just a minute.

All right.

Well, in honor of
International Day of Women

and Girls in Science,

it is a pleasure to have these experts

and leaders in science education with us.

Special thank you to Donna and Melissa.

You'll get to know them and
their roles in today's session.

I'm Sarah, I'm a proud former
high school science teacher

who's gonna be leading today's discussion.

And at Khan Academy,

we are focused on helping
districts drive student learning

and close skill gaps.

And AI is just one of those
tools in the educators' toolkit

to be able to facilitate this.

So, let's hear what Donna
and Melissa have to say.

Melissa, you are a
little bit of a celebrity

in your own right.

You've been featured on "60 Minutes"

and "CBS News" for your work
in AI and science education.

Can you share a little bit

about what that's been like for you

and what it means to science education?

- It was a really exciting
opportunity for me

to actually be able to showcase the work

that we're doing here at Hobart
High School with Khanmigo,

especially in the science classroom,

I feel like sometimes
science takes a backseat

to some of the other
subject areas like math

and language arts,

because math and language arts are tested

a lot more than sciences,
especially on a national level.

And it was really cool to
be able to get out there

and show science

and also show how we're
integrating Khanmigo

into the science classroom.

And I also feel like it's an opportunity

to show that science is a place

where all other disciplines
can come together

to solve problems.

And so, that's really
what we wanna teach kids,

is to be really good problem solvers.

We wanna teach them
critical thinking skills

and the things that they're going to need

to be able to solve the future issues

that we might be facing.

We know that science careers are growing

and we need kids to be able

to not just feed back information to us

that we've told them,

but we need them to be
able to build on that

and deepen their understanding
of scientific principles

and apply those to solve
real world problems.

So, it was really exciting to
be able to be on "60 Minutes"

and kind of show my science
classroom a little bit.

- Yeah, that's great.

I love the whole problem
solving piece of it.

I think that's what kind
of drives us all to science

and being a science teacher.
- Yeah.

But Donna, let's go to you.

What specific science skill
gaps have you seen in students?

How have you aimed to
tackle these in the past?

And then how do you think
AI helps kind of with some

of those skill gap challenges?

- Yeah, absolutely.

So, one thing that I noticed with my ninth

and 10th graders is that they
were coming from middle school

and they were coming with huge variations

in what they were able
to do and what they knew.

And so, it was really
critical to make sure

that I got 'em all on the same page

right before we started a lesson.

And this also applies to students

when they're absent a lot too.

So, this usually helped with that.

And so, one thing that I would
do is start off my lessons

with some sort of hook or an opener,

something that was relatable
to all of my students

and something that we can
consistently come back to,

to build on our knowledge.

So, that was one big gap

and one big struggle for me as a teacher,

is to try and make sure
I'm hitting my students

and meeting them where they're at,

hitting my context properly,

and trying to blend what they knew

and what they were able to do

with where I wanted to get them to.

So, that was one.

And then one other I'll talk about,

and I know Melissa can talk to this one

a little bit as well,

is a skill gap that I think
we see in not just science,

it's also in other domains,

is students being able
to explain their thinking

and being able to explain how
they got to the conclusions

that they got to, explain the reasoning,

apply the knowledge
that they just learned.

'Cause it's not just
about the definitions,

it's also about how did you get there?

What was your thought
process to get you there?

And some of the ways that I resolved that

when I was back in the
classroom, just paper and pencil,

just have the kids writing it out.

Because often, you think
of your shy students

and for them to be able
to raise their hand

in front of all their peers

and practice explaining
their thinking, right,

that's not gonna happen.

So, just paper and pencil, usually.

As technology advanced,

we started using our Google forms

and having 'em type them out.

But ultimately, that all comes
back to the teacher, right?

All of those 30 kids, five classes,

that's all coming back to you

and you need to give them each feedback,

and that happens often in science class

where they're explaining their thinking.

So, while the human in the
loop is super important there,

it's also very, very time-consuming

to be able to do that every time.

So, I'm gonna kick it over to Melissa,

who's actually come up

with some really awesome
ideas utilizing AI

and Khanmigo to help
with some of these issues

that we run into.

- Yeah, absolutely.

Khan is just a buffet of opportunities,

Khan and Khanmigo to help
bridge those skill gaps.

I, too, notice a lot of skill gaps.

Some of them are as they're
moving up from middle school,

some of them are still existing
because of the pandemic.

So, in chemistry, I see some
math skill gaps that are there.

And sometimes I'll just
use Khan Academy content.

So, if we're having an issue
with something like rounding

when we're doing significant figures,

I'll identify something in Khan Academy

in the content that is there

to help students maybe
remediate that skill gap just

a little bit, especially if
I notice it across the board.

I can also individualize that to students.

And the really nice thing
about the AI component

is that they have a
companion in the corner,

Khanmigo is in the corner for them.

So, as they're working
through some of the activities

and problems that are in Khan course,

they can get real-time tutoring

and that can kind of
help them step-by-step

and they can explain their reasoning

and the way that they're
thinking about it.

And I think it makes it
overall okay to be wrong

and okay to maybe not
understand something.

And so, it's less intimidating
when you're with Khanmigo,

or you're with AI to
make a mistake than it is

to make a mistake in the
front of the classroom.

And so, in my classroom,

we also use TutorMe Math and Science,

that's the learning
activities for students.

And so, I will allow students

to have that open during bell work,

or during an exit ticket,

because sometimes the most
intimidating thing is to have,

we all went to school when
you popcorn around the room

and you start calling on
students and you're terrified,

you're absolutely terrified

that you're not gonna be
able to answer the question.

And so, if you have that
there and you can maybe, woo,

really, I thought I got it yesterday,

or I thought I got it during class,

but I really don't get it.

They can type in a few sentences

and that exchange maybe
deepens their knowledge

if they already understood, or
maybe it helps scaffold them.

So, it is like a live scaffold.

I can't be in all places at all times,

and so it does help kind
of plug in those gaps.

And I love that it adapts
to the level of my learner.

And one of the things that
I've been trying to do,

and I've been playing
with quite a bit more,

is we're able to assign those activities,

like TutorMe Math and Science in Khanmigo,

and I can customize the
discourse with a prompt.

And so, I know that students
are gonna be guided down

a path towards where I need them to go,

but at the same time,

the AI is going to adjust
the level of communication

with where that student is at.

So, when we talk about
adaptive assessment,

when we talk about scattered skills,

when we talk about leveled learning,

this is exactly what AI offers

that I've been trying to do, right?

I mean, absolutely every
single teacher out there

is trying to level learning,

but sometimes you're
trying to level learning

to 32 different kids

and you sometimes end up with the kids

that you know are super struggling.

But what happens to the
kids that are in the middle,

and what happens to the
kids that need enrichment

when you're doing that?

And so, it is able to customize
the learning experience

for the student based around
what I want the discussion

to be about in my science classroom,

which to me is how you really address gaps

as you meet the learner
right where they are.

And you scaffold, and that's
what we do as teachers,

but you can also scaffold with the AI.

- Yeah, so, Melissa, let's
stay on that path a little bit.

You're talking about differentiation

and how you can really meet
the students where they are

to identify their skill gaps.

Can you go a little bit further then

and talk about how you use Khanmigo

and student engagement?

What are you seeing of
students being engaged more

in your classroom by using Khanmigo?

- I have great examples of engagement.

I wanna just start with one

that happened around final exam time.

And this came from one of my colleagues.

So, we teach the same course,

and in another course,

one of the students absolutely
aced the final exam.

And this was in a higher level,

dual credit, AP level course.

They absolutely aced it
and the teacher said,

"Well, what was your strategy?"

And she said, "Well, I took
your review for the final

and I put it into Khanmigo.

And I asked Khanmigo to make
similar questions for me,

especially with the questions
that I was struggling with."

And so, it empowers students,

it helps them build confidence.

I mean, I think our whole job as teachers

is we have to get away from IDK,

which is "I don't know," right?

So, instead of just
saying, "I don't know,"

we're teaching students how to
behave when they don't know.

And so, when you don't know the answer,

and that's really what it about,

if you're gonna enter the workplace,

you're gonna go to college,

how are you going to
behave when you don't know?

And AI is one of the tools

that our students are gonna
have in their tool belt,

regardless of where they go next in life.

And so, when we start to
reinforce those behaviors,

we start to see students as
they learn to communicate

and they learn to interact with Khanmigo,

or any other AI,

is that they are learning
that they can expand

on their own thinking

and they're learning that they can do that

through dialogue and discourse.

And I think those are
really important things

for students to learn in terms of skills

for later on in life and skills today.

What else do I have students do?

I guess, just again,

going back to bell
ringers or exit tickets,

I don't have a place to start.

Okay, you don't have a place to start.

So, let's think about
where might we start?

And like you said, I said
earlier, and Donna said,

you can't be in all places at once,

but students are building
the competence to go ahead

and open that up and say,

"Okay, I'm just gonna
ask a quick question.

I really don't know."

And I don't know how many of you grew up

with back of the book answers.

I lived for those, I hated that
they were only on the odds,

but it's also a place where my students go

to just make sure they're
on the right track, right?

So, you've got this back of the book

that you're flipping to,

and sometimes those back of the books

is just this isolated
answer that's sitting there

and you're like, "I
didn't get that answer,

and so now I'm off the rails,"

and you don't have to be
off the rails anymore.

And so, when they get away from me

and they're at home at night,

and I can't tell you through
the years how many videos

that I made and sent to
kids answering questions

because they knew they
got the wrong answer,

but they didn't know
how to work the problem.

And I'm not getting that as much anymore

because they have a personalized
tutor that they can go to

and ask those questions
and get that resolved

before they come in the next day.

I'm also having less examples
of incompleted homework.

So, I used to walk into
the classroom and be like,

"Okay, were there questions?

Yeah, I didn't get the whole assignment,

I just didn't get it.

Okay, what didn't you get?

Let's start here."

A lot less of that.

So, I'm getting a lot more of,

"I really struggled with this one,

and I did ask Khanmigo,

but I'm still kind of,

I need more practice or I'm
needing more explanation."

And so, we're really getting into a level

where we're able to move
the learning forward.

I don't know if I answered the question.

- You did. You did a great job.

- Okay.
- Yeah, absolutely.

- And then, even to add to
that student engagement piece,

in the districts that I work with,

one of the Khanmigo teacher tools

that I really like to
put onto teachers' radar

is the Real World Context Generator,

because we've all had students

who don't wanna go into science,

who aren't gonna go down
that scientific path,

maybe they wanted to go into the trades.

So, you can take the concepts
that you're teaching,

like mitosis, and have Khanmigo
relate that to plumbing,

or carpentry, or whatever
that student wants to do.

And Khanmigo can do

some really great connections
between those things.

So, if you wanna engage students about,

"Why do I have to learn this, right?"

The age old question that we always get,

that Khanmigo teacher
tool's a really powerful one

to help make those connections

of why those things are important,

no matter what route you
wanna go to in your career.

So, yeah, student engagement
is definitely a key piece

of AI in education.

Donna, I'm gonna move over to you.

How do you see AI
transforming science education

beyond just saving teachers' time?

- Yeah, absolutely.

And transforming science
education is a big ask,

but it's incremental,

and so what I think of first
is that teachers are wearing

a ton of hats today.

They're doing more than just developing

and delivering their
curriculum for their students.

There's a lot going on.

And the hope is that
technology, as it's done,

and AI will help teachers save time

and help them actually be
able to focus on the parts

of teaching that they're
most passionate about, right?

And be able to release their grasp

on some of the tedious tasks

that maybe they're not
as passionate about.

And that's gonna allow our
teachers, our science teachers,

to be able to focus on whatever
it is that they're into.

So, maybe it's differentiating

for their struggling students

and they can make really,

really cool new ways

that they can actually
reach all of those kids

because they have a little
more time on their hands.

Or maybe another teacher,

their jam is creating
activities that integrate

and align with what's
going on in science today.

And that could be something
that they have more time for.

One that I was really passionate about,

and that was always a
little bit of a struggle,

was allowing teachers to be
that mentor or that coach,

that guide on the side
who's actually helping them

to develop those soft
skills that they need

to become independent learners

and to become functioning
members of society.

I feel like if there's less time spent

on grading little tedious things

and giving them feedback
on every single thing

that they hand you,

there's more time to have a conversation

with the kid afterwards and talk about,

"Well, what does this
feedback mean to you?

What are we gonna do
differently next time?"

And develop those skills,

which are just important as the chemistry

and the science skills, in my opinion.

And so, I think that this technology

is ultimately going to support us

in doing some of the things
that we're already doing,

but allow us to do them
at a higher fidelity

and in a more sustainable way.

I think that is critical
for us as teachers.

- [Sarah] Melissa,
anything to add to that?

- I would just say,

in terms of transforming
science education,

I'm doing a lot more experimental design

because students do
have access to Khanmigo

to kind of fill in those gaps.

But instead of maybe
doing a prescribed lab,

like last year with gas laws,

I gave students a list of materials

and I had them create a problem statement

and figure out what they
wanted to investigate

and then design an experiment.

So, if it was a
pressure-volume relationship,

or a pressure-temperature relationship,

the students were guiding that inquiry.

So, I think it changes the scope

of what we're able to do when
they can step out of the box

and they're using AI to help them,

and their knowledge, obviously,

to help them investigate problems

and then connect back to
how is that like something

that happens in the real world,

like maybe a bicycle tire going
flat or something like that?

So, again, just stepping
outta my comfort zone

and stepping out of prescribed labs,

of course, within standards,

within the bounds of standards

and within the bounds of safety,

and you have to get
your experiment approved

by your teacher and those types of things.

But I think it's allowing my students

to think more out of the
box and be more creative

and be more in the application phase

of scientific knowledge,
and some discovery,

because for some students,
it's their first go at it.

I was talking with another teacher,

who teaches physical
science, and she's like,

"Do you have anything
on building catapults?"

And I was like, "You know,
you could give the kids

a list of materials and
you could have them go out

to Khanmigo and see what
they could come up with

in terms of a design

so that they're unique
instead of prescribed."

And so, I think it just
puts a different dynamic

in the science classroom.

And again, that's where I

would use TutorMe Math and Science.

I might even do that
as an assignable task.

So, now we're able to
assign in TutorMe Math

and Science so that I am
having a bit more control over

the initial statement

and what they have available
and things like that.

So, I see that as being
a way to transform.

Another thing that I've done
is I've used teacher tools,

I've used lesson planning,

I've also used just the open chat

to plan problem-based units.

So, I planned, part of what
you saw in "60 Minutes"

was a problem-based unit

where a local water
supply was contaminated.

And so, I used Khanmigo to
help me build several weeks

of lessons that went along with that,

that had inquiry labs
that went along with it,

and it was our own,
like, we made it our own.

I adapted lessons based
on where the kids were.

So I was able to go into Khanmigo,

adjust my lesson plans based
on where my students were.

If I noticed a huge skill gap somewhere,

we were able to go in and plug into that.

If we needed to do a little
bit of background research

on something that we hadn't gotten to yet,

I was able to use Khanmigo to do that.

So, again, I just feel like it
gives me limitless potential

as a teacher in terms of
what I can do for my students

to really deepen their learning
and really get them acting

and behaving like problem
solvers and scientists.

- And I'm seeing that theme
of student engagement, right?

It seems like those types of activities

where you're letting them
create their own problems,

that's engaging, right?

Instead of just, "Hey, here's
a lab, follow these steps,"

and write your lab report.
- Yeah, and that's life.

I mean, it really is life, though.

I mean, no one is
standing there with a lab

when you get to your first job saying,

"Okay, here, you're gonna
follow this exactly,

and don't make any deviations.

And we know exactly what we
want you to know at the end."

Nobody's doing that.

That's not even the real world,

and that's not how things work.

And so, really, it's those
skills, the in-between skills,

the conversations, the
talking with your group.

I don't wanna call them arguments,

because there's certainly
friendly discourse

that occurs in my room.

But I mean, there's some
passion that comes out in kids

when they have ownership
of what they've designed

and what they're doing.

They become very passionate.

They become able to defend
it, which, honestly,

don't we want that?

Don't we wanna know something
so well that we can defend it?

So.
- And Melissa,

I wanna ask you a question
before we jump to our next one,

because you've been talking a lot

about your students working with it.

Did that take some time
to teach them how to talk

with AI and Khanmigo?

- 100%. Yeah, absolutely.

So, you need to encourage, like,
you have to kind of prompt.

Well, they'll put it in,

they want the immediate answer, okay?

So do I.

I mean, really,

don't we all just want
the immediate answer?

But I think what students are starting

to see through dialogue,

and I think this was even spoken

in the "60 Minutes" piece, is that really,

when you are having this dialogue

and you are integrating
your own ideas with AI

and then expanding on them,

that's really where your deeper,

better answer is going to be.

And so, yeah, there was
a lot in the beginning

where they would say, "Help me.

Like, here's the problem.
Solve this for me."

And they're like, "It's
asking me another question."

That question is why I
was okay with allowing AI

in my classroom,
specifically Khanmigo, okay?

If you're not asking my
kid another question,

I'm sorry, they're not my kids,

my student another question,

but they feel like my kids sometimes,

then I don't want them
to just get the answer.

I want them to have the dialogue.

And I'm like, "Well, let's answer back."

So, a lot of them were wanting
the immediate response,

but I think they're figuring
out that it's really

where the learning is taking place

and then they understand quick answers

can come from anywhere.

So, if you're after the quick answer,

we always have this discussion,

if you're after the quick answer,

you can get it a lot of different places.

That's always been around.

But if you're after the understanding,

this is how the understanding takes place.

When you ask me a question
and I ask you a question back

as your teacher,

it's not because I don't know the answer.

It's because I want you to think about it.

And so, that's what makes me comfortable

in my classroom using Khanmigo

when I know a lot of
teachers are afraid to use it

because they don't want them
cheating and they don't want,

I get all of that.

It made me very comfortable
seeing it firsthand

that it's not just giving them the answer,

that we're deepening the
level of understanding.

- So, Melissa, you've kind of just touched

on other teachers, maybe in your building

or even in your department,

who are a little more
apprehensive about using Khanmigo.

Can you speak to a little
bit about how your district

has helped kind of support this

and support those teachers
who may be apprehensive?

And are they coming around a little bit,

or what's that culture like
from the teacher perspective?

- Oh, I mean, absolutely.

I think, as a teacher,

and I think this is all our
initial response is, I mean,

AI, it's a big word, and it's a big idea,

and it has unlimited
scary potential, right?

And so, I think everyone's
looking at it and saying,

"But I am the best with my students."

I still feel like I'm the
best with my students,

but I also realize that I'm limited just

in terms of being one individual

in a classroom of 32 individuals,

or however many students
you have in your classroom.

I'm missing a lot.

There's a lot that I miss
that I'm not able to get to.

And so, I think one of the
things for our district is,

I mean, obviously, we've done
extensive amounts of training.

There was a pilot group that went through.

That builds a level of comfort

when you see the way that
the AI actually responds.

You have to allow teachers
the opportunity to engage

as a teacher with, say, Khanmigo,
TutorMe Math and Science.

And there is a toggle switch,
you can switch it over,

you can be a student.

So, you can see how it's going to interact

and it kind of builds
that confidence that yes,

this is gonna interact with the student

in the same way that I would,

that it's not just going
to allow them to cheat,

give them the answers.

Because I think the
cheating is the big thing.

For a lot of teachers, the big issue,

"I don't want them cheating."

And then also just that
fear of, oh, well then,

and people say it, "Oh, then
AI can just teach the class."

I would argue that my classroom

has become more human since
I've started using AI.

And what I mean is the
level of connectedness

in my classroom between
myself and my students,

based on things like, say,

lesson hook, teacher tool,
lesson hook, that I'll create.

Whereas I might have just
started maybe with a bell ringer,

reviewing old knowledge,

I might start with a bell
ringer or with a lesson hook

that engages the students,

gets them having conversations
with one another.

That's a way that I've used AI

to create more human
connection in my classroom.

So, I think just having
those solid examples

of the ways that teachers have used AI

to increase student
communication with one another

and the teacher, and student
engagement with one another,

the course material, and the teacher,

so I think those things help
when you see it in action,

help allay fears that
this is gonna take over

or that we don't need teachers anymore.

I think quite the opposite.

I'm more connected to my
students than I've ever been

now that AI has pieced the
puzzle, because quite honestly,

I just think it makes
me think out of the box.

It makes me try new things.

Because I thought I was
really good at what I did

and my lectures are pretty awesome,

and I don't know why you
wouldn't love my lecture

as much as I do.

And so, I also know that
that maybe isn't the way

that all students learn.

And so, I've gotten out
of my box quite a bit,

and it's been through using, like,

I am not an idea-generating person.

But if I go to lesson hook,

I'm gonna get three ideas right away,

and I'm not stopping there,

because then you can use
the AI to help you make,

if you need to make a
student lab document,

or you need to make an
introductory activity

that you put in Canvas.

I don't stop there.

I make it do it all for me, of course,

with my feedback and my input,

but it also changes the
vibe in my classroom,

which is just really cool to see.

So, it's a place where
it looks collaborative.

I had a teacher walk in,

one of our MTSS teachers
came in the other day

to bring me something and she's like,

"Oh my gosh, your classroom
management's awesome."

I'm like, "It's not really
my classroom management.

These kids are just way into
what they're doing right now."

And so, it's really cool.

- And that kind of brings back
to what Donna had mentioned

about having time to
work on these soft skills

and to make connections with your students

that we all want to do as teachers,

but sometimes we're just so
bogged down in the details

that that kind of gets
swept under the rug,

unfortunately, too much.

So, Donna, what advice would you give

to district leaders who
want to start integrating AI

into their science
instruction effectively?

- Yeah, our content team
actually visited several schools

in Texas two weeks ago,

and we saw a lot of teachers
who are quickly adopting this,

and then we also saw a lot of teachers

who are a bit more hesitant.

And so, some of the
things that I would say

to help with those conversations
with the latter group

would be to first try
and pinpoint what it is

that they're struggling
with, your teachers, that is.

What are their needs?

Because I think it varies,

it varies a lot based on

how many years they've been teaching,

what age group they're
teaching, the domain.

So, you wanna try and figure out,

what are you struggling with right now?

How are you resolving
those issues, if at all?

And likely, you'll see that
it's probably some form

of an unsustainable system,
or there's nothing there.

It's just kind of like, "Oh,
I'm just kind of winging it."

Because again, there's so much going on.

And I think that is where
the conversation can begin

and you can step in and
start talking about some

of the ideas that Melissa shared.

She shared a ton of ideas,

and that both of us have
shared throughout this webinar.

And they can start to step
in and make those a reality.

Because I think that ultimately,

the conversation does need
to make sure it spins toward

this idea that AI, technology,

they're not the final solution,

they're not the answer, they're
not going to be everything.

They're not going to replace
teachers, as Melissa says,

they're going to offer some relief, right?

They're gonna give back some of that time.

They're gonna provide you some support

and it's going to make
it so that you can focus

on the parts of your teaching
that you love the most.

And it does take some finessing.

I think Melissa was touching on this,

where you can get Khanmigo
to create you something,

but you do need to do
a little work with it.

So, that needs to be part
of the conversation as well.

You do know your kids best and you do,

(bell ringing)
there's that bell, Melissa,

you do know your kids best.

- It's real.
- I know.

She's in the real classroom right now.

But yeah, just kind of
linking it back to the context

that they're in at the moment,

the problems that they're
trying to resolve at the moment,

because the list is endless.

We know every day you get home

and there's still a million things to do

that you're not gonna be able to get to.

So, utilizing this technology
and controlling it too,

and saying, "I'm not
gonna give away that part

of what I love about teaching."

I love making creative,

differentiated parts of my
assignments and my assessments,

so I'm not gonna give that to Khanmigo,

I'm gonna give something different to it

that's going to make me better

at the things that I love doing

and the things that I'm good at doing.

So, that's how I would probably
start that conversation.

But also curious, Melissa,

what you might say to give
district admin some tips on this.

- Just in terms of I would start small

in terms of integration

and just know that there's
gonna be a learning curve.

And again, I'm modeling
this off of my experience,

and I think my experience here

in School City of Hobart,

it's always unique and
it's always powerful

because School City of
Hobart does provide us

with so many resources.

And so, I think just starting small

in terms of integration,

but also just really
setting some benchmarks

and some guidelines

in terms of how you want
your students utilizing AI.

And one of the things that we did here

in School City of Hobart

is talk about a continuum of AI

and how much you wanted it to
be a part of your classroom

and your assignments.

And that was more of a consensus activity

where teachers came together

and we really talked about

what that continuum would look like

and where you were on
that comfort continuum.

So, if you're comfortable
with using it as as a tutor,

but you're not comfortable

with letting students use it for writing,

which at that time there
wasn't writing coach.

So, now, I mean, honestly
limitless, right?

With writing coach, but again,
setting realistic benchmarks.

Even last week we had one
of our math teachers do

a training on Bookit.

So, just those small piecemeal
integration training,

so you're not overwhelming everyone,

but hey, go back and try this.

I don't think there's a single teacher

that I know that didn't try it,

because how can you not try it?

Because it integrates directly into Bookit

and then you can play

and you've got this engagement
strategy for your students.

So, I think just the
little, starting small,

like, I always start when
someone asks me like,

"Where did you start?"

Start with lesson hook
in terms of my teaching,

five minutes, right?

So, it took me,

usually I can spend
between five and 10 minutes

and just change the
trajectory of my whole day.

So, I would share that
with other teachers.

So, definitely, and draw on the
experience of other teachers

and draw on the experience
of other districts

and what other teachers have to say

in terms of the benefits

that it's shown in their classroom,

not only for themselves,
but for their students.

And I think it really sells you

when you see your students
building confidence,

when you know that your students go home

and that they have access

to a one-on-one tutor

that's going to talk with
them in a Socratic way,

asking them questions

the way that you would ask them questions

instead of just giving them the answers.

So, I think just my advice is to really,

you have to try it,

but you have to start small

and you have to let teachers
really see the benefit.

And I don't know any teachers,

no, I don't know any teachers

that have seen the direct benefit

that do not use it
willingly as an extension

of what they're able to
do for their students

in the classroom,

because why wouldn't
you want your students

to have one more tool in their toolbox

and be able to empower themselves

and be able to build confidence,

and be able to learn how
to ask those questions

when they don't know what to do?

And that's the thing,

we want students to know how to behave

when they don't know what to do.

In science, it's a lot
about finding answers,

but it's also a lot about
asking really great questions.

And so, the more we can
get students engaged

with asking their own
questions in any subject area

and gaining a deeper understanding

of those through the incorporation of AI,

I think is a win-win for everyone.

- All right, Donna,

any final closing thoughts from you today

and things that you want
our fellow science educators

to walk away from?

- Yeah, I think, Melissa,

you hit it really well on that last one.

Going incremental with
taking on these new ideas.

There's so many tools out there, right?

And there's so many things
that we're asked to try out.

So, trying it incrementally and seeing,

how does this work for me?

I would say, teachers,

try it yourself before you
hand it off to your students.

We would never give our students a lab

before we've tried it, unless
you're in your first year,

then you make that mistake, right?

Then you're like, "Whoops, never again."

So, trying it yourself, seeing,
how does this thing work?

What are its limitations?

What are some of the things
we can laugh at about it

'cause it's not doing it well?

That's how technology is,

and what can it actually do
to help with all the tasks

that are on my plate?

And how can it, I love, Melissa,

your spin on it is very,

it's close to my heart
in getting these students

to have those independent skills

and to be able to
function independently out

in the real world world
when they get out there.

We're both high school teachers,

so we're seeing these kids
at their sophomore year

when they're really starting
to integrate into society

and with their friends and everything.

So, it's cool to be able to have something

that's supporting us
in all of those aspects

of what we do for these students.

- It's been so great to
hear both of your insights

and expertise, especially on today,

the International Day of
Women and Girls in Science.

And as you've heard from Melissa,

Hobart has strategically
implemented Khan Academy

and Khanmigo at their district

with a district partnership.

Here is a link if you want to learn more

about partnering with our team.

Aviv, before we end,

any questions in the chat
that we need to respond to?

- [Aviv] Nope, not today. Thanks.

- Okay, great.

Well, thank you for joining
us today and onward.

- Thank you.
- Bye.