I recently gave a virtual talk on AI in schools which forced me to solidify my current thinking and I tried to make some direct linkages to the Culture of Yes belief. I have included the video at the bottom, and this post is an adaption of the talk:
This summer, AI in education has gone from a quiet undercurrent to a headline wave. Major corporations have announced new AI powered tools for classrooms. Governments, particularly in the United States, have released statements, strategies, and funding commitments to “prepare schools for the AI era.” There is a growing sense, both excitement and urgency, that this technology will profoundly reshape learning.
As we head into the fall, the question for me is not whether AI will change education. It already has. The real question is: Will we guide this change with wisdom, or will it guide us?
Where We Are:
We are in a moment of intense attention and investment. For the first time in history, students have instant access to a form of intelligence that can write, create, and problem solve alongside them. The conversation has shifted from “Should AI be in schools?” to “How do we use it well?”
The opportunities are extraordinary, and so are the risks. In our rush to adopt tools, we can easily mistake activity for progress. AI is not a magic box. It reflects the data and the biases we feed it. Without careful integration, we risk amplifying inequities instead of closing them.
At the same time, teachers are navigating new pressures: learning unfamiliar tools while managing existing workloads, and working with students who arrive with vastly different levels of AI experience and access.
What I Hope:
In West Vancouver, our innovation priorities are as bold as they are deliberate: AI and physical literacy. Together, they reflect our belief that the future belongs to students who are digitally fluent, physically confident and deeply human.
My hope for AI is that it:
Amplifies human wisdom rather than replacing human intelligence.
Delivers personalized learning that has long been promised but rarely achieved.
Serves as a force for equity, not by assuming all students need the same thing, but by providing each student with the individualized support they need, regardless of their school’s resources or their family’s circumstances.
Frees up teachers’ time for what matters most: relationships, mentorship and inspiration.
In a Culture of Yes, we approach these possibilities with openness while remaining thoughtful about implementation.
What We Need to Do:
Focus on the Shift: From Memory to Meaning
For over a century, schools rewarded students who could store and retrieve information. AI changes that rote memorization game. We must now prioritize what students do with the knowledge — how they apply it, question it, and create from it.
Equip Students as Creators, Not Just Consumers
In a Culture of Yes, we say yes to new possibilities while maintaining academic integrity. AI becomes a collaborator for composing music, designing solutions to local challenges and exploring ethical dilemmas we have never faced before, not a replacement for student thinking.
Imagine a Grade 9 student co writing a play with AI, then performing it with peers, learning as much about collaboration and creativity as they do about technology.
Develop New Literacies
AI literacy is more than knowing how to use a tool. It is the ability to:
Prompt effectively and creatively.
Evaluate outputs for accuracy and bias.
Reflect on whether AI use aligns with human goals and values, and recognize when not to use it.
Understand the difference between AI assistance and AI dependence.
Lead Through Diffusion, Not Mandate
A Culture of Yes means saying yes to teacher curiosity and experimentation. The best AI integration spreads from teacher to teacher, classroom to classroom, through shared practice and professional learning, not top down directives that ignore classroom realities. When your colleague in the classroom next to you has something exciting to share, you are keen to listen to them.
Keep Humanity at the Core
AI can provide information, but only people provide inspiration. AI can offer feedback, but only people offer hope. We must ensure that every learning experience remains fundamentally about human connection and growth.
Looking Ahead
The age of AI is not coming, it is here. As educators, leaders, and communities, we face a choice that will shape the next generation’s relationship with both technology and learning itself.
A Culture of Yes means we choose:
Curiosity over fear
Collaboration over competition
Wisdom over efficiency
Human potential over technological convenience
If we embrace this approach, saying yes to AI’s possibilities while saying yes to our students’ humanity, we will not just reimagine learning. We will create classrooms where technology serves human flourishing, where every student can thrive, and where the future we are building together reflects our highest aspirations for education.
The conversation about AI in education is just beginning. As we step into this new school year, I invite you to share your hopes, your experiments, and your questions. We learn best when we learn together.
Various AI tools were used as feedback helpers (for our students this post would be a Yellow assignment – see link to explanation chart) as I edited and refined my thinking.
