The rapid emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the mainstream represents a pivotal moment for education, comparable to the advent of the internet or the personal computer. For English Language Arts (ELA) and Humanities educators, these new technologies present a landscape of profound opportunity and significant challenge. The State of Washington, through the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), has adopted a forward-thinking posture of "great excitement and appropriate caution," recognizing that AI is not a future phenomenon but a present reality in students' lives. The state's guidance makes it clear that "slowing down isn't an option" and that our collective responsibility is to prepare students and educators to use these tools in ways that are responsible, ethical, and safe.

This professional development course is designed to translate Washington's state-level guidance into practical, powerful, and pedagogically sound classroom practice for secondary ELA and Humanities teachers (grades 6-12). It is built upon the foundational principle that AI must serve, not supplant, human intellect and creativity. The course rejects a binary view of AI as either a utopian solution or a dystopian threat. Instead, it presents AI as a complex and powerful set of tools that, when wielded with intention and critical awareness, can deepen student learning, foster critical thinking, and empower both teachers and students.

The curriculum is anchored in two core documents: the Washington OSPI "Human-Centered AI Guidance for K-12 Public Schools" and the Washington ELA Learning Standards. Every module, strategy, and activity is designed to be in direct alignment with the state's central philosophy: the Human Inquiry → AI → Human Empowerment (H→AI→H) framework. This model insists that technology must always be in the service of human-led learning, a principle that will be the guiding star throughout this course. Participants will move from foundational concepts to ethical considerations, practical toolkits, and advanced applications, emerging with the confidence and competence to integrate AI into their classrooms in a way that enriches the learning journey for every student.

OSPI AI Guidance (Website)Links to an external site.

comprehensive-ai-guidance.pdf

Based on the content of these two modules, a three hour time frame would be needed to complete them.