As artificial intelligence continues to reshape the educational landscape, educators face an important question: How can schools embrace emerging technology while preserving the critical thinking, creativity, relationships, and meaningful learning experiences that are fundamental to education?

On October 19, Valley School of Ligonier Head of School Dr. Jonathan Strecker and Upper School Technology Teacher Mrs. Reneé Moore addressed this question at the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS) Elevate Learning: A Teaching & Learning Conference, held October 18–19 at Carlow University.

Their presentation, "Pause, Purpose, Proof – How to Use AI Effectively," offered fellow educators both a philosophical framework and practical examples of how artificial intelligence can be integrated into teaching and learning without diminishing the essential role of teachers or the importance of students developing their own intellectual abilities.

At the heart of their presentation was a straightforward framework designed to encourage thoughtful decision-making about AI in education:

Rather than approaching AI as technology that should be incorporated simply because it is available, the framework challenges educators to consider whether its use serves a meaningful educational purpose and whether students are genuinely benefiting from the experience.

The presentation also explored the relationship between technology and human development, emphasizing the importance of preserving opportunities for students to develop wisdom, build relationships, strengthen resilience, and exercise independent thought.

Building upon this framework, Mrs. Moore shared a variety of practical AI tools that can help teachers work more efficiently, differentiate instruction, and create engaging learning opportunities.

Examples included Brisk Teaching, Diffit, MagicSchool AI, and Padlet Arcade—platforms that can assist educators with tasks such as adapting reading materials, developing assessments, generating instructional resources, and creating interactive review activities.

The presentation also explored student-facing technologies, including Snorkl, TrueMark AI, and SchoolAI, which offer opportunities for students to explain their thinking, receive feedback, develop writing skills, and participate in guided learning experiences.

A consistent theme throughout these examples was that AI should support—not replace—the professional judgment of teachers or the intellectual engagement of students.

By helping educators manage certain time-consuming instructional tasks, these technologies can create additional opportunities for teachers to focus on the individual needs of their students.

Mrs. Moore also highlighted how Valley School students are exploring artificial intelligence through hands-on technology instruction.

Using Scratch AI, students combine coding and creativity to develop interactive projects that respond to facial expressions, hand gestures, and body movements.

Through BBC micro CreateAI, students collect data, train machine-learning models to recognize physical movements, and test and refine their results. These activities introduce students to important concepts such as pattern recognition, training data, accuracy, and bias.

Rather than simply asking AI to produce an answer, students are developing an understanding of how the technology works while strengthening their creativity, problem-solving abilities, and computational thinking.

Equally important is the development of AI literacy.

Valley School students examine issues surrounding AI accuracy, privacy, ethics, environmental impact, and the infrastructure required to support artificial intelligence. These conversations encourage students to question the information they encounter, recognize the limitations of technology, and consider the broader consequences of its use.

The presentation reflects Valley School's commitment to preparing students for a future in which technological change will continue to present both opportunities and challenges.

As an independent school, Valley has the flexibility to explore emerging educational approaches, incorporate innovative classroom experiences, and encourage faculty to share their expertise with the broader educational community.

Dr. Strecker and Mrs. Moore's participation in the PAIS conference demonstrates how Valley School educators are contributing to important conversations about the future of teaching and learning while remaining grounded in the school's commitment to developing capable, thoughtful, creative, and responsible young people.

Their presentation concluded by returning to the central message of Pause, Purpose, Proof:

"Ultimately, our goal is not to use more AI. It is to help students become more thoughtful, capable, and creative learners."