The Thinking Classroom: Integrating AI With Intention – In-Person Full Day

Presenter: Joan McGettigan, Ed.D
Date: July 22-23, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (Full Day)
Location: In-Person, Westchester Lower School campus

• Price: $375.00 Two Full Days workshops; $250 per Individual Day workshop (lunch included, in-person only)

Credits: NYCTLE credits – 5 hours per full-day workshop, 10 hours for full institute; 3 hours per morning workshop, 6 hours for all morning workshops

Most professional development treats structured literacy, executive functioning support and AI integration as separate challenges.  This institute brings them together. Participants will analyze the hidden demands inside real classroom tasks, identify where students break down, and redesign real assignments using targeted scaffolds and classroom-ready routines. Explore AI tools Brisk, Kami, SchoolAI, Snorkl, Google NotebookLM, and Gemini, curated because they support thinking, communication, understanding, and independence without lowering rigor. This is not a general AI workshop. It is a learning design institute, grounded in cognitive load theory, science of learning principles, and structured literacy-aligned practice.  Participants will leave with ready-to-use lesson materials, annotation routines, source-grounded study supports, AI prompting structures, and a full implementation plan for their own classrooms.

Day 1:

Using AI to Build Better Supports for Every Learner

This professional development session dives into how AI and digital tools can act as true instructional design partners for grades 4–12. Educators will uncover where students get stuck with task initiation, planning, and comprehension, then learn how to design supports that actually meet those needs. In the afternoon, you’ll get hands‑on with tools like Kami and SchoolAI to build scaffolds that boost idea generation, deeper reading understanding, pre‑writing, and accessibility.

Key Learning Objectives

• leverage AI as an instructional design partner to create and refine rigorous, aligned learning tasks
• design differentiated supports to open access for diverse learners
• analyze learner demands to identify barriers and plan targeted scaffolds for reading, writing, and task completion
• build coherent, knowledge-rich learning experiences through text sets, annotation, and structured supports
• apply and reflect on high-impact strategies to improve student understanding

Day 2: AI as a Thinking Partner

Day 2 focuses on moving from design to implementation, helping educators translate AI-supported planning into student-facing instruction, writing workflows, and sustainable classroom systems. Participants revisit key principles from Day 1 and apply them to redesign writing tasks, embed supports across the writing process, and create aligned assessment and feedback routines. During the afternoon session, participants will create a practical implementation plan; educators will build a full unit plan that incorporates strategies, tools, and supports centered on building student independence over time.

Key Learning Objectives:

• design learner-friendly writing workflows that break the writing process into manageable steps and gradually build independence
• match tools and supports to student needs
• develop effective assessment and feedback systems that monitor both process and product
• create a clear, actionable classroom implementation plan for integrating tools, routines, and supports
• revise instructional plans using peer feedback and reflection