We explore a deceptively simple but increasingly urgent question: How should schools teach students to use AI?

We dig into a major report arguing that the risks of generative AI in children’s education may outweigh the benefits. From there, we examine the difference between AI-enriched learning and AI-diminished learning, and we ask what happens when schools put the tools ahead of the thinking.

We also look at the risks of a tools-first approach, including cognitive offloading, reduced student agency, and the possibility that schools are teaching students to use AI before helping them understand it. Along the way, we highlight examples from schools taking a more reflective, pedagogically grounded approach.

Topics:

• AI’s risks in education may currently outweigh its benefits
• The difference between AI-enriched learning and AI-diminished learning
• Why a tools-first approach can distort how students and teachers understand AI
• Cognitive offloading and how AI may weaken student thinking and creativity
• Why teaching students to use AI is not the same as teaching them to understand AI
• We discuss the importance of prioritizing agency over agility in AI education
• We ask what all of this means for teachers, school leaders, and district decision-makers

Source:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2026/03/10/ai-schools-education-technology-artificial-intelligence/