AI is increasingly being used in schools by both students and staff. At Galileo, this has extended to the administration, who have employed generative AI more than a few times so far this year. While AI has been more visible this year, teachers at Galileo have different philosophies on using it in the classroom.
Both the school and the district view AI as a helpful technology that should be utilized in a responsible way. According to the SFUSD website, the district “encourage[s] teachers to learn about [AI] tools and explore how they can support [their work].” The Galileo AI policy, outlined in the Scholar Code of Conduct, states that, “students should learn to use [AI] tools responsibly, ethically, transparently, and in ways that support rather than replace learning.”
Ultimately, the SFUSD policy gives teachers the final decision on AI use and for what purposes in the classroom. ELD department head Mr. Fanning said, “the new admin…kind of leave[s] it up to us to decide how we’re going to use AI or not in our classes” and that “there hasn’t really been a directive saying, you must do this. It’s really up to the teacher.”
The SFUSD recommends using AI for differentiation, which means adapting materials for student use; lesson planning; and productivity. At Galileo, some of these suggestions are put into place. Mr. Jung, the history department head, said, “For my Newcomer students, I often use AI to simplify readings to make [them] more accessible. For translation purposes, I use Google Translate, which uses AI.” Mr. Fanning uses AI similarly, saying, “I sometimes use AI to help me make certain texts more understandable to English learners.”
Mr. Jung also said, “Some teachers use AI [for] lesson planning, gathering ideas to teach a lesson, coming up with questions for a reading or activity, constructing a rubric, and more.”
While AI is utilized by some teachers at Galileo, others continue to stick to the traditional route. Ms. Davé, the head of the English department, said that she does not use AI for lesson planning. She says, “I learned a completely different method from experience.”
