HW25 Artificial Intelligence in Schools (May-Sep)

Headways™ 2025 Cohort Offering

Facilitator: Jayden Pizzingrilli, History Teacher and AI adopter, Wenona School (AUS)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been identified as a key challenge facing educators. This Headways™ program focuses on helping educators navigate the practical and ethical implications of generative AI.

Discussion Topics

Via Zoom on May 1, 8:30-9:30 a.m. AEST / April 30, 6:30-7:30 p.m. EDT / April 30, 10:30-11:30 p.m. GMT

Rethinking AI in Schools – Moving Beyond Hype and Fear

Where schools are currently at with AI
What progress has your school or network made in adopting AI? What’s driven this, and what’s held it back?
Common myths vs. classroom realities
How have early assumptions shifted? What’s been overhyped—and what’s proved unexpectedly valuable?
From hesitation to experimentation
How have staff attitudes changed since the introduction of tools like ChatGPT? What has enabled purposeful experimentation?
A shared cohort goal
How can we create a clearer pathway of AI implementation across different school settings in 2025?

Via Zoom on June 19, 8:00-9:00 a.m. AEST / June 18, 6:00-7:00 p.m. EDT / June 18, 10:00-11:00 p.m. GMT

AI for Educators – From Efficiency to Transformation

Teacher use of AI
How are teachers using AI to support planning, feedback, reporting or communication? Is it lightening workloads or creating new demands?
Shifting pedagogy
How is AI changing how we think about teaching itself? Where is it enabling shifts in lesson design, scaffolding or differentiation?
Human judgement and trust
What limitations are staff noticing in AI tools? How do we retain professional autonomy and build staff trust in using AI?
Enabling consistent, confident use
How are schools supporting all staff—not just early adopters—to develop practical, ethical AI fluency?

Via Zoom on July 31, 8:30-9:30 a.m. AEST / July 30, 6:30-7:30 p.m. EDT / July 30, 10:30-11:30 p.m. GMT

AI Literacy for Students – Beyond ChatGPT & Plagiarism

What AI literacy looks like?
What do students need to understand about how AI works, and how can we embed this into different subjects?
From passive use to critical thinking
How can we shift students from ‘using AI for answers’ to engaging in ethical, creative and reflective AI use?
Digital wellbeing and ethical use
What challenges are students facing in relation to misinformation, reliance, or mental load? How are we supporting them?
Discipline-specific conversations
How does AI literacy look different in English, Science, History, or the Arts?

Via Zoom on August 21, 8:30-9:30 a.m. AEST / August 20, 6:30-7:30 p.m. EDT / August 20, 10:30-11:30 p.m. GMT

AI & Assessment – Rethinking Feedback, Integrity, and Student Growth

AI and feedback
How are teachers trialling AI for formative feedback and writing support? What’s effective—and what risks have emerged?
Academic integrity and AI attribution
What expectations are schools setting around acceptable student use of AI? How are these expectations communicated?
Redesigning assessment
What new or adapted tasks are schools using to shift the focus to process, thinking and originality?
Supporting student reflection
How are students being encouraged to critically engage with AI as a learning tool—not just a shortcut?

Via Zoom on September 24, 8:30-9:30 a.m. AEST / September 23, 6:30-7:30 p.m. EDT / September 23, 10:30-11:30 p.m. GMT

AI & the Future of Schools – Navigating Innovation, Equity & Leadership

Future-focused leadership
What role should school leadership play in shaping AI implementation? What does an “AI-ready” school look like?
School culture and shared responsibility
How do we cultivate a staff culture that is curious, cautious, and collaborative about AI?
Equity, bias and access
Who benefits most from current AI tools—and who risks being excluded? How do we ensure implementation is inclusive?
Community and system-level conversations
How are we engaging students, parents and boards in the conversation? What messages are we sending about the purpose of AI in education?