Series Introduction: The Teaching of Writing in the Age of Generative AI

Anchor writing in what AI can’t replace: human thought, voice, and connection.

DR. KELSEY HAMMOND
Lead Professional Development Advisor
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If generative AI can write well enough, what is the value of teaching writing? This year-long series establishes that the core values of thinking, identity, and connection must be our anchors for teaching writing and for discerning the ethical and pedagogical role of AI tools. This framework is exemplified by the CPET Student Press Initiative (SPI), a long-standing model that validates student voice through authentic publication.

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She leaned in, a look of concern clouding her face, and whispered: “I’m just starting to feel like there is no point teaching writing anymore.” She gestured toward the pile of laptops, chargers, and tablets between us. “All this—this is the future.”

Her words didn't just linger; they echo the anxiety spreading through our professional communities. If artificial intelligence can generate a passable essay with a simple prompt and click, what is the enduring value of our craft? Writers like Stephen Marche declared “The College Essay is Dead” (The Atlantic, 2022), and many of us report feeling less like facilitators of original thought and more like editors of machine-generated text (Wang, 2024).

The question repeats everywhere, sharp and unsettling: “Why does teaching writing matter anymore?”

This series--Teaching Writing in the Age of Generative AI—starts by confronting that question head-on. We'll explore how generative AI is reshaping education and, more importantly, how it forces us to clarify and champion the most essentially human parts of our work as teachers. This exploration will blend personal classroom stories, foundational theory, emerging research, and writing practices and principles you can use in your classroom tomorrow. 

But before we tackle the ambiguities and uncertainties of new technologies, this series will explore some core beliefs about writing and what these mean for our practice: 

1. Writing is Thinking: It's the primary, sometimes messy, tool we use to wonder, struggle, and make meaning, allowing us to clarify complex ideas and build deep, critical thought.
2. Writing is Identity Building: It gives us the vital space to sound like ourselves and explore who we are becoming, helping shape individual voice and self-authorship.
3. Writing is Human Connection: It's the relational act of reaching out to say what only we can say to someone real, creating bridges of empathy and understanding.

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The Student Press Initiative

This human-centered philosophy of teaching writing isn't new; it's the foundation of effective pedagogy, exemplified by the our Student Press Initiative (SPI). SPI's decades-long work has redefined writing instruction by prioritizing authentic purpose and audience through student-authored publications.
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The SPI process directly reflects these values of authentic thinking, identity building, and human connection. SPI requires students to produce a meaningful final product (a published book or media), compelling them to wrestle with content and synthesize complex information—not just report it. It emphasizes the publication process as a means to amplify every student's unique voice, ensuring their personal perspectives and experiences are valued, permanent, and publicly acknowledged. And, by connecting students to authentic audiences (like community members or incoming classes), SPI expands the purpose of writing far beyond the teacher's gradebook, creating genuine engagement and responsibility.

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To Begin

The rise of AI compels us to reexamine the value of writing. Generative AI tools may eventually have a role in that process, but these three core values—Thinking, Identity, and Connection—will be our anchors for discerning their use. They help us define our purposes as teachers of writing and, therefore, provide the truest measure for ethical engagement. Our definitions of "ethical" use must be continually discerned through reflection on these core values about writing, its value, and its purposes, not through abstract rules or simple lists.
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The tools may change, but this part — the fundamentally human part — stays the same. And that’s where I think we ought to begin.
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NEXT IN THE SERIES →​

​Writing is Thinking: From Reluctance to Discovery
Turn "I have nothing to say" into discovery by guiding students to write into the unknown and grow their ideas.