The SEL of AI: Keeping Humanity at the Heart of Teaching

11/17/2025

The SEL of AI: Keeping Humanity at the Heart of Teaching

Navigate the AI revolution in education with practical insights on how to keep human connection at the center of teaching.

In conversation with

Guests: Dr. Julianne (Juli) Ross-Kleinmann, Yaa Yaa Whaley-Williams
Host: Dr. Roberta Lenger Kang

Key links to ideas / tools referenced in this episode:

Snapshot

In this episode, Dr. Roberta Lenger Kang speaks with Dr. Julianne Ross-Kleinmann and Yaa Yaa Whaley-Williams, both supervisors of instructional services at Ulster BOCES Education Edge, about the intersection of artificial intelligence and education. The conversation explores the multifaceted digital divide facing schools, the critical need for educators to develop AI literacy alongside their students, and the irreplaceable human elements of teaching that AI cannot replicate. Juli and Yaa Yaa share their own conversion experiences with technology integration, emphasize the importance of approaching AI implementation with intentionality and equity, and offer practical guidance for educators navigating this rapidly evolving landscape while maintaining the heart of what makes teaching transformational.

Breakdown

In this episode, we bridge theory and practice in the classroom as we discuss the following:

Understanding the digital divide as more than just access—encompassing how technology is used and how educators are supported in designing meaningful learning experiences
The AI maturity journey for districts and the importance of meeting educators where they are with sustained, hands-on professional learning
Preserving the irreplaceable human elements of teaching that AI cannot replicate, including authentic relationships, cultural responsiveness, and the ability to read a room

Understanding the digital divide as more than just access—encompassing how technology is used and how educators are supported in designing meaningful learning experiences.
The 2024 National Educational Technology Plan identifies three distinct types of digital divides that schools must address. The digital use divide focuses on how students actually engage with technology—whether they're being producers and critical thinkers or simply clicking through digital worksheets. The design divide addresses whether educators have the time, training, and support to explore AI and other tools meaningfully rather than just creating AI-generated worksheets. The access divide, the one most commonly discussed, involves ensuring students have both devices and reliable Wi-Fi connectivity, which remains a significant challenge in rural and under-resourced communities. If schools completely ban AI without teaching it, they're failing to prepare students for what's already here, widening the divide between those with access to learning about these tools and those without.

The AI maturity journey for districts and the importance of meeting educators where they are with sustained, hands-on professional learning.
The K-12 Gen AI Maturity Tool, developed by CoSN and the Council of Great City Schools, provides a framework for districts to assess their current state across seven domains and create a roadmap for growth through emerging, developing, and mature levels. This isn't a sprint but a marathon, requiring evidence-based progress and shared language across buildings and districts about what AI use means, what's allowed, and how to cite sources appropriately. When working with districts, the key requirement is that if educators are expected to learn about AI tools, those tools must be unlocked for hands-on exploration—it cannot be one-and-done professional development where teachers get excited only to have access shut down immediately afterward. Educators express both excitement about AI's potential to shorten repetitive tasks and concern about student misuse, ethical implications, data privacy, and whether AI might replace the human side of teaching. The paradox is clear: if we're concerned about misuse but not teaching proper use, students will continue using AI anyway, without support or guidance.

Preserving the irreplaceable human elements of teaching that AI cannot replicate, including authentic relationships, cultural responsiveness, and the ability to read a room.
What Juli calls "the SEL of AI" recognizes that while artificial intelligence can simulate dialogue, personalize content, and serve as a supreme co-teacher (especially valuable for districts struggling with teacher recruitment), it cannot truly know a student's context, lived experience, or community knowledge. AI cannot read the silence in a room, pick up on body language that says more than words, recognize when a student needs a hand on their shoulder or space to breathe, or weave culture into curriculum as foundation rather than decoration. Teachers who intentionally center equity bring deep understanding of their students' lives and the ability to see, hear, and affirm them in ways that transcend algorithms. The graphing calculator analogy still applies—the tool is only as smart as the person using it, and whatever you prompt AI to produce is what it will generate artificially. While AI can dramatically assist with handling the robotic parts of teaching, it's the teacher who brings transformation, lights intellectual fires, and preserves humanity in the learning space. Human connection is the heartbeat of teaching.

Taking Action

Use the K-12 Gen AI Maturity Tool to assess where your district currently is across seven domains and create an evidence-based roadmap for growth (not a sprint, but a marathon)
Involve all key stakeholders in AI implementation—assistant superintendents, superintendents, tech directors, and especially data privacy coordinators
Create space for dialogue with educators and communities to understand their needs, hopes, and concerns around AI before implementing policies
Pilot AI integration responsibly using small-scale implementations to learn what works before attempting large overhauls
Center equity in policy decisions by involving voices from historically marginalized groups and under-resourced districts to ensure the digital divide doesn't widen
Help educators ask themselves: "How is this tool helping me teach better, not just faster?"

Summary assisted by Cleanvoice (2024 Cleanvoice AI) and Claude (Anthropic, 2024)

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