{"id":111,"date":"2026-04-29T23:43:31","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T03:43:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/?p=111"},"modified":"2026-05-01T11:57:22","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T15:57:22","slug":"students-as-partners-my-journey-with-ai-in-math-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/2026\/04\/29\/students-as-partners-my-journey-with-ai-in-math-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Students as Partners: My Journey with AI in Math Education"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Students as Partners:<\/h1>\n<h1>My Journey with AI in Math Education<a href=\"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/files\/2026\/04\/steve-a-johnson-_0iV9LmPDn0-unsplash.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-112 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/files\/2026\/04\/steve-a-johnson-_0iV9LmPDn0-unsplash-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"327\" height=\"184\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/files\/2026\/04\/steve-a-johnson-_0iV9LmPDn0-unsplash-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/files\/2026\/04\/steve-a-johnson-_0iV9LmPDn0-unsplash-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/files\/2026\/04\/steve-a-johnson-_0iV9LmPDn0-unsplash-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/files\/2026\/04\/steve-a-johnson-_0iV9LmPDn0-unsplash-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/files\/2026\/04\/steve-a-johnson-_0iV9LmPDn0-unsplash-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/files\/2026\/04\/steve-a-johnson-_0iV9LmPDn0-unsplash-400x225.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 327px) 100vw, 327px\" \/><\/a><\/h1>\n<p><b>How an open-ended question, student skepticism, and a willingness to learn alongside my students transformed my teaching practice.<\/b><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2>The Beginning: A Question Worth Asking<\/h2>\n<p>When I started the Cohort 21 Action Plan journey, I had a clear vision: <i>\u201cHow might we use AI as a learning partner in math?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p>I imagined my Grade 7 students turning to Google Gemini for their math questions, getting feedback on their thinking, reviewing concepts, and tackling assignments with an always-available AI tutor at their fingertips. It seemed logical, innovative, and exactly what 21st-century math learning should look like.<\/p>\n<p>I was confident. I had a plan. What I didn\u2019t have was what my students would actually tell me.<\/p>\n<h2>When Students Push Back<\/h2>\n<p>The first hint that my grand vision needed revision came when I listened to my students. They had concerns\u2014real ones:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>AI is bad for the environment.<\/b> The computational footprint bothered them.<\/li>\n<li><b>AI gets things wrong.<\/b> Why trust something unreliable?<\/li>\n<li><b>We shouldn\u2019t use it.<\/b> A blanket skepticism that made me pause.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These weren\u2019t the objections of luddites. These were thoughtful young people wrestling with legitimate questions about AI\u2019s role in their lives and their learning. Instead of dismissing their concerns, I realized they were teaching me something essential: before diving into innovation for innovation\u2019s sake, we needed to address trust.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s when the pivot happened.<\/p>\n<h2>The Pivot That Changed Everything<\/h2>\n<p>Our school approved <b>NotebookLM<\/b> for Grade 7 use\u2014a tool that felt safer, more contained, and importantly, designed specifically for learning. Around the same time, I discovered something unexpected: Gemini wasn\u2019t just useful for students. It transformed my administrative work, helping me manage tasks and think through complex planning challenges.<\/p>\n<p>But the real game-changer was deciding to create a safe sandbox environment within NotebookLM. Working closely with our tech team, we built a space where students could explore AI-powered learning features without the open-ended overwhelm of a tool like Gemini. We knew where boundaries were. We understood what data was being used. And critically, we could <i>control the experience<\/i>.<\/p>\n<h2>What Students Actually Discovered<\/h2>\n<p>Once inside NotebookLM, something remarkable happened. Students weren\u2019t just passively using a tool\u2014they were <i>discovering<\/i> what it could do.<\/p>\n<p>They found flashcards. They generated videos. They built quizzes and created podcasts. They explored the chat features and dug into sources. The interface was familiar\u2014these were learning strategies they already knew\u2014but powered by technology that made creation effortless.<\/p>\n<p><b>Here\u2019s what they said about it:<\/b><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><i>\u201cI discovered I can create new quizzes based on what I wanted to learn about. I discovered there are multiple different podcasts. I discovered I can look at the sources the AI uses.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p><i>\u201cYou can go back and review your quiz after you\u2019re done. The videos are really helpful and understandable. For the quiz if you put the wrong answer it will explain why it\u2019s wrong and explain why the right answer is right.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>This wasn\u2019t forced adoption. This was genuine engagement born from autonomy and choice.<\/p>\n<h2>The Math Learning: Real Concepts, Real Understanding<\/h2>\n<p>But engagement without learning is just entertainment. What made this real was what students actually <i>learned<\/i>.<\/p>\n<p>Using NotebookLM, students deepened their understanding of integer concepts, worked with the zero property, explored counter representations, practiced operation rules, and solidified their definition of integers. The tool provided interactive quizzes and explanations that adapted to their responses. When they got something wrong, they weren\u2019t just told the answer\u2014the AI explained the reasoning.<\/p>\n<p>This is scaffolding done right: not hand-holding, but strategic support that builds understanding.<\/p>\n<h2>The Numbers That Matter Most <a href=\"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/files\/2026\/04\/zach-m-pd9jBKNLyj4-unsplash.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-114 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/files\/2026\/04\/zach-m-pd9jBKNLyj4-unsplash-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/files\/2026\/04\/zach-m-pd9jBKNLyj4-unsplash-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/files\/2026\/04\/zach-m-pd9jBKNLyj4-unsplash-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/files\/2026\/04\/zach-m-pd9jBKNLyj4-unsplash-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/files\/2026\/04\/zach-m-pd9jBKNLyj4-unsplash-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/files\/2026\/04\/zach-m-pd9jBKNLyj4-unsplash-2048x1152.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/files\/2026\/04\/zach-m-pd9jBKNLyj4-unsplash-400x225.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/h2>\n<p><b>100% of students said they would use this tool again.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Let that sink in. Not 80%. Not \u201cmost.\u201d All of them.<\/p>\n<p>This came from a cohort that started skeptical. That questioned whether AI had a place in their education. That worried about environmental impact and reliability. And through actual experience, through discovery rather than mandate, through choice rather than prescription, they became enthusiasts.<\/p>\n<h2>Why Familiarity Beats Open-Endedness<\/h2>\n<p>Here\u2019s a critical insight I learned: I started too broad with Gemini. Open-ended, generative, unlimited possibility\u2014sounds great to adults building a vision. For Grade 7 students deciding whether to trust an unfamiliar tool? It\u2019s paralyzing.<\/p>\n<p>NotebookLM worked because it met students where they were. <b>They already knew quizzes.<\/b> They were comfortable with flashcards. Videos made sense. Podcasts were a format they understood. The scaffolding wasn\u2019t about simplifying\u2014it was about building on their existing competencies while introducing the power of AI.<\/p>\n<p>Students didn\u2019t need to reinvent learning. They needed to see how AI could make the learning strategies they already valued faster, more interactive, and more responsive to their individual needs.<\/p>\n<h2>The FuturePrize Experience: Learning With and From Students<\/h2>\n<p>The story gets deeper through my participation in FuturePrize\u2014a design sprint that pushed my thinking further.<\/p>\n<p>I worked with three students. I received professional development on AI and human-centered design. Our team came away as runners-up out of 24 teams, but the real prize was something else: a fundamental shift in how I understand my role.<\/p>\n<p>Through FuturePrize, I learned:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>About <b>students\u2019 genuine feelings toward AI<\/b>\u2014not my assumptions, but their actual hopes and concerns<\/li>\n<li>About <b>how to scaffold learning<\/b> so students build confidence gradually<\/li>\n<li>About <b>how students can use AI to build on their own ideas<\/b>\u2014as a partner in thinking, not a replacement for it<\/li>\n<li>About <b>the power of small groups<\/b>\u2014where real dialogue happens and students shape the direction<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Most importantly, I learned that <b>learning alongside students as partners is more powerful than positioning myself as the expert.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2>The Big Takeaway: Partnership Over Prescription<\/h2>\n<p>Here\u2019s what I\u2019m taking away from this entire journey:<\/p>\n<p>Teaching in the age of AI isn\u2019t about mastering the technology and deploying it to students. It\u2019s about <b>learning alongside them<\/b>. It\u2019s about <b>giving them autonomy<\/b> to discover what works for their learning. It\u2019s about <b>understanding how they learn best<\/b> and creating the conditions for them to make informed choices.<\/p>\n<p>The shift from \u201chere\u2019s a tool I think will help you\u201d to \u201clet\u2019s explore what this tool can do, and you tell me what\u2019s useful\u201d changed everything. Students weren\u2019t recipients of innovation. They were <i>partners<\/i> in shaping it.<\/p>\n<p>When we position students this way\u2014as collaborators, as thinkers, as people whose perspectives and concerns matter\u2014they step up. They ask harder questions. They push back on things that don\u2019t make sense. They become invested in the outcome.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s when real learning happens.<\/p>\n<h2>Lingering Questions: The Work Ahead<\/h2>\n<p>This journey isn\u2019t over. In fact, it\u2019s raised questions that will shape my practice going forward:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>How can I use AI to help with assessment?<\/b> Not just as a quiz generator, but as a tool that helps students see their own growth and understand what they still need to work on.<\/li>\n<li><b>How can I use it to communicate better with parents and students?<\/b> How do I close the feedback loop so that the insights from AI-powered learning actually translate into conversation that helps students improve?<\/li>\n<li><b>How can we continue learning together?<\/b> Building on the partnership model, how do we deepen the feedback cycle\u2014not information flowing down, but understanding flowing in both directions?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These questions will shape what comes next. And I\u2019m excited to explore them alongside my students.<\/p>\n<h2>Connecting to Our Moment<\/h2>\n<p>Susan\u2019s journey\u2014and I say this as someone reflecting on my own practice\u2014is a microcosm of where education needs to go in 2026 and beyond.<\/p>\n<p>Cohort 21 exists because we know the future demands more than content delivery. It demands <b>partnership<\/b>, <b>design thinking<\/b>, <b>agency<\/b>, and <b>the ability to learn alongside rapidly changing tools and contexts<\/b>. It demands that we see students not as passive recipients of our expertise but as collaborators in shaping what learning looks like.<\/p>\n<p>AI in the classroom isn\u2019t about replacing teachers or streamlining instruction. It\u2019s an opportunity to fundamentally shift who gets to be a designer of learning. When we let students in on that design process\u2014when we listen to their concerns, honor their questions, and learn from their discoveries\u2014we unlock something powerful.<\/p>\n<p>We unlock <i>their<\/i> learning. And we transform <i>our<\/i> teaching.<\/p>\n<h2>For Educators Starting Their Own Journey<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re wondering whether AI belongs in your classroom, my advice is this:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Start by listening.<\/b> What are your students\u2019 concerns? What do they already value about learning? Build from there, not from a predetermined vision.<\/li>\n<li><b>Choose your tool thoughtfully.<\/b> Not every tool works for every context. A contained, purposeful tool beats open-ended access when you\u2019re building trust.<\/li>\n<li><b>Create a sandbox.<\/b> A safe space where students can experiment without stakes lets them discover value on their own terms.<\/li>\n<li><b>Step back and observe.<\/b> What do students actually find useful? What surprises you? Those discoveries are data.<\/li>\n<li><b>Position yourself as a learning partner.<\/b> You don\u2019t need to have all the answers about AI. You need to be genuinely curious about how your students experience it and what they think.<\/li>\n<li><b>Give them autonomy.<\/b> Students making choices about how they use tools leads to better engagement, better learning, and a deeper sense of ownership.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The future of education isn\u2019t about teachers disappearing. It\u2019s about shifting from experts dispensing knowledge to partners discovering it together.<\/p>\n<h2>What\u2019s Next<\/h2>\n<p>This is just the beginning. I\u2019m heading into next year with new questions, a deeper understanding of how my students think, and a commitment to continuing this partnership.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m exploring how to use AI for more meaningful assessment. I\u2019m thinking about how to involve parents in the feedback loop. I\u2019m designing spaces where students have more voice in how learning happens.<\/p>\n<p>And I\u2019m doing it alongside them\u2014not because they need me to be the expert on AI, but because real learning happens when we\u2019re all figuring it out together.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the lesson from my Cohort 21 journey. And it\u2019s one I\u2019m carrying forward.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Resources<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>NotebookLM<\/b> \u2014 Google\u2019s tool for interactive learning, research, and content generation. Designed with educational use in mind, it offers a bounded environment for AI-powered learning activities.<\/li>\n<li><b>Cohort 21<\/b> \u2014 An initiative focused on 21st-century learning, design thinking, and partnership-based education. Learn more at <a href=\"https:\/\/app.flintk12.com\/activities\/cohort-21-final-a57387\/sessions\/0cb1edd5-b087-473a-8d5c-0df53f76da95#\">cohort21.org<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><b>FuturePrize<\/b> \u2014 A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisontario.ca\/student-programs\/future-prize-for-middle-school\">design sprint program<\/a> that brings educators and students together to explore how technology can serve learning. Applications open annually.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Something Big Is Happening \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>Why should we think about using AI? Let\u2019s understand it. Use it. Adapt it.<\/li>\n<li><b>AI\u00a0 for Students<\/b> \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/ca\/podcast\/future-focus-week-of-feb-9-move-37-the-ai-turning\/id1492131242?i=1000749910426\">Podcast:<\/a> Resources on helping young people think critically about AI\u2019s environmental impact, reliability, and appropriate uses in education.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p><b>About the Author:<\/b> Susan Matthews is a Grade 6 & 7 mathematics teacher committed to partnership-based learning and thoughtful technology integration. Through Cohort 21, she\u2019s exploring how AI can empower students as designers of their own learning. Her work bridges skepticism and innovation, grounded in listening to what students actually need and value.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Students as Partners: My Journey with AI in Math Education How an open-ended question, student skepticism, and a willingness to learn alongside my students transformed my teaching practice. The Beginning: A Question Worth Asking When I started the Cohort 21 Action Plan journey, I had a clear vision: \u201cHow might we use AI as a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":515,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/515"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=111"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":117,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/111\/revisions\/117"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cohort21.com\/susanmatthews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}