Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools in Middle School Instruction and Its Impact

Abstract Artificial Intelligence (AI) has been praised and vilified across the human spectrum. Such extreme reviews can be confusing to young learners, such as at the middle school level. Students at the middle school are at critical growth period, where habits of the mind start being formed. It is therefore important to establish confidence in the positive use of the AI at the middle school level, to empower the young understand the realities and capacities of AI. Teachers at the middle school are privileged with such a huge task to grow this confidence in middle school students. The paper presents how teachers applied AI technologies in their classrooms and its resulting impact. It was the third year of summer workshops for middle school teachers. Teachers learned how AI technologies applied to images and videos can transform instruction and increase class engagement and learning. Three teachers provide their experiences on the impact that resulted from introducing and incorporating AI tools in their subjects at the middle school. Some of the phrases noted are "captured interest, increased class engagement, probed curiosity, and improved outcomes". Resulting from implementing AI in these course is the motivation to continue the trend in more subjects to promote learning in an effective way. This qualitative study underscores the value of providing awareness of true versus fake by use of AI even at the middle school level. AI also offers a unique platform to create the impossible and help the visualization of tough or difficult aspects of learning which results to opening students minds and improve outcomes.