From Harry Potter to Thanksgiving Day Parade: Using AI with Gifted and Talented Students in Mississippi

Rebekah Johnson was a 2023–2024 Teach Plus Mississippi Policy Fellow. She is the gifted education teacher for 2nd through 6th grades for Southeast Lauderdale Schools in Meridian, Mississippi. Rebekah coordinates the Gifted Education program for Southeast Elementary and Middle Schools and is a member of the Mississippi Association for Gifted Children.

In spring 2024, Rebekah participated in the Teach Plus and Teaching Lab’s “Innovation Studio: Building AI Into Your Practice” design thinking project to identify, develop, and test-drive an AI tool aimed at solving a problem of practice in their classroom with their students.

Teach Plus: When you took part in the Innovation Studio, you were relatively new to AI. What were some of your “aha” moments, especially when it comes to your work with your gifted and talented students?

Rebekah Johnson: Participating in this design thinking initiative has been a transformative experience for me and it came at just the right time as I navigated integrating AI into the work I do with my gifted and talented students. I had an “aha” moment when I realized how useful AI can be in crafting lessons on topics where there isn’t a readily available curriculum, such as Native American tribes of Mississippi. The AI tool curated resources for me about a variety of indigenous groups in the state, including their history, culture, and traditions.

The fact that AI can, in just a few minutes, compile information from various online sources into something I can bring to students has saved me countless hours. Building videos into my lessons has been more effective with AI-generated questions. My students love the lessons. One of my favorite examples is when they created their own mini-floats, following a deep dive into the history of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. My students planned out their floats digitally using AI before bringing their ideas to life with balloons and other supplies. This project not only enhanced their understanding of history but also fostered their creativity and collaboration.

TP: How have you been using AI in your classroom since then?

RJ: I’m bringing the technology into my students’ learning in so many ways. Take research. With AI, my students can gather information quickly and efficiently. It also spurs creativity. My students used AI to brainstorm and generate song lyrics to the melody of popular songs, like AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck.”

TP: What are some examples of projects your students have created with the help of AI?

RJ: With AI, my students can interact with historical figures and well-known literary characters — Harry S. Truman and Harry Potter, for instance — which is something that wasn’t possible before in our classroom lessons. As my students engage in projects, AI helps teach them skills like note-taking and time management. It has even become their study partner, answering their questions to reinforce their understanding and retention.

TP: You recently presented on AI at a statewide conference. What was that experience like for you?

RJ: The Mississippi Gifted conference was a wonderful opportunity for me to connect with other educators about the innovative ways AI can enhance our teaching and enrich students’ learning experiences. After I led a session on how to incorporate AI into instruction, planning, and implementation of field trips, several teachers reached out to me for advice on leveraging the technology to write parent emails, develop lesson plans, and complete field trip grant applications. My message throughout revolved around how AI can streamline such processes, helping us craft compelling proposals that clearly outline our goals and the benefits of experiential learning for our students.

TP: What are your hopes for AI implementation and adoption in Mississippi schools statewide? What would the state need to do to make that happen, especially when it comes to policies and guidelines around the use of AI?

RJ: I am hopeful about the future. With the right guidelines, we can better prepare our students for the challenges ahead. The priorities I see are addressing the ethical use of AI in classrooms, providing training for educators around using it for paperwork and day-to-day tasks as well as for student learning, and ensuring all students have equitable access to technology. Ultimately, if we teach students to evaluate AI and its outputs critically, they will become informed consumers and creators by understanding both its potential and its limitations.

TP: What advice do you have for other educators who are looking to use AI with their students?

RJ: I encourage teachers to embrace this technology and not let any fear or uncertainty get in the way. AI can significantly reduce the time we spend on planning while providing diverse and motivating learning experiences for our students. There are so many ways we can use AI-powered tools for personalized learning, where our students receive tailored resources based on their individual needs. Additionally, AI can assist in our grading and feedback, so we can focus more on student engagement and support. It’s also worth noting that many of us are likely already using AI without realizing it — perhaps through educational apps, chatbots, or even simple tools like grammar checkers. By recognizing and expanding these applications, we can take our teaching and our students’ learning to the next level.