Brain-First, AI-Second: Enhancing Literacy in the Digital Age

Outline

Opening: Learning from Neuroscience Research (25 minutes)

-Quick poll and pair-share to surface participants' hopes and concerns about AI in literacy
-Present key brain research on how cognitive effort builds literacy expertise and when AI supports vs. replaces authentic learning
-Interactive activity: Participants use colored cards to vote on whether sample literacy tasks should be AI-free, then discuss reasoning in small groups
Introduce the Brain-First AI Integration Framework with real classroom examples

Planning: Hands-On Unit Mapping (45 minutes)

-Teachers select a familiar unit and map it using the framework, identifying which activities require cognitive struggle (AI-free zones) and where AI could strategically support learning
-Peer consultation in grade-level/content groups: share plans, give feedback, refine thinking
-Draft student-facing explanations for when and why AI is or isn't appropriate for specific tasks
-Document final plan in a digital template to use immediately in the classroom

Closing: Making Real-World Application & Action Planning (20 minutes)

-Small group problem-solving on common challenges: equity concerns, checking for understanding, what to do when students use AI inappropriately
-Teachers finalize their 30-day action plan with 3-5 specific experiments to try and reflection prompts
-Final reflection: one thing to try this week, one thing to modify, one lingering question

Throughout the presentation, there will be moments for Peer-to-peer discussions, sorting activities, collaborative unit planning, digital tools for documentation, and case-based problem-solving

Outcomes

Teachers will map out a familiar unit they currently teach and create a brain-based AI integration plan they can use immediately. During the hands-on portion of the workshop, participants will select one of their own units, use the neuroscience framework to identify which activities require students' brains to do the essential cognitive work (AI-free zones) and which could be strategically enhanced with AI support. They'll design 3-5 specific integration points with clear rationales based on brain research, draft student-facing explanations for when and why AI is appropriate for different tasks, and build in reflection checkpoints to assess impact on learning.

Supporting research

Baron, N. (2021). How we read now: Strategic choices for print, screen, and audio. Oxford University Press.

Carr, N. (2020). The shallows: What the Internet is doing to our brains. WW Norton & Company.

Kasneci, E., et al. (2023). "ChatGPT for good? On opportunities and challenges of large language models for education." Learning and Individual Differences, 103, 102274. - Comprehensive analysis of AI's educational impact.

Kosmyna, N., Hauptmann, E., Yuan, Y. T., Situ, J., Liao, X. H., Beresnitzky, A. V., ... & Maes, P. (2025). Your brain on chatgpt: Accumulation of cognitive debt when using an ai assistant for essay writing task. arXiv preprint arXiv:2506.08872, 4.

UNESCO. (2023). "ChatGPT and Artificial Intelligence in higher education: Quick start guide." https://www.unesco.org/en/digital-education/artificial-intelligence - Global perspective on AI integration in education.

Wolf, M. (2018). Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World. Harper. - Neuroscience of reading and concerns about digital comprehension.