AI’s Urgent Classroom Challenges

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is already part of our young people’s school lives. According to a USA survey of high school and university students, 51% have used tools such as ChatGPT for tasks or explanations (Walton Family Foundation, 2024). More studies indicate that families, teachers, and students agree that AI can enrich learning if used ethically and purposefully (Wiley, 2024). However, teachers are approaching AI more cautiously, creating a gap compared to the student body. While some students already use AI tutoring to practice languages or explore complex topics, they have done so without deep reflection regarding solving tasks, thus not understanding what they have learned.

This reality requires us to reflect as a community, share experiences, and propose ethical and responsible pedagogical actions. This topic will be addressed in our next Observatory of the Institute for the Future of Education (IFE) Webinar with Professor Reyna Martínez, which will premiere on May 15, 2025. Professor Reyna Martínez is an active Tec de Monterrey collaborator, an International Conference Speaker, and a Consultant in Educational Innovation.

You can check and share the latest IFE Observatory Webinar releases here with your colleagues. Through the Observatory’s Webinars, we seek to disseminate and share best practices and educational trends that enhance the work of educators worldwide. We are supported by Tec de Monterrey faculty and educators from various institutions who generously share their experiences and inspire us to continue innovating in education.

Four practical approaches to AI in the classroom

Currently, the primary concern is not whether to use AI in the classroom but how to use it. Recent studies indicate that its use without planning or guidance can affect the student’s critical thinking development (Rodríguez, 2025; Wiley, 2024). Many teachers continue to assign activities easily solved by AI in seconds, reducing students’ cognitive demands. The primary challenge is redesigning learning experiences and knowing and leveraging current AI capabilities. In the classroom, we can change the approach: create activities that promote reflection, design learning paths with AI as a guide, and leverage its ability to generate immediate feedback. The concept does not involve banning AI; instead, the teacher accompanies its use and resignifies the role of technology in the teaching-learning process.

This Webinar will provide a realistic, critical, and proactive look at using AI in high school and higher education. It will cover the most common risks of passive AI use and how this technology can aid critical thinking and active learning.

The session will explore four practical approaches to AI

AI as a tutor.
AI as a self-assessment tool.
AI as a tool to help teachers design materials.
AI as a resource for developing creative projects that employ artificial intelligence.

In addition, the Webinar will present two demonstrations with Poe and Teachable Machine, exemplifying how teachers can integrate AI creatively in daily pedagogical practice. Poe allows the teacher to design personalized accompaniment activities for learning, and Teachable Machine lets the teacher guide the student to generate solutions, promoting profound critical thinking development. Thus, Teachable Machine facilitates the student’s approach to one of the key AI concepts: machine learning.

At the end, Webinar participants will have ideas, references, and proposals for transforming classroom learning experiences, emphasizing critical thinking development.

About the speaker

Professor Antonieta Reyna Martínez Téllez is an Electronics and Communications Engineer from the Autonomous University of Nuevo León. She holds a master’s degree in administration with a specialty in Marketing from Tecnológico de Monterrey. Her professional career focused on education, with a continuous interest in integrating innovative methodologies and technology into the classroom.

She has 33 years of teaching experience at Prepa Tec at Tecnologico de Monterrey, applying innovative pedagogical models and technological tools to teach mathematics. She always aims to enrich her students’ learning experiences. Currently, she conducts conferences, workshops, and courses for teachers and researchers, focusing on the educational use of artificial intelligence and its integration in the classroom.

Her certifications include “Problem-Based Learning” from Wheeling Jesuit University, the “Didactic Technique of Collaborative Learning” from Tecnológico de Monterrey, and international certifications in Flipped Learning at levels I and II, including certification as a trainer. In addition, she has led the incorporation of Artificial Intelligence in educational environments, exploring its impact on teaching and learning.

Her knowledge and leadership in education have allowed her to participate as a speaker in various national and international educational forums, where she has shared her experiences in active methodologies and the integration of Artificial Intelligence in the classroom.

She has been recognized with the “Teacher Who Makes a Mark” award twice and distinguished by the “Inspiring High School Teacher 2019” award at the national level at Tecnológico de Monterrey. She strongly believes in the transformative power of technology-supported education.

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/reyna-martínez-277982136