How AI Is Rewriting the Rules of Teaching and Giving Time Back to Teachers

 If you’re a teacher, you know the feeling. Endless hours spent planning, marking, adapting lessons, meeting individual student needs and somehow still not getting through your to-do list. The workload is heavy, the expectations are high and burnout is far too common.

Holly is an international education leader and author who has spent over a decade working at the intersection of pedagogy and technology. In Episode 137 of The PDHPE & CAFS Podcast, she shares her powerful insights on how artificial intelligence is not just another passing tech trend, t’s a tool that can fundamentally shift how we teach, connect with students and reclaim our time as educators

From Digital Worksheets to Meaningful Learning

Holly recalls the early days of the "Google revolution" in classrooms. Teachers, eager to embrace digital learning, started uploading worksheets to Google Slides and calling it innovation. But Holly challenges us to think deeper.

Digital learning isn’t about flashy tools. It’s about making student thinking visible, creating authentic engagement and building skills like metacognition and collaboration. With AI tools like ChatGPT and NotebookLM, we now have the ability to amplify good pedagogy, not replace it.

AI as the Second Brain

"AI isn’t going to take your job. But it can absolutely make you better at it," Holly explains. Think of AI as your second brain: a research assistant, a thought partner, a time-saving sidekick that helps you personalise learning and provide feedback at scale.

Tools like:

• SchoolAI – helping ESL and non-verbal students communicate and engage in real time
• Brisk – scaffolding student writing with coaching prompts, not just answers
• NotebookLM – transforming long form text and research into digestible insights, even podcast-style audio recaps

These aren’t gimmicks. They’re solutions to long-standing challenges like student disengagement, inequity and workload pressure.

The Real Risk? Avoiding AI Altogether

Holly makes a compelling case for AI literacy. Just as we once had to adapt to the internet and Google, we now need to adapt to AI. Waiting on the sidelines isn’t just a missed opportunity it risks leaving teachers and students behind.

She shares a story of a teacher saying, "I'm just not tech savvy." But after 25 years of Google in classrooms, that excuse no longer holds. With AI evolving fast, we can’t afford to delay. And the best part? You don’t have to be an expert to start. You just need curiosity and a willingness to try.

What AI Unlocks for Students

One of the most powerful insights from the episode is how AI levels the playing field. Students with dyslexia. Students from non-English speaking backgrounds. Students who freeze at a blank page. AI can give them structure, voice and confidence to participate and grow.

Holly believes AI will usher in a generation of strong, thoughtful writers. Not because it writes for them, but because it helps them overcome the fear of starting and allows them to refine their ideas with feedback that scales.

A Time-Saving Revolution for Teachers

At the heart of this conversation is a message of hope. AI, when used intentionally, gives teachers their time back. Imagine:

• Reclaiming your afternoons and weekends
• Having more time for student connection and creativity
• Feeling energised instead of burnt out

Holly’s vision aligns perfectly with The Learning Network’s mission: to support teachers with time-saving tools, practical strategies and high-impact professional learning.

Ready to Explore AI for Yourself?

If you haven’t yet dabbled with tools like ChatGPT or SchoolAI, now’s the time. Start small. Explore how AI can support your planning, feedback, differentiation and student voice.

Listen to the full episode with Holly Clark and take the first step into what might be the most powerful teaching tool of our time.

🎧 Listen to the full episode here
📚 Connect with Holly: hollyclark.org | @hollyclarkedu on socials
🎟️ Want to hear more from Holly? Join her at EDUtech Sydney this June!