How Teachers Can Use AI to Support Culturally Responsive Teaching & Social-Emotional Learning Across Subjects 

By Dr. Marlee S. Bunch and Brittany R. Collins 

Using AI to support culturally responsive teaching and social-emotional learning across subjects and grade levels may seem counter-intuitive, given both the inherent biases in AI output and the inherently human nature of these pedagogies. But the tech does offer potential for instructional innovation—when leveraged intentionally and by equity-minded teachers.  

As with any educational technology, teachers must thoughtfully vet and pilot AI tools and pair them with relational methods when integrating them into classrooms. The rapid evolution of AI means that there is already a maelstrom of AI tools that cater to multiple disciplines and grade levels, offering support for English Language Learners, differentiated instruction, and personalized learning opportunities, among many other use cases. 

Beyond meeting individual student needs, we are beginning to see AI platforms intentionally designed with equity in mind. For example, Latimer AI is a new language model trained on “diverse histories and voices,” offering more inclusive perspectives for classroom use. Similarly, tools like Diffit allow teachers to adapt primary sources for different reading levels—again, showing potential that tools can benefit diverse cohorts of students.  

These innovations suggest that as AI continues to evolve, so too might its long-standing challenges with regard to bias, (mis)representation, and access. Below, we offer suggestions for equity-centered AI integration in English and history classrooms at the secondary level. For additional information and tools, we invite you to read our book, Leveraging AI for Human-Centered Learning, designed to help practicing middle and high school teachers ensure that human-centered learning remains at the forefront of their educational spaces, alongside–and sometimes augmented by–AI. 

AI Activities for History Teachers 

AI has the potential to help educators reimagine how they teach history, civics, and social studies, but only when used in ways that center human connection and inclusive pedagogy. Tools such as Humy.ai bring historical figures to life through interactive dialogue, while Diffit adapts complex primary sources to diverse reading levels, making history more accessible to all learners. Platforms such as Perusall and Kialo Edu foster collaborative reading and annotation, while Voyant Tools enables students to uncover themes of historical texts, creating connections for deeper analysis.  

Meanwhile, applications like Google Gemini for Education, Khanmigo, and Write the World’s Socratic AI writing companion, Clara, offer personalized tutoring and writing support, which can help to ensure that students receive 1-1 support when they need it and have options to grow their literacy and writing skills.  

When paired with intentional and student-centered teaching, these tools have the potential to help deepen inquiry, expand access, and foster critical thinking. However, they do not replace teachers’ guidance.

“To ensure that teaching remains human-centered, educators must beware that they do not outsource their work to AI when overwhelmed or busy, but instead incorporate AI into their teaching in ways that make possible instructional feats otherwise out of reach. ” – Dr. Marlee S. Bunch and Brittany R. Collins 

As educators, we must ensure that we are researching, learning, attending quality professional development, and remaining open-minded and flexible as we navigate this new terrain. As we emphasize in Leveraging AI for Human-Centered Learning, AI should not replace the relationships and care that define strong classrooms, but instead serve as a catalyst for curiosity, dialogue, and innovation. By integrating AI thoughtfully, history and social studies educators can help students interrogate the past, connect it to the present, and find ways to help students ask deeper questions that elicit discussion and reflection in our classrooms. 

AI in the ELA Classroom 

As with history and social studies, AI in the English Language Arts classroom is effective only when paired thoughtfully with instructional tasks that demand students’ deep and authentic thinking, critical analysis, research, writing, and discussion. In an era when writing output may be outsourced to generative AI tools, there is sudden urgency around exciting students about the process of writing itself. In what ways is writing an extension of, and tool for, thinking? For emotional processing? Self-expression? Art? Connection?  

In Leverage AI for Human-Centered Learning, we explore instructional tasks that encourage students not only to engage with, but to discourse about, AI tools and their products. From triangulating AI output with other data; comparatively analyzing AI and human texts, or AI and written representations of a literary character; engaging in simulated college or job interviews tailored to students’ individual goals; generating AI-powered, backward-mapped summative assessment work plans to help students strengthen their executive functioning skills; to tailoring writing prompts and exit tickets to students’ passions, interests, and extracurriculars, there are many ways English Language Arts teachers and learners can use this tech to support, not replace, their expertise and engagement–and to do so in ways that align with culturally responsive and social-emotional teaching ethoses.  

Looking Ahead 

There is not much a teacher can do these days to escape the chatter about AI. In a world where AI is at the forefront, we believe that the heart of classrooms will always be good teachers. It is educators who nurture relationships with students and families, co-create meaningful learning experiences, and dedicate themselves to the continual growth of their craft. While AI may reshape aspects of how we teach and learn, it is teachers who can shape what AI looks like in practice, and how our students approach using AI. 

As educators, we have a responsibility to ensure that AI is introduced to youth in ways that are transparent, ethical, and supportive of their cognitive and social-emotional development. This means setting clear expectations and boundaries with students, educating families and caregivers, helping communities understand both the opportunities and perils posed by AI, and making intentional choices about how these tools complement—rather than replace—quality teaching. 

When classrooms are adapted as spaces that responsibly explore AI through strong pedagogy, students can benefit from technological innovation without losing the human connections at the core of education. Ultimately, no matter the pace of technological changes, what will sustain schools is an enduring commitment to teacher quality, rigorous curricula, and authentic relationships.  

As one scholar cited in our book notes:

Despite the invention of the microwave, we still make a grilled cheese sandwich on the stove, because sometimes what is new does not replace what works best.

This analogy reminds us that what is at the heart of classrooms, what keeps education human-centered and rooted in what matters most, will always be three key ingredients: connection, care, and helping all students reach their highest potential.