This article is part of a short blog series exploring insights from the NorthStar Narrative podcast conversation with educator Paul Matthews about artificial intelligence in education. The series begins with our pillar article, “AI in Christian Education: How Technology Can Make Learning More Human,” and continues by exploring some of the key ideas Matthews shared.
Artificial intelligence often raises concerns among educators. Many teachers worry that technology will reduce the human connection in classrooms or encourage shortcuts that weaken learning.
But educator Paul Matthews believes the opposite can happen. In the recent conversation on the NorthStar Narrative podcast, Matthews shared a perspective that reframes the conversation about AI and education:
“AI should make education more human, not less human.”
Rather than replacing teachers, artificial intelligence can actually help teachers focus more on students, relationships, and meaningful learning.
The Reality of a Teacher’s Workload
Teaching has always required a tremendous amount of preparation behind the scenes. Teachers spend hours planning lessons, adapting materials, grading assignments, and responding to students’ needs.
Many of these tasks are important but repetitive. Matthews gives a practical example from his own classroom. When preparing lessons, he often needs to adapt reading materials for students with different reading levels.
In the past, this process could take significant time.
“I used to spend 30 minutes per subject differentiating a text.”
With AI tools, that process can happen much faster.
“Instead of 30 minutes, that takes me about 90 seconds now.”
That type of efficiency does not replace teachers. Instead, it gives teachers something extremely valuable: time and mental space.
Bringing a Better Version of the Teacher Into the Classroom
When teachers spend less time on repetitive tasks, they gain more energy to focus on students.
Matthews explains this impact clearly:
“I’m bringing a better version of me into the classroom.”
That statement captures the real benefit of AI in education. When teachers are less overwhelmed by administrative work, they can devote more attention to the human aspects of teaching.
Those include:
- building relationships with students
- asking thoughtful questions
- encouraging curiosity
- providing meaningful feedback
- guiding discussions and critical thinking
These moments are the heart of education. Technology should support them, not replace them.
Pedagogical Hospitality: Welcoming Every Student
One of the most powerful ideas Matthews introduces is something he calls pedagogical hospitality.
He explains it this way:
“How can we use artificial intelligence in a way that welcomes the outsider?”
In other words, how can teachers structure learning so students who struggle in traditional classrooms still have a clear path to success? Classrooms include students with many different needs. Some students may struggle with reading comprehension. Others may have difficulty organizing their ideas when writing. AI can help teachers create supports for these students quickly.
For example, teachers can use AI to:
- simplify reading passages
- generate vocabulary lists
- create sentence starters for writing
- produce multiple reading levels of the same material
These adjustments help more students engage with the learning experience. Matthews describes this as welcoming students who may feel “on the periphery of the learning experience.”
AI Can Support Personalized Learning
Personalized learning has long been an important goal in education. Every student learns differently, and teachers often try to adapt lessons to meet those differences. However, personalization can be time-consuming.
AI tools can help teachers generate multiple versions of content quickly. A teacher might create:
- a simplified version of a text
- a standard reading version
- an advanced extension activity
This allows students to engage with the same ideas at different levels. Learn more about how students learn at NorthStar Academy
Foundational Skills Still Matter
Even with these technological tools, Matthews strongly emphasizes that foundational learning skills remain essential. Students still need to learn how to write clearly, analyze ideas, and think critically.
As Matthews explains:
“You can’t automate what you don’t understand.”
Artificial intelligence works best when students already have knowledge and skills guiding how they use it. Without those foundations, students may produce polished work without actually learning.
Technology Should Serve Human Learning
Education has always been deeply human. It involves relationships, mentorship, curiosity, and growth. Artificial intelligence cannot replace those things. But it can help teachers focus more on them.
When used wisely, AI can reduce administrative burden, support struggling students, and allow teachers to spend more time doing what they do best—teaching. In the next article in this series, we’ll explore how schools can guide students to use artificial intelligence wisely while still developing critical thinking and integrity.