A Paradigm Shift: Building a Skills-Based Secondary Classroom with Guided Inquiry and AI.

What does it look like when inquiry and AI come together to transform classroom learning?In this session, participants will explore the work underway at Innovation Early College High School as we shift from a knowledge-based model to a skills-based classroom built on Guided Inquiry. Together, we will examine practical routines that integrate AI into inquiry explorations, including digital strategies such as custom GPTs for student feedback and coaching, and "analog" routines that keep questioning, reflection, and collaboration at the center.Through student success stories and teacher learning moments, we will highlight both the opportunities and challenges of using AI ethically and responsibly in the secondary classroom. Participants will leave with concrete ideas for guiding students to become AI-literate thinkers who keep humans in the driver’s seat while developing the inquiry-driven skills they need to leap ahead in the age of AI.