Beyond the Buzz: A New AI Class Rooted in Critical Reading

At Eagle Rock School, we don’t shy away from big questions. When new technologies reshape the world, we believe students deserve the time, space, and support to explore them thoughtfully. Last trimester, that exploration took a bold new form through a class led by Literature and Literacy Fellow, Tanya Sopkin, that centered on artificial intelligence, critical reading, and ethical inquiry. Rather than teaching students what to think about AI, the course invited them into the process of thinking deeply, together.

Learning AI by Questioning It

Artificial intelligence is everywhere, shaping how we write, work, create art, and even care for our mental health. Tanya’s new class was built on the belief that students should not only know how to use AI tools, but also understand their implications. Tanya described the class as an investigation she is undertaking alongside students, not ahead of them.

As part of planning the course, Tanya immersed herself in tech journalism and critical scholarship. That curiosity formed the backbone of the class. Students engaged in close reading, discussion, and research to examine how AI affects critical thinking, labor, creativity, the environment, and culture. Together, they developed moral and ethical frameworks for using AI responsibly, grounded in evidence rather than hype or fear.

This approach reflects one of our core commitments at Eagle Rock: students learn best when they are trusted as thinkers. By positioning AI as something to interrogate, not blindly accept or reject, the class empowers students to form researched perspectives that can guide them far beyond the classroom.

A Class Built Around Real-World Impact

Each day, the course centered on a different theme, allowing students to see how AI touches many aspects of life. Topics include the environmental cost of AI systems, the impact on jobs and labor, questions of authorship and art, and the role AI plays in pop culture and social media. Students also explored how AI chatbots intersect with mental health, asking what it means to seek care, connection, or advice from machines.

One particularly powerful component of the class involved testing AI tools directly. Students tracked water consumption associated with AI usage, grounding abstract conversations about sustainability in tangible data. This kind of hands-on inquiry helps students connect global systems to local responsibility and to the land they live on. It also reinforces a core Eagle Rock value: learning should be rooted in real consequences, not just theoretical debates.

Through critical reading and discussion, students practiced essential academic skills like evaluating sources, identifying bias, and synthesizing information. At the same time, they built something more personal: a sense of agency in how they interact with technology. They are not just learning how AI works, but how they want to work with it.

Preparing Students for a Rapidly Changing World

What made this class especially meaningful was its emphasis on ethics and self-reflection. Rather than offering a single “right” way to use AI, Tanya encouraged students to create their own ethical codes. These frameworks are informed by research, dialogue, and lived experience, helping students clarify their values in a rapidly shifting digital landscape.

This kind of learning fosters skills that extend far beyond technology. Students practiced critical thinking, adaptability, collaboration, and self-advocacy. They learn to sit with uncertainty, to revise their opinions as they encounter new information, and to speak thoughtfully about complex issues. These are the skills that prepare students not just for future careers, but for thoughtful participation in their communities and the wider world.

At Eagle Rock, we see classes like this as part of our commitment to enduring learning. Years from now, students may not remember every article they read, but they will remember how to ask hard questions, how to weigh impact and intention, and how to act with integrity in moments of change.

If you are a student who wants to engage with the world as it is, not as a simplified version of it, we invite you to connect with Eagle Rock School. Here, learning is collaborative, inquiry-driven, and grounded in real life. Reach out, learn more, and apply to join a community where curiosity is not only encouraged but essential.