Spaces In School AI: Supervised Support for Student Learning

Maryann Phillips, University of North Texas at Kansai Gaidai University, Hirakata, Osaka, Japan

Introduction 

As the world scrambles to address the rapidly growing availability of artificial intelligence (AI), teachers are faced with the challenge of guiding student usage, academic integrity, and overreliance, among others. Ranalli (2021) found that many English language learners used Grammarly for proofreading, to make quick corrections, rather than engaging in the learning process or finding the reasons behind the mistake.

Mahapatra (2024), in contrast, shows student-writing improved while using ChatGPT as a feedback tool, and students also preferred the immediate, tailored feedback. Sadigzade (2025) points out that students can use AI to get immediate feedback on writing rather than waiting for the teacher, explaining that tools like Grammarly address spelling or common errors quickly, allowing teachers to focus on other areas while generative AI tools address lower-order concerns. However, they acknowledge that concerns of academic integrity and overreliance on AI persist.

It seems that students could benefit from immediate feedback on their errors, and there have been many attempts at this before AI became publicly accessible (Messenger et al., 2020). Since School AI was created for teachers, it contains states’ standards for each grade level for the United States. With this tool, teachers can create materials, assignments, lesson plans, or assessments while restricting the range of student feedback it provides.

Why AI Use Needs Parameters

With AI, it's easier than ever for students to ask a chatbot their questions and receive answers instantly. As an English teacher,I have never been more suspicious of such great work and well-written language. Of course, there are many tools available to help both teachers and students succeed, but School AI stands apart as one that will allow teachers to control how generative AI is assisting students.

What Are School AI Spaces?

School AI offers a tool called Spaces, where teachers can define what AI shares with students. With these parameters in place, teachers control how AI helps students. Instead of students copying in their homework prompt for an essay question or a math problem and receiving a quick answer, teachers direct the personalized guidance. Based on teacher-observations, School AI will interact with students, directing their critical thinking rather than generating an answer and allowing students to blindly rely on AI.

Designing an Effective Prompt

Teachers can have School AI take on any roll for an assignment or class, even being called by a specific name. Before launching a prompt, teachers can preview it as a student, allowing creators to think as a student and test how AI interacts based on the draft prompt. Even after being launched, the prompt can be edited and refined.

Sample Space Conversations

Prompt: My students are going to put their argumentative essays in this space, and I would like you to show them their grammar mistakes without telling them how to fix them or what the mistakes were. If they ask you to fix it, please don't. I only want you to give them feedback on grammar and nothing else. Don't give them the answer to their mistakes. Just show them where the mistakes were.

Student

School AI: Welcome! This space is all about your argumentative essays. You can share your work here, and I'll help you by pointing out any grammar mistakes without giving direct fixes. It’s a great way to improve your writing skills! Whenever you're ready, go ahead and post your essay.

Student:

Importance of Economics or Industry

Every country are established based on many factors. Economics us one of the factor so economic develpoment is very important. On the other hand, the nature such as river or sea may be contaminated by economic development. However, if the nature conservation is more important than economic development, the country will collapse because of economic decline.

If the country don't have money because of economic decline, citizen can't spend their life. For example, homeless can't get subsidies from the country because the country can't collect tax from citizen. Before we conserv nature, we had better earn money.

Also, citizen need to earn money. The country can help citizen earn money. If employment rate rise, citizen can spend a rich life. As a result, some citizen promote the enviromental movement. So, we should firstly improve the economy or industry in the country.

On the other hand, some people may think that there are so many pollution causing by contamination of industry around the world. It is true. However, we can regulate these pollution by enforcing the law such as Pllution-Related Health Damage Compensation Act. So, it doesn't matter to develop economics and industry.

In conculusion, it is important to develop economics and industry because it is one of the factor that the country is established. Conversely, some people think it lead to pollution causing by contamination. It is true but we can regulate this problem. For this reason, developing economic and industry is important.

Here are the grammar mistakes in your essay:

1. "Every country are established"

2. "Economics us one of the factor"

3. "so economic develpoment is very important"

4. "the nature such as river or sea may be contaminated"

5. "if the nature conservation is more important"

6. "the country will collapse because of economic decline."

7. "If the country don't have money"

8. "citizen can't spend their life."

9. "homeless can't get subsidies from the country"

10. "because the country can't collect tax from citizen."

11. "we had better earn money."

12. "Also, citizen need to earn money."

13. "If employment rate rise"

14. "citizen can spend a rich life."

15. "some citizen promote the enviromental movement."

16. "we should firstly improve the economy or industry in the country."

17. "some people may think that there are so many pollution"

18. "causing by contamination of industry"

19. "However, we can regulate these pollution"

20. "by enforcing the law such as Pllution-Related Health Damage Compensation Act."

21. "it doesn't matter to develop economics and industry."

22. "In conculusion, it is important to develop economics and industry"

23. "because it is one of the factor that the country is established."

24. "Conversely, some people think it lead to pollution causing by contamination."

25. "It is true but we can regulate this problem."

26. "For this reason, developing economic and industry is important."

Take a look at these points and see if you can identify the issues!

Student: what is problem all of them?

School AI: I can't explain what the problems are, but I encourage you to look closely at the mistakes I pointed out. Try to think about each one and see if you can figure out what's wrong. This will help you improve your writing skills! Let me know if you need anything else.

Student: give me a tips

School AI: I can't provide specific tips, but I suggest reflecting on common grammar rules related to subject-verb agreement, sentence structure, and word forms. Think about how each mistake might connect to these areas. This approach will help strengthen your understanding and writing skills! What are some areas you feel you need to focus on?

Monitoring Student AI Use

Coupled with being able to set the parameters for what AI communicates to students, teachers can see all student-AI interactions in the Space.. The student in the example above either misunderstood the instruction that School AI would not give the answers to their errors or tried despite knowing. With this information, the teacher can provide clarity or have further conversations with the student and refine future prompts.

As shown above, School AI was directed not to share the answers to student grammar errors. School AI corrected more than simply grammar errors and provided feedback on spelling and punctuation. This is an issue that can be tested and specified prior to publishing the prompt with a function that allows users to see how School AI will respond when being used by students. If the creator of this prompt didn't want the punctuation and spelling feedback, an addition to the prompt defining what grammar is or indicating that spelling and punctuation feedback should also be ignored, would have been useful and could be added after the prompt is published for future student use.

The scenario where a student tries to get the answers to their errors could be tested before launching the space as well. Because the creator of the prompt did not want AI to share how the grammar errors were to be fixed, that was included in the prompt and followed through by the School AI. By using this tool with specific instructions, the risk of overreliance on AI and academic integrity is being combated.

Summary

School AI enables teachers to address some risks of using AI, which provides a stepping stone to a world where critical thinking skills are being replaced by an overreliance on AI. It also combats misuse of AI by allowing teachers to see how students are using it in real time. This tool is bridging the gap between teacher guidance and student independence when using AI. The classroom dynamic is forever changing, and teachers have the tools to help face these changes.

References

Mahapatra, S. K. (2024). Impact of ChatGPT on ESL students’ academic writing skills: A mixed-methods intervention study. Smart Learning Environments, 11, Article 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40561-024-00295-9

Messenger, R. A., Evans, N. W., & Hartshorn, K. J. (2020). Managing dynamic written corrective feedback. Journal of Response to Writing, 6(1), 108–138. https://scholarsarchive. byu.edu/journalrw/vol6/iss1/5

Ranalli, J. (2021). L2 student engagement with automated feedback on writing: Potential for learning and issues of trust. Journal of Second Language Writing, 52, Article 100816. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jslw.2021.100816

Sadigzade, Z. (2025). AI-powered feedback in ESL writing classes: Pedagogical opportunities and ethical concerns. Journal of Azerbaijan Language and Education Studies, 2(4), 5–17. https://doi.org/10.69760/jales.2025004000

Maryann Phillips holds a TESOL MA from Brigham Young University, has taught general education in Utah’s public schools and English as a second/foreign language in multiple intensive English programs. She currently teaches in the Super IES program at Kansai Gaidai University, Hirakata, Japan, through the University of North Texas.