Strategies for Enhancing Artificial Intelligence with Invitational Education

In 1978, William Watson Purkey developed a self-concept approach to teaching in which he suggested that teachers focus on being intentionally inviting with students. He and John Novak continued to refine the model through the years (Purkey & Novak, 1984; Purkey & Novak, 1996; Purkey & Novak, 2008). In 2020, they recommended the “Teacher Stance” for creating an inviting environment (Purkey et al., 2020). Recently, John Novak suggested calling it “Educator Stance” (personal communication, December 1, 2025). They suggested that teachers be intentional in creating an inviting environment, show they cared about every student, demonstrate optimism about each student, show respect for their students, and trust them. In addition, they recommended that educators use “The Five Powerful Ps.” (Purkey et al., 2020, p. 6). They suggested that People focus on being personally inviting with students. They recommended that educators create inviting Places in which students can learn, and create inviting Policies that are friendly for parents and students. In addition, educators can create Programs in which students feel invited to learn, and create Processes that are friendly and easy to navigate.

Almost 50 years later, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has arrived in education and appears to be here to stay (Adams, 2024; Fitzpatrick et al., 2023; Lang-Raad, 2025; McGrath, 2025; TeachAI, 2025). Consistent with Invitational Education, authors in the field of AI have stressed the importance of teachers having strong relationships with students. Lang-Raad (2025) included “Humanize, emphasizing the non-negotiable value of the human touch - empathy and understanding” at the beginning of his model for incorporating AI into teaching (p. 7). According to Adams (2024), “The relationships between teachers and students are irreplaceable treasures” (p. 114). In fact, “In weaving AI into the educational fabric, our goal should always be to enhance the human interactions that form the core of effective teaching” (p. 115).

How can educators create inviting classrooms and schools while using AI with students? How can they enhance AI with the principles of Invitational Education? Invitational Education has never been more urgently needed than today. The next two sections contain strategies as well as key questions for educators to ask themselves in each of the areas.

The Educator Stance
Intentionality: How Can I Be Intentionally Inviting with Every Student with Whom I Interact Today?
First, teachers can intentionally choose AI tools that align with the lesson objectives and student levels. They can introduce AI tools so students immediately feel successful in using them. They can explain what students will be doing, why they will be doing it, and how they will be doing it.

Educators can learn about ethical considerations and how to protect students. They can communicate with parents about how they are using AI, what AI applications they are introducing, and what their children will be learning.

Teachers can also teach students how to use AI tools and make sure they understand the basics, the ethics, and the impact on society. They can align lessons with their country’s guidelines for using AI, and they can design age-appropriate and relevant lessons for their students. They can set short-term and long-term goals for themselves as well as for their students.

Care: How Can I Show My Students That I Care About Them Today?
Educators can show students that they care deeply about them as individuals rather than just about how they are learning to use AI. They can also show them that they care about how what they are learning is impacting them.

Educators can use AI tools to provide students with personalized feedback. In addition, they can use AI tools to provide students with lessons targeted to their level, as well as to their learning styles and paces of learning.

They can create a safe place for students to express their feelings about using AI and their frustrations in learning to use it, and they can use AI to analyze the engagement levels of students to identify students who might need additional encouragement. They can employ AI tools to assist in communicating with students, parents, and guardians to ensure they feel included and valued.

To show they care, educators can give compliments to students on their work, show empathy when they are feeling overwhelmed, and ensure that all students feel included.

Optimism: How Can I Exhibit an Optimistic Attitude Toward My Students and Their Future?
First, educators can be excited about using AI and helping students learn to use it, and they can show optimism about students’ ability to learn to use AI. They can express optimism about the future and show students how AI will help them achieve their future goals and enable them to have the career they want.

Educators can celebrate when students learn, as well as when they might not achieve what they wanted to achieve. They can model a growth mindset (Dweck, 2016) to show students they have unlimited potential to grow and learn rather than a fixed mindset in which their intelligence is fixed and they cannot learn. They can encourage students to be curious about AI by letting them know it will help increase their creativity, their ability to solve problems, and their thinking skills.

Finally, educators can help students to be optimistic about the use of AI by sharing about how it is used in healthcare, business, and other fields. They can invite speakers from areas such as healthcare, industry, and other domains to share how they are using AI in their professional lives.

Respect: How Can I Show Respect to Every Student Today?
To show respect to students, educators can let them know they value their experience and prior knowledge of AI. They can respect each student’s level of knowledge and understanding of AI and appreciate the fact that some students may be reluctant to use AI.

They can show respect for students’ ideas, and they can show respect when students make mistakes as they are learning to use AI. Finally, they can celebrate small and large wins for students.

Trust: How Can I Show That I Trust Every Student with Whom I Interact Today?
Educators can develop trusting relationships with students from the beginning of the school year. They can educate students in how to use AI in an ethical manner and trust that they will do so. On the other hand, they can let students know they can trust their teachers to help them learn to use AI.

Educators can show they have knowledge as they are working with students in AI. They can create a safe atmosphere in which students feel comfortable asking questions, and they can emphasize the importance of student learning as an ongoing process. Finally, they can let students know in advance how they will be assessed on their learning. They can reward students for exploring and learning rather than just for the finished product.

The Five Powerful Ps of Invitational Education
People: How Can I Be Personally Inviting with Every Student Today?
First, educators can focus on building strong relationships with students. They can invite older students to mentor younger students in using AI, and they can collaborate with students and admit they don’t have all of the answers. They can explore AI alongside their students as they are modeling being lifelong learners. In addition, educators can facilitate student learning and ask questions to help them discover answers. Educators can invite students to collaborate with each other as they are exploring AI and have them share what they are discovering with each other.

Educators can use inviting language with students, such as “Let’s discover…,” “What if we tried…,” and “Your ideas are valuable….” (Edwards, 2010). They can encourage students to take risks and support them in the process. In addition, educators can encourage students to ask questions, and they can share the questions they have had as they were learning to use AI. They can celebrate their students’ curiosity.

Places: How Can I Create Inviting Places in the School, in the Classroom, and Online?
Educators can create inviting classrooms and places for students to learn, and they can give students the materials they need to use AI successfully. They can find and use AI applications that are age-appropriate to ensure success and use AI platforms that are visually inviting to students. Educators can write instructions so that students can access them easily.

Educators can use AI translation to help students who speak different languages. They can ensure that materials in AI classrooms are accessible to all students. If students need to do AI projects at home, they can make sure that all students have the technology and materials they need to be successful.

Policies: How Can I Ensure That School Policies Promote an Inviting Atmosphere in the School and in My Classroom for Both Parents and Students?
Educators can ensure that school policies support invitational education, and they can develop agreements for using AI that focus on integrity, respect, and safety. They can keep student data private.

Educators can work with students to develop policies around using AI ethically, and they can discuss areas such as academic honesty. They can request training, time, and resources to enable them to integrate AI into their curriculum effectively.

Programs: How Can I Design Programs That Will Invite Students to Learn AI So That They Will Be Excited About Learning?
Educators can create multidisciplinary programs to assist students in using AI, and they can design the curriculum and learning activities to provide interesting experiences for students. They can show students how to brainstorm ideas through AI and refine them creatively. They can integrate AI experiences throughout the curriculum, and they can invite students to use AI to solve problems in the world as well as problems in their own lives.

Educators can also invite students to solve problems, think creatively, and think critically. They can ask students to choose projects based on their interests, and they can ask students to choose the AI tools they believe will best meet their learning needs.

Processes: How Can I Design Processes That Create an Inviting Atmosphere In My Classroom Today?
When introducing a new AI application, educators can explain how to use it, benefits of using it, what students will be learning, and limitations. They can provide immediate and supportive feedback through AI as well as their own feedback.

Educators can ask students to reflect on how they are using AI, what they contributed, and what they are learning. They can also ensure that students feel free to make changes in their work without being judged.

Educators can use AI to invite students to solve problems in their community, encourage them to experiment with AI, and use examples that are culturally relevant to students. They can have students reflect on what they are learning, as well as how they are learning.

Educators can encourage students to take risks, adjust lessons based on student feedback as well as on their observations of them, and invite students to share about how their use of AI is impacting their lives and the world around them. They can also ask students to create digital portfolios to demonstrate what they are learning.

Educators can use feedback from AI and from students to guide instruction, scaffold students’ learning experiences so they can build confidence in their abilities to use AI, and provide feedback that enables students to learn from their successes as well as from their mistakes. They can monitor student progress over time to celebrate students’ achievements and adjust strategies when necessary.

Conclusion
Students will greatly benefit when educators use Invitational Education (Purkey et al., 2020) to enhance their teaching of AI. The use of Invitational Education is more important now than ever before. By using the strategies above and many others, educators will be able to create inviting schools in an era of AI.

References
Adams, L. (2024). Simplify AI in education: Embrace the digital age with interactive lesson plans, use effective prompts for personalized learning, and free up time to unleash your students’ full potential. Independently published.

Dweck, C. (2016). Mindset: The new psychology of success. Ballantine Books.

Edwards, J. (2010). Inviting students to learn: 100 tips for talking effectively with your students. ASCD.

Fitzpatrick, D., Fox, A., & Weinstein, B. (2023). The AI classroom: The ultimate guide to artificial intelligence in education. TeacherGoals Publishing.

Lang-Raad, N. (2025). The AI assist: Strategies for integrating AI into the very human act of teaching. ASCD/ISTE.

McGrath, M. (2025, April). How generative AI can transform education: A practical guide to using Generative AI in K-12 education. Independently published.

Purkey, W. W. (1978). Inviting school success: A self-concept approach to teaching and learning. Wadsworth Publishing.

Purkey, W. W., & Novak, J. M. (1984). Inviting school success: A self-concept approach to teaching and learning (2nd ed.). Wadsworth Publishing.

Purkey, W. W, & Novak, J. M. (1996). Inviting school success: a self-concept approach to teaching, learning, and democratic practice. Cengage Learning.

Purkey, W. W., & Novak, J. M. (2008). Fundamentals of invitational education. The International Alliance for Invitational Education.

Purkey, W. W., Novak, J. M., & Fretz, J. R. (2020). Developing inviting schools: A beneficial framework for teaching and learning. Teachers College Press.

TeachAI. (2025). AI guidance for schools toolkit. teachai.org/toolkit