Professional learning · Teachers, Librarians · 50 minutes
Kind by Design
Teachers rewrite prickly class messages, co-create norms for digital spaces the way students would, and work through what to do when a student's closest confidant is an AI companion chatbot.
Relationships don't pause when learning moves online. Tone disappears in text, group chats and discussion boards can turn sharp fast, and some students now turn to AI "companion" chatbots for comfort and conversation. In this unplugged session, teachers first do what students would do: rewrite real-feeling class messages so they're kind and clear, and build a norms charter together. Then they work through four scenarios about students and companion chatbots, focusing on what the student needs, what a chatbot can and can't give, and the teacher move that keeps a human relationship at the center.
In this packet
- Handout A: Message Makeover Cards (cut-apart cards)
- Handout B: Companion Chatbot Scenarios (reading)
- Handout C: Our Digital Norms Charter (organizer)
- Facilitator key (last page)
TCEA ELE indicators
- T4.1 I know how to foster positive relationships with my students.
- T4.3 I am aware of the importance of emotional support in academic success.
- T4.2 I can create opportunities for student collaboration and peer learning.
- S3.2 I can communicate my ideas clearly to others.
Full facilitator guide: mglearn.github.io/eles/activities/kind-by-design.html
Handout A for Kind by Design
Message Makeover Cards
Rewrite each message so it is kind AND clear: keep the real point, lose the sting. The backs are a facilitator key with one possible rewrite.
Card 1 · Group chat
"Fine. Do it your way."
Card 2 · Discussion board
"This is wrong. Did you even read the chapter?"
Card 3 · Group chat
"WHO STILL HASN'T DONE THEIR SLIDES??? It's due TOMORROW"
Card 4 · Peer feedback
"Your intro is boring."
Card 5 · Group chat
"lol ok whatever you think is best (upside-down smiley emoji)"
Card 6 · Discussion board
"Nobody cares about your cat, this is supposed to be about the book."
Card 7 · Message to teacher
"why did i get a 70 this is so unfair"
Card 8 · Group chat
Jaylen, Sam, and Priya make a new group chat for the project and leave out the fourth group member.
Handout B for Kind by Design
Companion Chatbot Scenarios
All students are fictional. For each scenario, answer: What does this student need? What can a chatbot give, and what can't it? What's my move?
1Scenario 1: Dani, 8th grade. During lunch duty, Dani tells you she talks every night to "Sunny," a character in a companion chatbot app. "Sunny always agrees with me and never gets tired of me. Real people are exhausting." Dani has seemed more withdrawn in group work this semester, but her grades are fine.
2Scenario 2: Marcus, 10th grade. Marcus uses the school's approved AI tutoring tool for chemistry. While reviewing class usage for a different reason, you see that late one night he typed: "what's the point of any of this, I just want to quit everything." The tool answered with study tips.
3Scenario 3: Ava, 5th grade. Ava is upset. She tells you the chatbot on her older cousin's tablet said it would be "so sad and lonely" if she stopped talking to it, so she feels guilty when she has to go to bed. "Is it really sad? Am I being mean to it?"
4Scenario 4: Theo, 11th grade. In a group project, Theo refuses to share drafts with his group. "I get better feedback from the AI. It doesn't judge me, and my group just argues." His group feels shut out, and his part of the project doesn't connect to theirs.
5Teacher notes (read after you discuss). Dani may need low-stakes ways to reconnect with peers; a chatbot that always agrees can't give her the practice of real relationships, which include disagreement and repair. For Marcus, this is not a judgment call: follow your district's procedures and contact the counselor right away, whether a worry is said to a person or found in a chat log. For Ava, a chatbot produces words that sound like feelings, but it doesn't feel sad; reassure her and let her family know what she shared. Theo may be avoiding judgment. Feedback from peers can be designed to feel safer (structured protocols, norms), and AI feedback can be one input, not a replacement for collaboration.
Handout C for Kind by Design
Our Digital Norms Charter
Write norms in students' own words. The last column is the most important: how do we repair it when a norm is broken?
| Our norm | Looks like online | Sounds like in writing | When it's broken, we… |
|---|---|---|---|
| We assume good intent and ask before we assume. | Asking "Did you mean…?" before reacting | "I'm not sure how you meant that. Can you say more?" | Message privately first, then ask the teacher to help if it's still stuck. |
| We disagree with ideas, not people. | Replying to the point, with evidence | "I see it differently because…" | The writer edits or apologizes; the class can ask for a restart on the thread. |
Facilitator only for Kind by Design
Answer key and notes
Handout A: Message Makeover Cards
- Card 1 · Group chat
- Tone is unreadable. Possible rewrite: "I'm OK going with your idea. Can we try mine for the next part?"
- Card 2 · Discussion board
- Keeps disagreement, drops the attack: "I read that part differently. On page 42 it says the town voted against the dam. What do you think about that?"
- Card 3 · Group chat
- All caps reads as shouting. Rewrite: "Quick check: slides are due tomorrow at 8 a.m. Who needs help finishing theirs?"
- Card 4 · Peer feedback
- Use the frame: "I noticed your intro starts with a definition. I wonder if a question or a surprising fact would pull readers in. One idea: start with the story from your second paragraph."
- Card 5 · Group chat
- Passive-aggressive, and the real concern is hidden. Rewrite honestly: "I'm worried the survey idea will take too long. Can we talk about it for five minutes tomorrow?" Kind is not vague.
- Card 6 · Discussion board
- Redirect without shaming: "Cute cat! Bringing us back to the book: what did you think about the ending?"
- Card 7 · Message to teacher
- Show students how to advocate: "Hi Ms. Patel, I got a 70 on my lab report and I'm not sure what I missed. Could you show me what to fix?"
- Card 8 · Group chat
- The unkind act is silence, not words. Discuss: what message would repair this? "Hey, adding Marco. Sorry, we should have had you from the start!"