Washington Students Use AI to Learn About Helen Keller

After reading about Helen Keller in their “Into Reading” program, Washington Primary School students in teachers’ Melissa Studdert and Ashley Wright’s second-grade classes used the power of artificial intelligence to communicate with Ms. Keller.

“Undeterred by deafness and blindness, Helen Keller rose to become a major 20th century humanitarian, educator and writer,” according to the National Women’s History Museum. “She advocated for the blind and for women’s suffrage and co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union.” Born in 1880, she passed away in 1968.

The students imagined the questions they would ask and what they could learn from Ms. Keller’s remarkable experiences. With the help of AI, the students either typed or used the talk-to-text feature to ask their questions. The AI then provided detailed responses about her life, achievements and the challenges she overcame as a deaf-blind individual.

“This innovative approach not only deepened the students’ understanding of history, but also helped them practice empathy and critical thinking while interacting with an influential historical figure,” Washington Principal Dr. Michelle Richards said. “The project showcased the potential of AI to bring history to life, sparking curiosity and fostering a stronger connection with the past.”

“Recognizing her daughter’s intelligence, Keller’s mother sought help from experts including inventor Alexander Graham Bell, who had become involved with deaf children,” according to the National Women’s History Museum. “Ultimately, she was referred to Anne Sullivan, a graduate of the Perkins School for the Blind, who became Keller’s lifelong teacher and mentor. Although Helen initially resisted her, Sullivan persevered. She used touch to teach Keller the alphabet and to make words by spelling them with her finger on Keller’s palm. Within a few weeks, Keller caught on. A year later, Sullivan brought Keller to the Perkins School in Boston, where she learned to read Braille and write with a specially made typewriter. Newspapers chronicled her progress.” She graduated cum laude from Radcliffe College in 1904.