AI is here. Now what?
Teach Different Method Training
Stay human in the age of AI. Help Illinois students grow into the leaders an AI future will need.
Since 2025, the Illinois Department of Human Services has invested $500K in a training in structured classroom conversation.
It works. Now teachers on this map are asking to keep going. You can help carry it to their schools.
teachers in Illinois communities are asking for support
2025–2026 pilot · 80 educators · 23 schools · 13 counties · 2,568 students reached by surveyed teachers in a focused pilot
Teach Different Method™ Training (TDMT)
The algorithm knows these kids. Does anyone else? Teachers across Illinois are learning a routine for structured classroom conversation at conferences and school trainings. Mastering it takes years of practice and support.
Schools cannot fund all of it, and communities can be the catalyst for immediate impact. Each teacher who asks gets three things. All three build in guidance for classroom discussions on the responsible and ethical use of AI, alongside topics teachers choose to fit what they already teach.
A community to learn with
Your gift gives a teacher a year in our online community: ready-to-use plans, live trainings and other teachers to learn from.
$250 a teacherPractice in their own classroom
Your gift enrolls a teacher in our online course, where they practice with their own students and earn 15 CPDUs.
$380 a teacherA mentor at their side
Your gift pairs a teacher with a mentor from another school who coaches them all year.
$750 a teacher$1,380 supports one teacher for a full year.
Costs can be scaled and customized for each school, depending on its size and resources. Schools can carry it forward with a yearly license.
About the partnership.
Illinois Institute of Independent Colleges and UniversitiesAdministers the funding and issues CPDUs.A 501(c)(3) established in 1982. IIICU administers public and private funding for the program, holds the contract with the program’s independent evaluator, and issues Continuing Professional Development Units (CPDUs) to certified Illinois educators.
Teach DifferentCreated the Method and leads the training.An Illinois-based professional training organization founded by practicing educators in 2017. Teach Different is the pioneer of the Teach Different Method™ in the United States, has trained more than 2,600 teachers, and is included in the International Baccalaureate’s digital professional development library.
Illinois Democracy Schools NetworkAbout 100 schools; a key delivery partner.A statewide network of approximately 100 Illinois schools committed to civic learning and student voice. The Network is a key delivery partner for TDMT, offering a ready audience of schools whose mission is closely aligned with the work of structured classroom conversation.
Build it with us.
Help Illinois students stay human in the age of AI. Sponsor a teacher, a school or a community.
Whether you’re funding it, legislating it, partnering with us, or showing up for a school in your community. This is how a generation learns to think clearly and listen well. Tell us how you’d like to engage. We’ll get back to you within two business days.
We will never share your information. Expect a reply within two business days. Gifts may qualify as a charitable deduction.