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Guest Article
Inclusive education with AI: a Special Education teacher's guide to using Flint for all learners
Special Education Leader, Inclusion Advocate, and Founder of EdTechPowered
Aug 20, 2025
As a special education teacher in a co-taught middle school classroom, I’ve seen firsthand how the right edtech tools can transform learning, not just for students with IEPs, but for every learner.
Inclusion isn’t optional anymore. It’s the expectation, and it’s long overdue.
For private, charter, and multilingual schools, inclusion comes with unique challenges. Many lack full special education teams. Resources can be limited. And educators often have to build inclusive practices from the ground up.
But that’s also where the opportunity lies.
With the right technology like Flint, an AI-powered learning platform designed for equity, we can make inclusive teaching practical, personalized, and sustainable.
Supporting executive functioning in 8th grade science with Flint
Differentiation made easy: tools that save teachers time
In our classrooms, we often have students with a wide range of reading levels, processing speeds, and learning needs. Flint's tools have made it easier to meet each student where they are, without creating three different lesson plans from scratch.
For example, during our OpenSciEd unit on magnetism, I used Flint to:
Duplicate and modify the main lesson: I kept the same core activity but created a simplified version for students who needed shorter text and fewer steps, and an enrichment version with extension questions for those ready for a challenge.
Add visual and audio supports: For students with reading comprehension goals, Flint allowed me to insert diagrams of magnetic fields and add audio recordings of the instructions so they could replay them as needed.
Embed sentence starters: To support written responses, I provided prompts like, “Magnets attract objects made of…” so students could focus on content instead of getting stuck on wording.
AI for teachers: inclusive planning with smart prompts
Flint doesn’t just support students; it supports educators.
Its AI-driven prompt system offers real-time suggestions aligned with IEP goals and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles:
Writing scaffolds like sentence stems
Reading comprehension support
SEL prompts for emotional regulation
Attention and processing-friendly modifications
Whether you're new to inclusive classrooms or a seasoned SPED teacher, Flint becomes your go-to planning partner, reducing prep time while meeting diverse needs.
Supporting multilingual learners with inclusive AI
In multilingual classrooms, language should never be a barrier to success. Flint provides tools that make it easier for English Language Learners (ELLs) to engage with content:
Students can respond in their home language with built-in translation tools
Vocabulary bots help break down complex academic language
Printable and hybrid-friendly materials support learning across modalities
Flint promotes linguistic equity by giving multilingual learners the same opportunities for success, without requiring teachers to translate or redesign lessons from scratch.
New feature spotlight: Group-level learning goals background
One of my favorite new Flint features is the Learning Goals Background, a small input field that creates a big shift in how AI personalizes learning for each group of students.
This feature allows teachers to add essential class-level context, such as:
Grade level
Subject area
Learning objectives
Student needs, accommodations, and other special considerations
Example from my class:
This is a 7th-grade English language arts class with 28 students, including six students receiving targeted reading intervention and four English Language Learners (ELLs) at varying proficiency levels.
To meet their diverse needs, I set up Flint’s Learning Goals Background with specific details: lessons must incorporate visual scaffolds such as graphic organizers and picture cues, sentence starters to support writing fluency, and simplified language prompts to aid comprehension.
Once this background information is entered, Flint automatically applies it across all activities assigned to this group. This means that when students engage with assignments, Flint’s AI customizes prompts in real time. For example, ELL students receive vocabulary explanations or bilingual support where needed, while students with reading interventions are given extra scaffolding like step-by-step instructions and audio read-aloud options.
For me, as a teacher, this saves invaluable time because I don’t have to manually modify each activity for different learners. Instead, Flint’s AI-driven system consistently delivers differentiated content aligned with each student’s accommodations and learning goals, allowing me to focus more on individualized instruction and less on prep work. The platform also provides ongoing data insights into how students are responding to supports, which helps me adjust teaching strategies dynamically.
Small shifts, big impact for inclusive learning
As a special educator, I don’t need to be perfect. I need practical. And Flint delivers.
From executive functioning to multilingual supports, Flint helps teachers build inclusive classrooms that actually work, without adding more to our plates.
These smart features, especially the new Learning Goals Background, are helping educators bring equity into everyday practice with confidence, clarity, and care.
If you’re an educator looking for a platform that truly understands inclusive education, give Flint a try. You might be surprised how much easier (and more joyful) planning can be when the right supports are baked in.
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Ekaterina Vorobiev is a Special Education Leader, Inclusion Advocate, and Founder of EdTechPowered. With years of experience in co-teaching and integrating AI in special education, she is passionate about leveraging technology to support equity and empower educators.
