The Future of Teaching: Writing, Reading and Data in the AI Age
Friday, September 26, 2025
Iona University, New Rochelle Campus
The emergence of artificial intelligence as a force across commerce, culture, science, and nearly every other aspect of society has profound implications for education. What is the future of teaching in age when the development of foundational skills such as writing, reading, and thinking is undercut by easy student access to AI models that can mimic all three with surprising and often prodigious dexterity? Why write, why read, why think when machines seem able to do all three so facilely?
In the Gabelli Center’s fall 2025 conference these questions will be front and center as participants on the front line of teaching core skills share theory and practice on how to meet the moment for the long-term benefit of students. Following a keynote address by John Warner, author of "More Than Words: How to Think about Writing in the Age of AI," panels and presentations on writing and reading pedagogy, as well as a special panel detailing Iona’s pioneering work in infusing data science across the curriculum, will be filled with dynamic insights of interest to scholars and educators at every level, from K-12 through college.
Keynote Speaker:
John Warner
Award-winning editor & leading expert on the teaching of writing in the AI age
"Writing is thinking. Writing involves both the expression and exploration of an idea, meaning that even as we’re trying to capture the idea on the page, the idea may change based on our attempts to capture it. Removing thinking from writing renders an act not writing."
John Warner is an acclaimed writer, editor and writing teacher. His most recent book, “More Than Words: How to Think About Writing in the Age of AI,” offers a guide on how we can continue to harness and benefit from the powers of reading and writing regardless of technological advancements.
In this talk, Warner will explore ideas on how educators can engage any audience with reading and writing, and how we can approach technology as tool for human work rather than a replacement for it.
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
- 8-9 a.m. | Check-in
- 8:30-9 a.m. | Breakfast
- 9:15-10:30 a.m. | Keynote Speaker: John Warner
Q&A to follow talk. - 10:40 a.m.-Noon | Writing and Thinking: Tracing Interests and Influences in the AI Age
- Noon | Gabelli Center Ribbon-Cutting & Presidential Remarks
- 12:30-1 p.m. | Lunch
- 1-2:15 p.m. | Do They Even Need to Read Any More? AI Literacy versus Literacy Literacy
- 2:30-3:45 p.m. | Data Science for Future Leaders
- 3:45-4:30 p.m. | Discussion
Event Descriptions
Presenter: Ivy Linton Stabell, Ph.D., Iona University
In this session, Ivy Linton Stabell will introduce her “Influences Project” to present curation as a curricular solution to the challenges of teaching writing in the age of AI. The project asks first-year composition students to trace the artistic and historical ancestry of a favorite text of their choice, and it incorporates AI into key parts of this process-based assignment. Stabell’s presentation will discuss how the work of curation – selection, research, narration – hones student agency, expression, and responsibility. Stabell will address the way tracing influences opens larger conversations about how AI proffers language and ideas and how students can learn to shape their own intellectual perspective apart from, in concert with, and in response to this technology.
The session will conclude with a conversation between Dr. Stabell, John Warner, and the audience.
Join us for remarks from Iona University President Seamus Carey, Ph.D., and a special ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the Gabelli Center for Teaching & Learning.
Founded in 2024 through the generosity of Marc Gabelli and the EMG Madonna Foundation, the Gabelli Center has proven itself to be a vibrant hub for institutional innovation, faculty development, and the promotion of student success.
Learn More about the Gabelli Center
About Marc Gabelli
Since beginning his career at Lehman Brothers International in 1990, Marc Gabelli has been a pivotal presence in the financial industry. He has served in numerous significant roles, including President and Director of GGCP, Inc., the parent company of the Gabelli organization, as well as CEO of Teton Advisors. Mr. Gabelli is passionate about philanthropy and is active in a variety of charitable efforts supporting educational institutions in the United States, Europe and the United Kingdom. Iona University is proud to be home to the Gabelli Center for Teaching & Learning, a vibrant hub for institutional innovation, faculty development, and the promotion of student success.
Presenters: Christine Hardigree, Ph.D., and Eric Abrams, Ph.D., Iona University
In this session, participants will consider a) what the data says about the current state of reading in the U.S.; b) what it means to engage students in literacy in the age in AI, and c) what concepts of AI literacy need to be interrogated and/or implemented in the classroom space. Through this workshop, participants will gain a better understanding of literacy pedagogy within the age of AI through experimentation and hands-on use of tools.
Format: Panel Discussion
Presenters: Drs. Sunghee Lee, Benjamin Gaines, Smiljana Petrovic, Nora Slonimsky, and Jeanne Zaino
More and more, data science is an important aspect of modern education and career readiness. We want to foster a culture where data science is recognized as an integral skill for students in order to prepare graduates in all fields to be successful in today's data-driven world. In this panel, the interdisciplinary group of faculty leading Iona's NSF Data Science for Future Leaders project will explore why it is important that the principles of data science be infused across the curriculum, share different ways they can be incorporated depending on discipline, and give examples of some of the great work faculty at Iona are already doing to help our students to become data literate. We aim to provide faculty with the resources needed to create and integrate data science modules into their existing courses, and we will discuss how anyone can get involved and participate in this exciting work.
Thank you to our Sponsors
This Gabelli Center for Teaching & Learning Conference is made possible through the support of Marc Gabelli and the EMG Madonna Foundation and a special sponsorship gift from the Gabelli Foundation, Inc.