The right tool at the right time.
Four questions that turn any "should we use this digital tool?" conversation into a structured decision — grounded in professional judgment, not vendor hype or political opinions. The WISE framework can be used for all tools, analog and digital, so don't see it as a model that should only be used when it comes to AI.
Notice that the third step is colored differently. That's deliberate: Weigh, Inspect and Evaluate are reflective steps — Select is the decision moment, where professional judgment becomes a concrete choice.
W — Weigh the learning goal
What should students learn? What prior knowledge do they have? Always start with pedagogy — never with the tool.
I — Inspect what the subject requires
What does this particular subject and content call for? An essay in language arts has different tool needs than a problem-solving task in mathematics.
S — Select the right tool
Choose the tool that best serves learning for the students you have: pen and paper, a physical book, a digital book, other digital tools, an AI tool, no tool at all, or something entirely different?
E — Evaluate the outcome
Did it work well? Did students learn better with this tool than they would have with a different one? Adjust and run the cycle again.
The WISE Framework for Teachers
W — Weigh the learning goal
What should students learn? What prior knowledge do they have? Always start with pedagogy — never with the tool.
I — Inspect what the subject requires
What does this particular subject and content call for? An essay in language arts has different tool needs than a problem-solving task in mathematics.
S — Select the right tool
Choose the tool that best serves learning for the students you have: pen and paper, a physical book, a digital book, other digital tools, an AI tool, no tool at all, or something entirely different? The Evidence Toolkit gives you a ranked, source-cited menu of teaching moves with the largest evidence-based effects — sorted by effect size, with implementation cost noted, and with a built-in prompt builder for interrogating any claim.
E — Evaluate the outcome
Did it work well? Did students learn better with this tool than they would have with a different one? Adjust and run the cycle again.
The WISE Framework for School Leaders
W — Weigh the objective
What problem should this initiative solve? Start with the school's vision and the needs of students and teachers — not with the tech budget or the latest tool.
I — Investigate subjects and operations
Which subjects and activities benefit from this initiative — and which don't? An investment that works in mathematics may not work in language arts. Conduct thorough needs assessments that lead to well-founded decisions!
S — Select with strategic intent
Which tools should the school invest in — and which should it actively choose not to? Which of the tools currently available deliver the desired results and which don't? The Evidence Toolkit gives a source-cited overview of teaching interventions ranked by their effect on learning — useful when deciding which approaches to prioritise across the school.
E — Evaluate with data
Set evaluation criteria before the initiative is implemented — not afterwards. Did student outcomes improve? Did teacher competence increase? Use data to evaluate and discontinue what doesn't work.
Download the WISE handout
Two-page A4 PDF.
Common questions about the WISE Framework
What is the WISE Framework for Education?
WISE is a four-step decision model — Weigh, Inspect, Select, Evaluate — that helps teachers and school leaders decide whether (and which) tool fits a specific learning goal. It puts professional judgment at the centre rather than the technology itself, and works for any tool, analog or digital — not only AI.
Who is the WISE Framework for?
Teachers, principals, school administrators, and education leaders. WISE is presented in two layers — a classroom version focused on learning outcomes for individual lessons, and a leadership version focused on whole-school strategy, procurement, and evaluation.
How is WISE different from other AI-in-school models?
WISE assumes the right answer is sometimes "no AI". The goal is matching tool to learning, not adopting tools per se. It is also explicitly written for the realities of running a Swedish school — curriculum logic, GDPR, and teacher workload — but the structure transfers to any school system.
Is the WISE Framework only for AI tools?
No. WISE evaluates any pedagogical tool — pen-and-paper exercises, textbooks, digital platforms, AI assistants, or no tool at all. AI is one option on the menu, not the default. That neutrality is part of why teachers can use it without a stance for or against AI.
Where can I download the WISE Framework?
A two-page A4 PDF handout is available on this page in both English (WISE) and Swedish (RÄTT-modellen). It is free to download, adapt, and share for educational use under the site's CC BY-NC-SA license.