The incredible benefits of Agentic AI and the Artificial Intelligence (AI) tool NotebookLM were shared in our May 2025 blog post, found here. This month's post will provide even more insights and research on the benefits for students in science, as well as the benefits for teachers of science. Where applicable, this blog shared posts by other science teachers on how they have used this AI tool in their practice.

Benefits for Students in Science Classes

• Higher Engagement and Interest. Early classroom trials suggest NotebookLM’s AI-generated conversations can captivate students. For example, a high school physics teacher used NotebookLM’s “Deep Dive” feature to create a 10-minute podcast-style dialogue summarizing a physics unit, and noted that “the students were actually engaged for the 10-minute section” played in class in an article published in Australia. Notebook LMs conversational format—with two AI “hosts” discussing science content— presents information in a lively, relatable way. Educators have observed the AI hosts making connections and analogies, and breaking down complex concepts in an interesting, human-like manner, according to Dr. Caitlin Tucker.  In one case, the AI added relevant examples and anecdotes beyond the textbook, delivered in a “flawless conversational style” that surprised the teacher with its depth and scientific accuracy. This engaging delivery helps spark curiosity and keeps students attentive during science lessons.
   
• Improved Conceptual Understanding. NotebookLM serves as a personal study assistant that can reinforce and clarify science concepts. Students can upload class notes or readings (e.g., a biology chapter or lab guide) and ask the AI questions or request summaries. A benefit of using Notebook LM is that the content uploaded is not used to train other LLMs, and results are drawn only from what the user provides. Tucker noted that one AP Biology student found that having NotebookLM generate a study guide and even a podcast from her notes helped her double-check her understanding of dense material. Rather than replace reading, these AI-generated summaries, glossaries, and quizzes “enhance comprehension” by highlighting key ideas in another format, said Tucker. The tool can condense complex processes, such as photosynthesis or Newton’s laws, into more digestible points, which students can review as flashcards or Questions and Answers. This on-demand tutoring assistance allows science students to solidify their grasp of challenging topics at their own pace, outside of class time and was addressed in a prior blog.
   
• Accessible, Multimodal Learning: A noted strength of NotebookLM is its ability to present information in multiple formats, catering to diverse learning needs. Teachers report success using the Audio Overview feature to generate an AI-hosted podcast of science content, providing an alternative to text for students who learn better by listening. This has clear benefits for students with dyslexia or visual impairments, multilingual learners processing complex texts in a non-native language, and those who prefer listening to information. For instance, a biology teacher can upload a chapter on cell mitosis and instantly get an accessible audio discussion of the key points. NotebookLM also produces supportive study materials like glossaries of scientific terms and FAQs. The study guide feature is a great way to generate quiz questions and a glossary of key terms (with definitions) for a lesson. For students who struggle with vocabulary or conceptual understanding, this can be extremely helpful. By offering content through text, audio, Q&A, and summaries, the tool makes science content more approachable and reduces barriers for learners with different needs. Students can choose to read or listen, empowering them to engage with complex science concepts in the mode that suits them best, an approach aligned with Universal Design for Learning principles.
   
• Personalized and Self-Paced Learning. Although NotebookLM is not a fully adaptive tutor, it does enable a degree of personalization in how learners study science content. Students can use it as a self-paced inquiry tool: for example, exploring a topic like human homeostasis through an interactive Q&A with the AI based on class materials. Teachers have set up independent learning stations where students use NotebookLM to explore resources and ask the AI questions, turning a traditionally teacher-led review into a student-driven exercise. This gives students control over the pace and path of their learning: If one student needs extra help on Newtonian mechanics, they might prompt the AI for step-by-step explanations or examples, while another student might skip ahead to more advanced questions. Such implementations in science classes show that NotebookLM can differentiate and personalize students’ learning to also allow them to dive deeper into what they don’t fully understand. This Agentic AI tool makes it okay not to know something because AI can easily answer the question of an unraised hand. In practice, this means a more personalized learning experience: A student can focus on reinforcing their own weak spots (say, confusion between kinetic vs. potential energy) by querying the AI, without waiting for scheduled teacher help. This kind of on-demand support and flexibility can boost confidence and mastery in science, as students get immediate answers and feedback tailored to the content they are struggling with.

Benefits for Teachers in Science Education

• Time-Saving in Lesson Prep and Review. NotebookLM can dramatically reduce the time teachers spend creating study materials and reiterating content. Instead of manually writing study guides, review questions, or summaries of a science lesson, a teacher can upload their lecture slides or lab notes to NotebookLM and get auto-generated resources within minutes. Teachers have reported using this to turn a slide deck on, say, climate change into a student-friendly FAQ handout and quiz in seconds. This benefits both teachers and students by providing ready-made review materials.  After review by the teacher, these AI-created guides help absent students catch up on what they missed and let all students review at any time, without the teacher having to spend extra periods re-teaching or making recovery packets. By outsourcing the first draft of study resources to the AI, science teachers save precious planning time.
   
• Enhanced Instructional Support and Differentiation. For science educators, a key benefit of NotebookLM is the ability to easily differentiate instruction and support varied learning levels. Teachers can curate the exact curriculum materials the AI uses— uploading textbook chapters, labs, or reference articles aligned to their science standards—then instruct NotebookLM to generate outputs tailored to their class context. Because the AI’s answers are grounded in the teacher-provided sources, its explanations and examples tend to stay on-topic with the curriculum. This makes it useful for aligning with standards and reinforcing specific learning objectives. For instance, a chemistry teacher can upload a state standards document on chemical reactions; NotebookLM can then generate sample quiz questions or summaries focusing on those required concepts. Teachers also use the tool to produce leveled resources: One middle school science teacher created both a basic summary and an advanced discussion from the same set of materials to challenge different groups of students. Such differentiated materials help teachers meet diverse needs without having to manually write multiple versions of notes or assignments. As Google’s education team has noted, NotebookLM (part of their AI toolkit) is helping teachers create “differentiated experiences for students with varying learning needs”—from special education to ESL to gifted learners.  By automatically handling modifications (such as simplifying language or extracting advanced insights), the AI assistant supports teachers in delivering instruction at the right level for each student.
   
• Focus on High-Value Teaching Activities. Automating parts of planning and review translates into more time and energy for teachers to spend on what really matters: direct interaction with students. Early adopters report that using NotebookLM to handle routine tasks (note summarizing, generating practice problems, etc.). For science class stations, while some students engage with an AI-generated review station, the teacher can pull aside a group for a hands-on experiment or remediation. Teachers have found this shift valuable: Instead of photocopying documents to make packets or repeating a review lecture, they can tutor a struggling student on the spot or challenge advanced students with extension problems. With NotebookLM handling fact-based Q&A, teachers can use class time to focus on inquiry-based science practices—like labs, debates on scientific issues, or critical-thinking exercises—rather than just delivering content. The overall result is that teachers can concentrate on facilitating experiments, guiding analysis, and addressing misconceptions, confident that an AI assistant has helped ensure every student has access to the core content in a usable form.
   
• Curriculum Alignment and Knowledge Organization. Science teachers also benefit from NotebookLM when organizing and aligning curriculum materials. The platform encourages educators to “curate the resources” for a given science topic and upload them into a dedicated notebook. This process itself can help teachers organize their lesson content (e.g., gathering all PDFs for a unit on genetics in one place). Once uploaded, NotebookLM’s ability to cross-reference and synthesize across documents can reveal connections or inconsistencies in the curriculum. For example, a teacher might upload a district curriculum guide, lab instructions, and an article on DNA and have the AI identify the key points and common themes. In Chicago Public Schools, staff have even used NotebookLM to digest curriculum guides and policies, simplifying dense documents and extracting actionable points for teachers. In the classroom context, this means a science teacher could more easily ensure their teaching notes and assessments align with the official standards: The AI might surface a specific performance expectation from the standards that the teacher can emphasize. This kind of alignment normally requires significant teacher effort to cross-walk materials, but NotebookLM accelerates it by analyzing all provided content and summarizing it. By trusting (but verifying) these summaries, teachers can update their lesson plans to cover any gaps the AI finds in the material. Thus, NotebookLM acts as an intelligent organizer for curriculum content, supporting teachers in aligning lessons to learning goals and keeping the flow of science topics logical and connected.

References

Tucker, C. February 8, 2025. Increasing accessibility with AI: How NotebookLM supports inclusive learning. Dr. Catlin Tucker blog.  https://catlintucker.com/. 

Ganesan, D. April 12, 2025. The one thing this student will never ask AI to do. Education Week. www.edweek.org/technology/opinion-the-one-thing-this-student-will-never-ask-ai-to-do/2025/04#:~:text=2,assistant%2C%20not%20a%20reading%20replacement.  

Google for Education. August 29, 2023. Back to school: AI features for students and educators. The Keyword.  https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/google-ai-features-students-educators-2024/#:~:text=,Slides%2C%20web%20URLs%20and%20more. (Google Education Blog. Accessed via Jennifer Holland post).

Kennett, R. May 20, 2025. Can a deep dive support learning?  LearningForge Education Blog. www.learningforge.com.au/post/can-a-deep-dive-support-learning#:~:text=The%20,more%20on%20that%20later. 

Royce, C. A., and V. Bennett. May 12, 2025. Agentic AI: Developing the benefits for classroom learning – Part I. NSTA Blog. www.nsta.org/blog/agentic-ai-developing-benefits-classroom-learning-part-i#:~:text=As%20noted%20above%2C%20this%20is,online%20programs%20like%20Khan%20Academy.
Sinha, S. March 20, 2025. 8 universities and schools transforming education with the help of Google AI. The Keyword. https://blog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/customer-stories-gemini/#:~:text=Teachers%20are%20using%20Gemini%20to,work%2C%E2%80%9D%20says%20teacher%20Tara%20Potter.

Valerie Bennett, Ed.D., Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in STEM Education at Clark Atlanta University, where she also serves as the Program Director for Graduate Teacher Education and the Director for Educational Technology and Innovation. With more than 25 years of experience and degrees in engineering from Vanderbilt University and Georgia Tech, she focuses on STEM equity for underserved groups. Her research includes AI interventions in STEM education, and she currently co-leads the Noyce National Science Foundation grant, works with the Atlanta University Center Data Science Initiative, and collaborates with Google to address CS workforce diversity and engagement in the Atlanta University Center K–12 community.

Christine Anne Royce, Ed.D., is a past president of the National Science Teaching Association and currently serves as a Professor in Teacher Education and the Co-Director for the MAT in STEM Education at Shippensburg University. Her areas of interest and research include utilizing digital technologies and tools within the classroom, global education, and the integration of children's literature into the science classroom. She is an author of more than 140 publications, including the Science and Children Teaching Science Through Trade Books column.

Note: This article is part of the blog series From Chalkboards to AI, which focuses on how artificial intelligence can be used in the classroom in support of science as explained and described in A Framework for K–12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards.

The mission of NSTA is to transform science education to benefit all through professional learning, partnerships, and advocacy.