Introduction
Engaging with research is an essential part of our profession. Whether shaping curriculum, refining pedagogy or making strategic decisions, teachers and leaders rely on evidence to guide thoughtful practice. Yet many academic papers can feel dense, technical and time-consuming to interpret, especially during a busy school week. Today’s Appvent reveal focuses on a tool that supports colleagues to navigate complex research without losing the depth and nuance that make it valuable
AI Tool of the Day: Explainpaper
Explainpaper is a tool that helps readers make sense of challenging academic texts. You upload a PDF or paste an extract, highlight the passage you want unpacked and receive a clear explanation in accessible language. The tool stays close to the original meaning and supports understanding rather than oversimplifying. It is a scaffold, not a shortcut, and helps colleagues approach research with confidence.
For teachers and leaders who want to strengthen their engagement with evidence, Explainpaper offers a purposeful way to clarify unfamiliar terminology, draw out argument structure and interpret domain-specific language. Interpretation remains with you. The tool supports the process rather than taking control of it.
Educational Impact
Explainpaper reduces cognitive load when reading research. When faced with unfamiliar vocabulary or complex methodology, teachers can clarify meaning quickly without losing the thread of the paper. This helps maintain focus on reasoning, reflection and classroom application.
For leaders, the tool supports more efficient engagement with reports, guidance notes and studies that inform whole school decisions. Being able to unpack dense sections in seconds frees time to think carefully about the implications for curriculum, teaching and professional development.
Explainpaper also contributes to accessibility. Colleagues who find long academic prose overwhelming may find the targeted explanations particularly helpful. It supports sustained engagement with research while keeping the experience manageable and inclusive.
Practical Application
Using Explainpaper is simple. Upload a paper or paste the text you want to explore. When you encounter a passage you want to understand more clearly, highlight it and request an explanation. This creates a more fluid reading experience, especially when engaging with unfamiliar areas of pedagogy or curriculum.
Explainpaper works well during professional learning. Teams can use it to unpack complex studies together, strengthening shared understanding. Leaders might use it to explore national evidence summaries before shaping strategic decisions. Because the explanation remains anchored to the original text, discussions stay grounded and purposeful.
Explainpaper does not summarise whole papers automatically. Instead, it prompts closer reading and encourages colleagues to engage thoughtfully with the ideas presented.
Considerations and Tips
Explainpaper is most effective when used to support, rather than replace, your reading. Use it to clarify specific points while still engaging fully with the original source. This preserves nuance and avoids oversimplification. So, for example, when reading a study on retrieval practice, use Explainpaper to clarify statistical terminology, but ensure you still evaluate the classroom applicability yourself.
If you want more precise explanations, use the STAIR framework (my approach for better AI prompting) when prompting: be specific about what you want clarified, tell the tool the angle or level of detail required, ask for actionable clarity, iterate as needed and assign a role such as “explain this for a teacher new to this field”. This keeps the output aligned with your intent.
Conclusion
Explainpaper offers teachers and leaders a practical way to engage with academic research with greater clarity and confidence. By helping colleagues navigate complex texts without adding to workload, it strengthens evidence informed practice in a manageable and inclusive way. Whether you are exploring a subject-specific study, unpacking a policy document or supporting colleagues through CPD, Explainpaper is a helpful companion for deeper professional learning.
Join me tomorrow for Day 9 of the Appvent Calendar with special guest Lyndsey Stuttard joining me to share about her AI pick of the calendar.
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