#283 – A Teacher’s Perspective: How to Approach AI as an Institution (part 1)

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What’s in this episode?

AI integration in UK schools varies, with some embracing it for tasks like grading and personalised learning, while others avoid it in certain subjects. However, there is no risk-free AI. As these technologies spread in education, proactive strategies are crucial, not reactive ones.

Key concerns include AI providing misleading or biased information, generating explicit content without consent, and impacts on true learning if over-relied upon for content generation. Robust safeguarding measures addressing these risks are essential as AI permeates classrooms.

Effectively preparing teachers is paramount for successful AI adoption. Comprehensive training is needed not just for educators, but leaders too, ensuring all grasp the opportunities and challenges. Only then can AI enhance learning while keeping a human-centric approach.

Talking points and questions may include:

• What is the extent of AI penetration in your schools, including teacher usage, classes avoiding it, student use, and any strategies or evaluation plans in place regarding reactive or proactive AI adoption?
• No AI is risk-free, so concerns around impacts on learning, creativity, authorship, assessment, and whether students genuinely understand AI-generated content are critical issues
• Safeguarding measures must address the risks of AI providing misleading, biased, or explicit content without consent as these technologies proliferate in classrooms
• Comprehensive AI training is needed for educators at all levels to ensure smooth technology transitions while maintaining human-centric learning approaches as new tools and understanding are required

Guests:

• Emma Darcy, Director of Technology for Learning, Denbigh High School
• Sarah Buist, Head of Digital Strategy, Royal Grammar School Newcastle
• Rose Luckin, Professor of Learner Centred Design, UCL, Founder & CEO, Educate Ventures Research

In the Studio:

• Emma Darcy, Director of Technology for Learning, Denbigh High School

  

Emma is a leader with over twenty years’ experience developing digital strategy with both schools and Multi Academy Trusts, including technology for learning and inclusion, 1:1 device schemes, and A.I. to support educational outcomes. She is a Gold Pearson National Teaching Award Winner for Digital Innovator of the Year, the Global EdTech Award Winner for Most Impactful Senior Member of Staff, and the Workstream Lead (Teaching and Inclusive Practices) for A.I. in Education and Trustee for Apps For Good. A National and international speaker and author of UNESCO Best Practice Case Study on “Developing and delivering a successful technology for learning strategy in the UK”, Emma is also a Lifelong learner excited to see the future possibilities for digital technology in education.

• Sarah Buist, Head of Digital Strategy, Royal Grammar School Newcastle

  

I am currently Head of Digital Strategy at the Royal Grammar School in Newcastle. In this role, I champion the effective use of technology across the entire organisation. Over the past three years, my initiatives have included deploying laptops for staff and students, establishing a digital leader program to assess classroom technology impact, and streamlining administrative processes. As the lead for digital training, I ensure that teaching and support staff, as well as students, have strong digital literacy skills, this has now started to include training about the use of AI in society and education. Before this, I graduated from Exeter University with a BA(Hons) in Geography. My teaching career began in senior school geography across various schools in the Northeast of England, teaching in both the state and private sectors. Throughout my teaching experience, I’ve been passionate about leveraging technology to enhance student learning. In 2020, during the pandemic, I took on the role of Head of Digital Learning at Durham School, supporting students and staff alike.

 

Host

• Rose Luckin, Professor of Learner Centred Design, UCL, Founder & CEO, Educate Ventures Research

 

Rose Luckin is an internationally respected academic, and influential communicator across multiple stakeholders about the future of education and technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence (AI). With over 25 years of experience, she is a recognised expert on AI in education, serving as an advisor to policymakers, governments, and industry globally.

Professor Luckin is Emeritus at University College London and Founder and CEO of EDUCATE Ventures Research Limited (EVR), a company that provides training and consultancy to the education sector to help them leverage AI ethically and effectively.

Throughout her career, Rose has held key leadership roles in academia, including serving on the Director’s Strategy Group at the UCL Institute of Education from 2011-2015 and as Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Director of Undergraduate Studies for Science and Technology, and Co-founding Director of the Human Centred Technology research group at the University of Sussex from 2003-2006.

In recognition of her contributions, Rose was honoured as a Leading Woman in AI EDU at the ASU-GSV AIR Show in 2024, and received the 2023 ISTE Impact Award, becoming the first person outside North America to receive their top honour. She was also awarded the International Francqui Chair in 2018 by the Francqui Foundation in Belgium and named one of the 20 most influential people in education in the 2017 Seldon List.

A prolific author, Rose has published extensively in academic journals, books, and conference proceedings. Her 2018 book, “Machine Learning and Human Intelligence: The Future of Education for the 21st Century,” available in English and Mandarin, describes how AI can be effectively used to support teaching and learning. Her most recent book, “AI for School Teachers,” published in 2022, is an essential and accessible guide to AI for anyone involved in education.

As a highly sought-after speaker, Rose regularly delivers keynotes and public lectures across the globe on AI, ethics, and the future of education. She engages with the public through a monthly column in the Times Educational Supplement and op-eds in the Financial Times, Guardian, and China Daily. Rose has also appeared on various media outlets, including BBC Radio 4, ITV News, and CNBC. In addition to her academic and entrepreneurial roles, Rose serves as an advisor to Cambridge University Press and Assessment and is co-founder of the Institute for Ethical AI in Education. She is also President of The Self-Managed Learning Centre in Brighton and sits on a range of advisory boards within the education and training sector.  Rose holds a PhD in Cognitive and Computing Sciences and a First Class Bachelor’s degree in AI and Computer Science, both from the University of Sussex. Prior to her academic career, she achieved Associateship of the Chartered Institute of Bankers.

 

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