#284 – A Teacher’s Perspective: It Has to Start with the Leadership Team (part 2)

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What’s in this episode?

In our second episode on AI in UK schools, Professor Rose Luckin explores AI integration further with three very special guests helping to lead the way with AI in their institutions.

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:

• Adam Webster, Deputy Head (Innovation), Caterham School & CEO of Sphinx AI
• Scott Hayden, Head of Teaching, Learning, and Digital, Basingstoke College of Technology
• Chris Goodall, Head of Digital Education, Bourne Education Trust

In the Studio:

• Adam Webster, Deputy Head (Innovation), Caterham School & CEO of Sphinx AI

  

Adam is an experienced senior education leader who has significant experience developing the effective use of technology in schools. This includes curriculum design, staff and pupil training, as well as developing the relationship between traditional science based-subjects and the creative arts. He is also the CEO of Sphinx AI, an offshoot company of Caterham School, which design AI platforms for schools, including RileyBot, which is a student-facing chatbot. Adam researches and discusses the curriculum offerings in schools to encourage them to be forward looking and address the changing needs arising by the ‘future of work’ discussions which are occurring across the world, which at Caterham, has led to the design of the ‘EDGE curriculum.’ Adam also has experience in safeguarding and in particular utilising and responding to the use of technology in helping young people and parents deal with a range of pastoral concerns. Adam is a regular writer and speaker on the use of technology in schools and has delivered a TEDx talk on the importance of disruption and change in the education system to meet the changing demands of the future workplace.

• Scott Hayden, Head of Teaching, Learning, and Digital, Basingstoke College of Technology

  

Scott serves as the Head of Teaching, Learning, and Digital at Basingstoke College of Technology (BCoT), leading a dedicated team of Expert Teachers and former students turned staff members. The team specialises in digitally enriching educational practices, and its efforts have been recognised with multiple accolades. They received the 2018 TES FE Award for ‘Outstanding use of Technology’ and played a pivotal role in the college initiative that won the Wellbeing at Work award at the Hampshire Inspire Awards 2023. In Scott’s role, he oversees Education & Training courses and manage the college’s Learning Coaches. Their focus is on observation-based staff development, targeted continuous professional development (CPD), and empathetic coaching. Scott is certified as a Google for Education Champion and a National Teaching Awards Silver Winner, and he also serves as a National Advisor for EdTech UK. Scott and his team have empowered over 100 educational institutions through the DfE’s EdTech Demonstrator Programme from 2020 to 2022.  Additionally, Scott is an active member of AI in Education, a cross-sector initiative announced in May 2023, aimed at exploring (in a deliberate, mindful, and intentional way) artificial intelligence in educational settings.

• Chris Goodall, Head of Digital Education, Bourne Education Trust

  

Chris is an innovative and dynamic Head of Digital Education & EdTech Innovator with a passion for fusing education with technology. His journey has taken him from being part of an outstanding leadership team at a secondary school, to IT consultancy, and then to serving as an IT Strategy Adviser within Surrey County Council. As the former Head of Surrey Online School, Chris has developed cutting-edge online learning solutions, making high-quality education accessible to Surrey students, schools, and services. Now, as the Head of Digital Education for a progressive multi-academy trust, he pioneers the application of AI in education, leveraging technology to enhance learning experiences. A certified Prince 2 project management practitioner, Chris excels in roles that broaden his skill set and challenge conventional practices. His unique combination of deep education sector understanding and commercial awareness enables him to create strategies that drive progress and success.

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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