AI as a general purpose technology in schools

The article this week explores how schools around the world are beginning to integrate AI into teaching and learning, and why school leaders should see AI as a general-purpose technology (like electricity or the internet) that will reshape education over time.

While most school policies focus on privacy and academic integrity, the real opportunity and challenge lie in how AI is used to enhance curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Here are three key points for leaders to consider:

Curriculum design must stay rooted in subject knowledge
AI-generated content can look impressive but often lacks depth and nuance. Effective curriculum design depends on subject specialists who understand how knowledge builds within their field. The key is not whether an AI tool ‘works’, but whether it understands the subject the way the best teachers do.

Adaptive learning should be genuinely adaptive
Many so-called personalised systems simply adjust task difficulty rather than respond to how students think and learn. True adaptivity means diagnosing misconceptions, supporting effortful thinking, and complementing teacher expertise, not replacing it. The most effective tools reveal why students are struggling, not just what they got wrong.

Teachers must remain central in assessment
AI can streamline marking, collate work, and draft feedback, but teacher judgment must remain the final authority. The most promising models pair human expertise with AI efficiency, saving time while maintaining professional accuracy and nuance.

Read the full article

Happy coaching.

Kind regards
Mark