Final conference

Empowering teachers in the age of AI

DAY 1: Thursday, 18  January 2024

9:00 Welcome to the participants

Claude Meisch
Minister of Education, Children and Youth
Luxembourg

Hervé Ferrage
Interim Director General
France Education International
France

Video recording

France Education International & CNAM/CNESCO

Project objectives and main results & Evaluation of impact results. Opening to challenges and opportunities seen from the project.

Video recording

Alain Thillay, Policy Officer / Seconded National Expert, DG-EAC-C4 Digital Education Unit (European Commission)

Plenary on the perspective of the European Commission regarding AI and the empowerment of teachers.
What are the implications of it for the country members? How is the AI4T answering to this?

Video recording

11:30 Coffee break

Moderators: Michael Hallissy and Daniela Hau

Speakers:

  • Mutlu Cukurova, Professor of Learning and Artificial Intelligence – UCL
  • Margarida Romero, Professor at the « Laboratoire d’Innovation et Numérique pour l’Education » – Université Côte d’Azur
  • Marko Grobelnik, AI Researcher – AI Lab of Slovenia’s Jozef Stefan Institute

Video recording

13:00-14:30 Lunch

Moderator: Petra Bevek

Speakers:

  • Anthony Kilcoyne, Representative of the Ministry of Education – Ireland
  • Axel Jean, Representative of the Ministry of Education – France
  • Igor Pesek, Representative of the Ministry of Education – Slovenia
  • Daniela Hau, Representative of the Ministry of Education – Luxembourg
  • Giuseppina Russo, Representative of the Ministry of Education – Italy

Video recording

15:30 Coffee break

Moderator: Colin de la Higuera

Speakers:

  • Robert Reuter, Assistant professor in Educational Psychology – University of Luxembourg
  • Deirdre Butler, Professor at the Institute of Education – School of STEM Education, Innovation & Global Studies – DCU
  • Wayne Holmes, Associate Professor – UCL Knowledge Lab at University College London
  • Pietro Perconti, Professor at the »Dipartimento di Scienze cognitive, psicologiche, pedagogiche e degli studi culturali« – Universita degli studi di Messina

The panel discussion aims at attempting to answer some of the more complex -and usually undealt with questions:

  • What are the costs incurred with the challenges of AI in Education?
  • If we decide to teach AI, what background are the teachers going to have?
  • And, if generative AI can provide an alternative to knowledge acquisition, will it not just make education less democratic by only making necessary the higher hanging fruit?

Video recording

Moderators: Koen Cloostermans and Björn Rohles

This design thinking workshop focuses on policymaking in the transformative era of AI, addressing the enduring challenges rooted in the traditional, Taylorist approach to education – uniformity in learning methods and environments. Recognising that AI can significantly amplify the outcomes of these existing problem areas, for better or worse, the workshop aims to explore innovative policy solutions. Through collaborative sessions, participants will be guided to design and prototype policies that harness AI’s potential for educational advancement while mitigating its risks.

EU Digital Education HUB, AI Squad

NOTE: This workshop will also be available online, on Zoom. 

Moderators:

  • Jessica Niewint Gori, INDIRE, Italy
  • Madhumalti Sharma, EU Code Week Ambassador for Luxembourg, EASE – European Association of STEAM Educators, and Founder and President, Workshop4Me a.s.b.l., Luxembourg
  • Cristina Obae, NEdHo Aviation SRL
  • Lidija Kralj, Education Analyst & Adviser, EU Digital Education HUB, Croatia
  • Petra Bevek, Ministry of Education, Slovenia

The workshop has two main objectives: Firstly, to make participants aware of the Digital Education HUB reports, AI Squad, and secondly, to discuss the potential use of artificial intelligence (AI) and all its aspects in their own learning environment. In this context, participants will reflect on the questions that will guide the discussion: from ethical issues to GDPR, are they already using artificial intelligence in their learning environment, do they have any reservations, what support do they need or expect, what opportunities does the use of AI in the classroom offer, etc.

The joint discussion and exchange of experiences will promote understanding of the possibilities of integrating AI into the educational process. The workshop will allow participants to discuss and reflect on concrete scenarios for the use of AI in their classrooms.

Moderators:

  • Manuel Gentile, National Research Council of Italy
  • Salvatore Perna, National Research Council of Italy
  • Anthony Kilcoyne, Oide, Ireland
  • Petra Bevek, Ministry of Education, Slovenia

The workshop begins and ends with a dynamic four-corner debate that encourages discussion and critical thinking.
In the first phase, AI-based tools in education will be introduced and their functions explored. In interactive sessions, participants share their knowledge and discuss advantages and disadvantages. An overview of a research project deals with network relationships, in particular the interaction between teachers and students. Teachers reflect on the change in awareness and discuss the advantages and disadvantages.
The workshop concludes with a practical exercise in which teachers are asked to imagine changes in traditional homework scenarios and develop strategies while documenting their findings in a classroom activity template provided.

How are practices and skills changing at school for teachers and students?

Moderators: 

  • Daniela Hau, SCRIPT
  • Bastien Masse, Nantes University

This workshop will explore the evolving landscape of learning and teaching in the age of AI, asking how educational practices and skills are changing for both teachers and students. Participants will explore a range of AI tools and how they can be integrated into classrooms to enhance the learning experience, while also considering the unique value and role of teachers in a technology-rich educational environment. The workshop will focus on identifying enduring human-centred skills, the distinctive contributions of educators in the AI-enabled classroom, and strategies for fostering a collaborative and effective human-AI partnership in education.

18:00 Conclusions and aperitif

Day 2: Friday, 19 January 2024

09:00 Welcome to the participants

Romina Cachia, Scientific Researcher at the Joint Research Centre – European Commission

Plenary on the presentation of the JRC report “On the Futures of Technology in Education: Emerging Trends and Policy Implications” with a focus on the link between technologies and teacher practices.

Video recording

Duolingo (Alina Von Davier), LuxAI (Aida Nazari), Orange (Blaz Zupan)

Discussion between AI in education technologies to identify their use, challenges and possibilities for teachers and students

Video recording

11:30 Coffee break

[Round table] Participating teachers in the AI4T professional training pathway

Moderator: Anthony Kilcoyne

Presentation of innovative pedagogical practices implemented by teachers during the AI4T project in 5 European countries.

  • Gerard Kraus, Luxembourg
  • Laurent Gimazane, France
  • Zorana Fabrici Robnik, Slovenia
  • Carmen Manduca, Italy
  • Seamus Barry, Ireland

Video recording

13:00-14:00 Lunch

Participating teachers in the AI4T professional training pathway

Testimonies and feedback on activities, initiatives and teaching content tried out during the project.

Insights into Vittascience, an educational platform designed for learning coding, which offers innovative tools for teaching.

Participants need to bring their own computer or tablet. 

Insights into NOLEJ, an online tool to empower instructional designers and teachers to rapidly generate interactive eLearning material. 

Participants need to bring their own computer or tablet. 

Insights into Vittascience, an educational platform designed for learning coding, which offers innovative tools for teaching.

Participants need to bring their own computer or tablet. 

Insights into NOLEJ, an online tool to empower instructional designers and teachers to rapidly generate interactive eLearning material. 

Participants need to bring their own computer or tablet. 

A free space to connect to other participants and share ideas between teachers, head masters, inspectors, policy makers and researchers.

17:00 Closing note