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Vince Wall - AI for Teaching and Learning Project Leader
All Hallows’ School, Brisbane
The integration of generative AI into the classroom promises to transform approaches to how we teach and learn. At the recent Future of Learning Summit, the presentation titled Bringing Generative AI into the Classroom: The Lived Experience provided invaluable
insights into this exciting journey. This presentation was an exploration of the approach taken by All Hallows’ School to
engagement with Artificial Intelligence.
The presentation highlighted that the successful integration of AI must not be about ‘the technology’ in and of itself. The successful integration of AI within education requires a clear vision and leadership. It requires a grounding in the core values of schools and for a focus on learning.
It's Not About the Tech
All Hallows’ School emphasises that the successful integration of AI into the classroom is not
narrowly focussed on the specific platforms or affordances of what is a rapidly emerging and
changing technology. Since November 2022, the school has taken an approach to engaging
with AI that is grounded in the constancy and certainty that comes from a clearly articulated
School mission and set of values. As such, ‘learning’ has primacy over tech at All Hallows’.
The successful integration of AI at All Hallows’ School is a collaborative effort involving the
entire school community. Academic faculties, non-teaching staff, all levels of leadership
(including governance), students, and the wider school community have all been connected
within a process that seeks to harness the potential of AI for teaching and learning.
Leadership
The School's leadership team plays a crucial role in navigating the complexities of AI
integration. In some schools, the rapid pace of technological change seems to have led to a
culture of reactivity. In such cultures, tech can take primacy over learning, tools can
proliferate, and impacts be diluted. In these environments, it is difficult to manage risks to
school data and to expose the community to foreseeable risks.
Taking a values-based, whole-school, learning-centred approach to AI ensures that school
leaders can guide as they grapple with the rapid adoption, complexity and ubiquity of
Generative AI.
Rather than attempting to respond to "everything, everywhere, all at once”, the All Hallows’
approach is both proactive and responsive. All Hallows’ School prioritises the development
of regularly reviewed, fit-for-purpose and robust policies, procedures, and guidelines that
guide action.
At All Hallows’ a suite of new and existing documents work together in ways that address
safety and privacy concerns, learning and pedagogy, student wellbeing, and appropriate
uses of technology.
The School’s leadership has recognised both the opportunities and challenges associated
with AI integration and has taken a research-informed approach to ensure best practice
outcomes.
Safety and Privacy Priorities
Safety and privacy are top priorities for All Hallows’ School. The School has implemented arange of practices and procedures that aim to protect student data and to maintain a safe
learning environment. These measures are part of the school's broader commitment to
creating a supportive educational experience for all students. The session indicated the
important role played by wellbeing teams, the Commonwealth eSafety Commissioner and
other agencies in supporting school communities, families, and students in the age of AI.
As a Microsoft Showcase School, All Hallows’ works within the Microsoft ecosystem.
Microsoft Copilot is the core AI element of this ecosystem. While other AI tools are explored
beyond this ecosystem, this occurs against an institutional understanding that ‘data is the
new asbestos’ – and we need to know ‘where it is’, how it is protected, and how our
community is safeguarded as much as possible.
Frameworks Supporting Wellbeing and Academic Priorities
Often schools see AI via a purely academic lens. The presentation indicated that such an
approach is deficient. The integration of AI at All Hallows’ School references both the
School’s Teaching and Learning Framework and Fit For Life Framework. This approach
ensures that AI supports not only academic learning but also the overall development and
wellbeing of students. The holistic growth of students is central to the school’s to the use of
AI. The school’s frameworks are designed to enhance students’ wellbeing, learning, agency
and voice.
Emerging Best Practice Approaches
The presentation also shed light on emerging best practices in AI for teaching and learning.
It was pointed out that, while there is no universally accepted best practice, a developing
body of research does exist. This research is often reflected in the work of thought leaders.
Core thought leaders for educators to engage with include:
Ethan Mollick
Amanda Bickerstaff
Julie Inman-Grant
Leon Furze
Dr Nick Jackson
Matthew Esterman
Jason Lodge
Cath Ellis
Sabba Quidwai
Stefan Bauschard
The presentation indicated that best practices approaches addressed the ethical issues
associated with AI use. Such practices aimed to ‘amplify humanity’ by enhancing connection,
collaboration, voice, agency, critical thinking and creativity. They promoted inclusion. Best
practice approaches suggest a need for rethinking assessment, the need for AI use to be
employed within subject specific pedagogies, and to address the full development needs of
all students.
Other Takeaways
The presentation underscored the importance of opportunities for teachers to refocus their
attention on the nature of learning and the need to enhance student agency and voice. The
discussion also touched upon the need to rethink assessment – for educators to reimagine assessment in the age of AI, not as a product but, as gathering opportunities evidence of a
process learning,
It was emphasised that, by leveraging generative AI, educators might create more engaging
and personalised learning experiences that empower students to take charge of their
learning journeys.
About The Author
Vince Wall is the AI for Teaching and Learning Project leader at All Hallows' School in Brisbane. He is a fulltime classroom History teacher with a wide range of school leadership experiences. He has post-graduate qualifications in educational leadership and is currently a PhD candidate focusing on pedagogy and artificial intelligence. He is passionate about learning. His work focuses on how teachers might best engage with emergent technologies to support learners.
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