Moving Beyond AI Basics: What Educators Are Focusing on Next

Why This Matters Now

Across international schools, generative AI has moved rapidly from experimentation to everyday consideration. Many educators are already familiar with foundational tools and concepts, yet questions about effective classroom use, assessment integrity, workload, and ethical decision-making remain unresolved. As AI capabilities continue to evolve, the professional conversation is shifting from what AI is to how educators work with it well.

For teachers and school leaders operating in diverse curricular and regulatory environments, this next phase presents both opportunity and pressure. Schools are increasingly expected to respond with clarity, while acknowledging that guidance and policy are still emerging.

Key Considerations for Schools and Educators

At this stage, the focus is less on specific tools and more on professional capability. Educators are grappling with how to design learning experiences where AI supports, rather than replaces, thinking; how to maintain academic integrity while recognising new forms of authorship; and how to make informed judgements about when AI use is pedagogically appropriate.

There is growing recognition that no single framework or policy resolves these challenges. Effective practice depends on subject context, student age, assessment design, and school culture. This complexity reinforces the need for ongoing professional dialogue rather than quick solutions.

Implications for Practice and Leadership

In classrooms, AI is already influencing lesson planning, differentiation, and feedback practices. Teachers are testing how AI can streamline routine tasks while preserving depth of learning. These decisions require reflection, iteration, and a clear understanding of learning intent.

At a systems level, leaders are navigating broader questions around staff guidance, student expectations, and communication with families. Decision-making increasingly relies on professional judgement informed by shared learning, rather than fixed rules in a fast-changing landscape.

Professional Learning as an Ongoing Process

As AI tools continue to change, professional learning in this area is becoming more iterative and practice-based. Educators benefit from opportunities that allow them to explore real examples, develop core skills for working effectively with AI, and discuss implications with peers who are facing similar challenges.

This approach reflects a wider shift in professional learning: moving beyond introductory sessions toward deeper capability-building that supports confident, context-aware use over time.

Supporting the Next Stage of Practice

For educators looking to extend their practice beyond the basics, schools are increasingly engaging with facilitated learning that focuses on practical application. One such opportunity is AI Next Steps for Educators, a half-day workshop led by Andrew Mowat, Co-founder of EduSpark, which explores current and emerging AI capabilities through a classroom-focused lens.

EdEvents highlights professional learning experiences like this as part of its role in supporting educators to engage thoughtfully with complex and evolving areas of practice.

Looking Ahead

AI is likely to remain a defining feature of contemporary education, not because of any single tool, but because of the professional decisions it requires educators to make. As schools continue to navigate uncertainty and rapid change, sustained, reflective professional learning will play a key role in ensuring AI is integrated with purpose, care, and educational integrity.

Learn more and register: edSummit Singapore 2026 | EdEvents Community