Participating Nationalities and Institutions

• Cameron Fox – Director, Korea International School (South Korea)

• Emma Macey – Dean (Academic & Strategy), Winchester College (UK)

• Jake KohnJake Kohn – Former English Teacher, WLSA Shanghai Academy (China), Groton School (US), Phillips Academy Andover (US)

• Jennifer Bradshaw – Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Ardsley Union Free School District (US)

• Konstantinos Efstathiou – Associate Professor of Mathematics & Associate Dean of Undergraduate Curriculum Affairs, Duke Kunshan University (China)Associate Professor of Mathematics & Associate Dean of Undergraduate Curriculum Affairs, Duke Kunshan University (China)

• Leslie Chain – Deputy Headmaster, Westville Boys' High School (South Africa)

• Marcel Gauthier – International Principal, WLSA Shanghai Academy (China)

• Mark Dzula – Director of Teaching and Learning Resources, The Webb Schools (US)

• Michelina Mastroianni – Vice Principal, Liceo Galvani (Italy)

• Neil Barnum – History Teacher, Korea International School Jeju Campus (South Korea)

• Nidhi Rathore – Content Coordinator, Emerald Heights International School (India)

• Oliver Jin – Innovation Specialist, WLSA Shanghai Academy (China)

• QIAN Hongchao (JC) – Academic Development Assistant and Capstone Teacher, WLSA Shanghai Academy (China)

• Russell Untiedt – Principal, Westville Girls' High School (South Africa)

• Slava Matvejevs – Director of Innovation and Technology, WLSA Shanghai Academy (China)

• Sharon He – Humanities Teacher, WLSA Shanghai Academy (China)

• Stuart Horlacher – Principal, Ardsley Middle School (US)

• Vicki Hawkins – Academic Digital Learning Lead, Cheltenham Ladies' College (UK)

• WEN Hongyi – ssistant Professor of Computer Science, NYU Shanghai (China）

• Young Jiao – Assistant Principal, WLSA Shanghai Academy (China)

• ZHANG Zhi – Director of the Smart Education Laboratory at East China Normal University
  (China)

• ZHENG Fangxian – Chair of WLSA, (China)), Former President of Shanghai Municipal Education Examinations Authority (China)

We kicked off the ceremony by posing an important question: As AI transforms learning, what do students gain in being physically present in the classroom? The irreplaceable qualities of the human capacity to build community, practice leadership and forge lifelong friendships are the driving force for AI to be used to ensure that it empowers our students and the future leaders of tomorrow.

Keynote Speech 1: Exploring the Intelligent Transformation of Educational Resources

The session focused on computational pedagogy, outlining its three transformative roles for AI:

• Knowledge & Method: Students must learn AI as a tool, understanding its functions and methods.

• Empowerment: AI should enhance — not replace — traditional learning models.

• Cognitive Shift: AI’s rapid integration is changing how we think and learn.

Panel 1: Al Empowering Education: Opportunities and Challenges in Transformation

This panel emphasized experimenting with AI in ways that fit local school cultures, promoting student-centered learning. The discussion cautioned against overreliance, viewing AI as a ‘non-sentient mirror’ of human data that requires a critical lens to address bias. While AI can boost efficiency, ethical analysis is essential to ensure students’ cultivate a sense of independent thinking.

Panel 2: Exploring Al Applications Across Different Subjects

The next panel of the day explored how AI can be applied across different subjects while navigating ethical boundaries, regulatory differences and practical challenges, emphasising that AI tools should accelerate rather than replace learning. The speakers highlighted the role of assessment, warned against technology isolating certain students from a sense of community and proposed that AI should always be used for human-centered goals.

Keynote Speech 2: Reimagining Education with Al: Towards Human-Al Collaborative Learning

This enlightening speech suggested that we should establish a learning environment with AI agents:

• Students should engage in discussions with their peers and teachers, keeping AI in the loop

• Teachers can use AI to track the learning process of students and gain valuable insights as a result

• AI can help produce a more personalized learning experience, leveraging student profiles and interactions

Al Connects Us: WLSA Network Social Collaboration

The final part of the day showed participants engaging in an evaluation of AI in different educational contexts, examining the role of teachers in the classroom, suggesting that AI cannot replace teachers, because teachers give students something that AI cannot offer: humanity.

Keynote Speech 1: Investigating the Impact of EdTech on Motivation and Engagement in Teaching and Learning

This speech examined the very interesting topic of how educational technology, particularly large language models (LLMs), affect student motivation, engagement and wellbeing. ‘LLMs are to humanities what calculators are to mathematics’, noting their speed and accuracy but warning of risks such as cognitive offloading and learned helplessness. Emphasizing self-determination theory, assesments should test recall and critical thinking, suggesting that overly structured learning environments may undermine student motivation.

Panel Session 1: Al Integration in Curriculum Design and Development

This panel called for the importance of promoting an emotional connection between teacher and student, as well as to reduce the risk of educators relying too heavily on AI to support curriculum development. Educators and schools should maintain a fundamental belief in a knowledge-rich education, allowing students to critically attain knowledge through technology, not passively.

Panel Session 2: Al Initiatives and Practices in the WLSA Network

We discussed how schools are adapting to AI with creative assessments, focusing on critical thinking and digital literacy. As we look ahead, and as AI continues to rapidly evolve our working environments, education must evolve alongside AI, preparing students to collaborate ethically and effectively with these tools.

Keynote Speech 2: Al Reshapes the Future Learning Landscape

This insightful keynote speech focused on how education has shifted from discussion-based learning to industrial-era standardized models shaped by the division of disciplines. Today, AI offers a new paradigm—empowering precise teaching, reconstructing processes, and reinventing learning scenarios.

Keynote Speech 3: Integrating Al into the University Curriculum: Perspectives and Challenges

The last keynote speech of the day discussed a few of the challenges of AI in a university environment, such as unequal access to standard tools, disparities in knowledge of AI’s capabilities and differing faculty attitudes toward its use.

Our closing remarks left everyone with food for thought, as our international principal of WLSA Shanghai Academy—Marcel Gaulthier—spoke on his thoughts from the last two days of the symposium. He emphasized that across WLSA schools, diversity in starting points, shaped by context and government oversight, means each school is on its own AI journey. As educators who take care in providing the best student experience, this requires leaders to distinguish between AI uses that enhance rather than diminish learning, inspiring students to approach these digital tools thoughtfully. By staying true to our shared academic values and embracing creativity, we can maximize learning, sustain our academic community, and prepare students to navigate a rapidly evolving educational landscape.

On August 12th, the visit to Tsinghua High School began with a warm welcome ceremony and an introduction to the school, followed by a guided campus tour. Guests attended a themed expert speech on the application of AI in teaching practice, engaging in discussions on educational philosophy. In the afternoon, the group visited XuetangX at Tsinghua Science Park, exploring the AI Exhibition Hall and hearing insightful presentations from leading academics and directors on AI-powered educational innovation, course development methodologies and real-world applications. The day concluded with a scenic tour of Tsinghua University’s campus, fostering meaningful exchange and collaboration throughout the visit.

Conclusion

From the intelligent transformation of educational resources to the integration of AI in curriculum design, the conversations at our AI Symposium reflected both a sense of optimism and caution. All of our insightful speakers and participants emphasized that while AI can accelerate learning, it cannot replicate the sense of community, creativity and empathy that define great teaching. The symposium reaffirmed WLSA’s mission to foster globally minded leaders, capable of navigating a rapidly evolving, AI-driven world with critical knowledge, wisdom and humanity.