What happens when educators move beyond the hype and get practical about AI in the classroom?
Last week, I was in Kuwait for four days of intensive AI training with Cambridge University Press & Assessment, Educate Ventures Research, and Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS). It was the final in-person sessions for a cohort who had already completed three months of hybrid learning – and the energy in the room showed just how far they’d come.
The participants were teachers, trainers and educators from across primary, secondary and higher education. What brought them together was a shared question: how can AI genuinely support better teaching and learning?
Beyond the tools
The programme deliberately starts with pedagogy, not technology. Day one focused on pedagogical approaches – not just what AI can do, but how we use it thoughtfully. Participants designed their own frameworks on Miro boards, thinking carefully about what gets offloaded to AI, what the gains are, and what risks need managing.
This matters because the conversation about AI in education too often jumps straight to tools and features. The educators in Kuwait were asking harder questions: What do I want my students to learn? Where does AI help with that? Where might it get in the way?
Building confidence, maintaining judgement
Day two tackled safe and effective use – building AI literacy and critical thinking skills for students, exploring personalised learning, and getting hands-on with automation tools. Some participants even tried vibe-coding, using AI to help them build simple applications.
Day three was all about assessment: designing robust assessments in an AI age, exploring formative assessment tools, and working through the ethical considerations that really matter.
The final day brought it together with action planning and peer presentations. Participants left with real plans they can take back to their institutions – not abstract ideas, but concrete next steps.
What makes this work
Three things stood out from the programme.
First, the combination of online and in-person learning. Three months of structured online modules meant participants arrived in Kuwait with a shared foundation. The face-to-face sessions could then focus on application, discussion and collaboration rather than covering basics.
Second, the diversity in the room. Having primary teachers learning alongside university lecturers created unexpected connections. The challenges are different, but the underlying questions about AI’s role in education cut across all levels.
Third, and most importantly, the stance participants took towards AI itself. These educators were curious and open to experimentation, but also critical. They weren’t looking for AI to replace their professional judgement – they were looking to understand where it could support the work they already do well.
The bigger picture
Programmes like this matter because they help educators build confidence with AI while maintaining healthy scepticism about its limits. The goal isn’t to create AI enthusiasts or AI sceptics. It’s to develop educators who can make informed decisions about when and how to use these tools with their students.
Watching that happen over four days in Kuwait reminded me why this work is worth doing.