Introduction

The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping how we interact with knowledge, compelling educational systems to evolve beyond outdated models. As the OECD warns in Elliott et al., 2024, AI’s ability to outperform humans in reasoning and problem-solving means schools must prioritize intellectual growth, creativity, and civic engagement over mere skill acquisition.

Central to this transition are adaptive feedback loops (AFLs) – dynamic systems where learners, educators, and AI collaborate to build responsive, ever-improving learning environments.

Throwing in the Towel Before the Game Begins

Picture this: You’re in a lecture hall listening to a professor drone on – you were interested a few classes ago, but now, to be honest, you have no idea what’s going on – when a peer raises her hand and asks yet another brilliant question.

She always seems to think and speak effortlessly, grasping ideas and formulating arguments with remarkable speed and clarity? Perhaps you feel a pang of self-doubt, convinced, I just don’t have the wiring for this.

The text discusses strategies for overcoming resistance to learning, as outlined in Stephen’s book “The Skillful Teacher”. Resistance to learning can be a significant obstacle in the teaching process, and understanding its causes is key to addressing it. The chapter highlights the importance of getting students involved in the learning process, using a variety of teaching methods, and creating a receptive state for learning.

Key Strategies for Addressing Resistance to Learning

• Sort out the causes of resistance
• Determine if the resistance is justified
• Research students’ backgrounds and cultural values
• Involve former resisters in the learning process
• Model desired behavior and discussions
• Involve students in educational planning
• Use a variety of teaching methods and approaches
• Assess learning incrementally
• Ensure intentions are clearly understood
• Build a case for learning
• Create situations in which students can succeed
• Avoid pushing too fast
• Admit the normality of resistance
• Limit negative effects of resistance

Stephen offers some perspective on why he goes into detail in the chapter on each of the above topics in this quote:

5 years is a long time. Here’s what Steve Jobs has to say about it.

“I think about a year or two, three down the road; we have some projects at Apple that are sort of maybe four years down the road. Five years? Probably like three or four at the most, because things change too much… you can be going down a path, you say, ‘Well in 5 years I want to be here,’ but then something new happens and you just say, ‘Forget that, I want to be over there.’ So most of this 5-year planning that I’ve seen in my life—some of it’s essential, but most of it changes too quickly”

In terms of learning activities and growth after the PIDP, I’m sure there will be much to learn and much to grow into.

I shouldn’t say I can predict what I will need to learn next year now, because there are many variables in the term ’next year’, but I am certain it’s going to be new stuff.

Not only is the world changing rapidly, but I have put in huge amounts of effort during the last decade into upskilling to be ‘of use’ in what was then the future reality, and what is now modern day knowledge work.

How to Learn a Language Fast And Effortlessly

Why I selected this video

I selected this video for this post because I’m a life long learner who is always looking for ways to improve learning. To be honest, the pace of the video was a bit slow for me. It was faster to extract the transcript and ask AI to structure it.

Chapter 18 ‘Exercising Teacher Power Responsibly’ speaks to the elephant in the room: who is charge and what power they hold.

Stephen addresses teaching from the perspective of ’teacher power’, which he describes as the power to influence or create the curriculum, decide what constitutes ‘good’, ’excellent’, and ‘poor’ performance, and punish and reward students in front of their peers with grades and disapproval.

Here are some of the headings from the chapter:

Brookfield chapter 2: The Core Assumptions of Skillful Teaching contains in my view some bits of wisdom that can be applied to many aspects of life.

But first here are the opening points:

• Skillful teaching is whatever helps students learn
• Skillful teachers adopt a critically reflective stance toward their practice
• The most important knowledge that skillful teachers need to do good work is a constant awareness of how students are experiencing their learning and perceiving teacher’s actions
• College students of any age should be treated as adults.

These may sound boring, but Stephen goes on to describe one technique he uses to achieve the first one, which is to walk out of the classroom and leave the students with a panel former students.

Synchronous Presentation [May 20th, @6:30pm PST][With Yuri Tricys]

Hello All,

AI is THE hot topic right now! I’ve found a few insights you may find interesting in your journey as an educator!

Please fee free to join me for my presentation:

Topic: Exploring AI for Educators
Time: May 27, 2025 06:15 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Participate in a collaborative and exploratory discussion!

As AI continues to transform education, educators like you will shape its future. Here are a few questions you may be ready to answer!

In today’s diverse classrooms, meeting the individual needs of each student remains one of education’s greatest challenges. AI-powered adaptive learning systems offer promising solutions by creating personalized educational experiences that evolve with each learner’s progress.

What Makes Adaptive Learning Powerful

Adaptive learning platforms use artificial intelligence to analyze student performance data, identify knowledge gaps, and customize learning pathways in real-time. These systems continuously adjust content difficulty, pacing, and instructional methods based on individual student responses and progress.