October 2026
Learn first, then use the AI: what 30 experts say about generative AI and learning
Unpacking the 30-expert report on generative AI and learning. The message, in a phrase: learn first, then use the AI.
4 min readRead articleNovember 2025
Newsletter 3 of 14 in the WEF series. If AI automates the routine, what is left for the teacher? Everything that matters — the human, relational, judgment-rich core of education that no tool can replicate.
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October 2026
Unpacking the 30-expert report on generative AI and learning. The message, in a phrase: learn first, then use the AI.
4 min readRead articleAugust 2026
There's a mismatch at the heart of how schools are handling AI. Ask students, and nearly all of them use it. Ask teachers, and many are still avoiding it. You can't teach what you're avoiding.
4 min readRead articleJuly 2026
Imagine being handed a powerful new tool for your classroom – and a single sentence of guidance: use it well. Newsletter 13 of 14 in the series unpacking the World Economic Forum's Shaping the Future of Learning, on why teacher agency is non-negotiable.
4 min readRead articleAbout the Author

Paul Penfold is an education and technology consultant based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, with six decades of experience spanning classroom teaching, academic research, government policy, and humanitarian service. He advises schools, ministries, and EdTech companies on AI in education, alternative education, and learning technology, and has published 37 papers on immersive and virtual-world learning. His career includes refugee education on the Thai-Cambodian border, pioneering virtual-world hospitality education at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and national tourism HR strategies across Asia and the Caribbean.
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