Rupture or Continuation? Reframing Artificial Intelligence in the Language Classroom in HE

Description

This keynote reframes generative AI in English language teaching not as a rupture, but as a continuation of long-standing pedagogical movements toward learner agency, autonomy, and deeper reasoning. Challenging both overly enthusiastic and alarmist responses to AI, the talk argues that the key issue is not what AI can do, but how it is pedagogically framed. Drawing on constructivism, self-determination theory, knowledge-transforming, scaffolding, and cognitive load theory, it positions AI as a temporary scaffold rather than an authority. The talk illustrates this argument through the design of a vocabulary-focused elective in Hong Kong, framed as action research. The course uses a reading-into-writing cycle in which students analyse, draft, consult AI, cross-check suggestions, and redraft. Through examples involving literary and academic vocabulary, the keynote shows how AI can support lexical precision, critical judgement, and learner autonomy when students retain evaluative authority. It concludes that teachers remain central to meaningful AI integration.

Period	19 Sept 2026
Event title	The 7th International Conference on Educational Innovation and Psychological Insights
Event type	Conference
Degree of Recognition	International