Teaching and Learning with Artificial Intelligence:A learner-centred perspective on learning together with AI
At the end of last month, Osnovna šola Dobje in Slovenia hosted a professional learning event entitled “Učimo (se) z umetno inteligenco”, bringing together teachers, school leaders and education professionals from primary and secondary schools across the country.
Representatives of Cmepius (National Erasmus agency) and Arnes (the Academic and Research Network of Slovenia) also joined the event, which was organised within the framework of several international initiatives, including the Erasmus+ NELCA project.
While artificial intelligence featured prominently in the title, the focus of the event went far beyond technology itself. The shared starting point was clear: AI is already present in schools. The key question, therefore, was not whether artificial intelligence is “good” or “bad”, but how it can be integrated in ways that support learning without replacing thinking. The event thus became a practical exploration of learner-centred approaches, formative assessment and the thoughtful use of digital tools—precisely the direction promoted by the NELCA (Network for Learner-Centred Approaches) project.
From Observation to Reflection: Learning Walks in Practice
The day began with an introduction to the concept of learning walks, a structured approach that enables educators to observe teaching and learning in real classroom contexts. Rather than evaluating performance, learning walks invite professional dialogue and collective reflection —an approach closely aligned with NELCA’s vision of schools as learning organisations.
Participants observed lessons across subjects and age groups. The focus was on how learners engage with content, how teachers respond to learners’ needs, and how learning processes can be made visible. A particular focus was placed on the use of digital notebooks in MS Teams as a tool for formative assessment. Rather than functioning as a repository of completed tasks, the e-notebook was presented as a space for feedback, reflection and ongoing dialogue between teachers and learners.
This approach reflects a core NELCA principle: innovation, including the use of AI, is meaningful only when it supports individualised learning paths, learner agency and long-term development—not when it is used for its own sake. Artificial intelligence was discussed in this same spirit. Participants explored how AI can:
- support teachers in planning and differentiation,
- encourage learner creativity,
- and contribute to more personalised learning experiences.
At the same time, the discussions remained grounded in pedagogical responsibility, professional judgement and ethical awareness.
The Round Table: AI as a Pedagogical Question
The central part of the event was a round table discussion titled “Learning (and Teaching) with Artificial Intelligence”, moderated by Mateja Todorovski.
The conversation opened up essential questions such as:
- How can AI support, rather than replace, the teacher’s professional role?
- In what ways can technology help us better understand learners’ needs?
- How do we ensure that innovation leads to deeper learning, not just efficiency?
- PedagogyFirst, Technology Second
The discussion began from the assumption that the most advanced classroom is not the one with the most technology, but the one that continues to ask the best questions. Artificial intelligence was framed as a tool that can raise the cognitive level of learning — supporting analysis, argumentation and reflection — but only if it functions as a scaffold, not a crutch.
In this context, the role of the teacher becomes even more important. Rather than being replaced, the teacher acts as a “thinking coach”, modelling reasoning, asking critical questions and guiding learning processes. This human-centred perspective strongly resonates with NELCA’s learner-centred approach.
- AILiteracyand Academic Integrity
The second focus addressed the growing challenge of simulated knowledge. Learners can now produce fluent, well-structured answers with the help of AI without necessarily understanding the underlying content. This raises fundamental questions about academic integrity and the foundations of learning. The guiding question was not whether learners should use AI, but what they need to know in order to use it responsibly, critically and transparently.
The discussion therefore emphasised AI literacy as a core competence for both learners and teachers. This includes the ability to:
- evaluate the quality of AI-generated responses,
- recognise bias and limitations,
- verify information and sources,
- distinguish genuine reasoning from surface-level text generation.
- Equity,Safety and Conditions for Responsible Use
The third starting point focused on systemic responsibility. Participants discussed how AI can widen existing inequalities if access, guidance and digital competence are unevenly distributed. Responsible implementation therefore requires clear frameworks, agreed boundaries and shared professional understanding.
Attention was also given to the need for teacher training, institutional support and time. Without these conditions, AI risks becoming another superficial reform rather than a meaningful contribution to learning quality.
The discussion was deliberately structured around these three pedagogical points, ensuring that the conversation moved beyond fascination with tools and focused instead on educational meaning and responsibility. Rather than offering definitive answers, the discussion created space for multiple perspectives—teachers, leaders and system-level representatives reflecting together on the future of education. A shared question emerged: what kind of learning do we want to create?
The Event as NELCA in Practice
While the event addressed contemporary themes such as artificial intelligence and digital competence, its deeper value lay in how learning was approached: through observation, dialogue, reflection and shared responsibility. In this sense, the meeting at Primary School Dobje was not merely an event about AI, but a practical example of NELCA principles in action.
The NELCA project aims to build a network of schools and educators committed to learner-centred innovation, guided by the 9+0-0 Principles of a Smart Person and the KNOWLO Framework for Educational Excellence. The Dobje event demonstrated that these frameworks are not abstract models, but living practices that emerge when educators learn together.
Looking Ahead
Artificial intelligence will not determine the future of education on its own. That future will be shaped by the choices made by teachers, school leaders and education systems. Events like this remind us that meaningful innovation begins with pedagogy before technology, understanding before instructions, and integrity before shortcuts.
Such reflections can move beyond individual events and contribute to a shared European conversation on how to place learners — and learning — firmly at the centre of educational change.
