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Recent research shows that teacher use of generative AI is already widespread. A 2025 Alan Turing Institute survey of 1,001 UK teachers found that 66% used generative AI in their work. Among those users, 71% were using it through a personal account rather than a school-provided licence. UK Department for Education research found that 44% of teachers used generative AI for school activities, including lesson planning, written feedback and marking. The National Literacy Trust a

AI is often thought of as a tool for speed. Read faster. Write faster. Summarise faster. Respond faster. But for children and adults with dyslexia, dysgraphia, ADHD, language-processing difficulties or other learning difficulties, speed is often part of the problem. AI has the means to help people with learning difficulties. The question is whether they can access it easily enough to benefit from it, or whether AI will mainly reward those who already read, type, process and a

A child reads slowly, loses their place, guesses words, avoids reading aloud, forgets instructions, looks distracted, becomes anxious, or seems permanently behind. From the outside, that pattern can look like dyslexia. But sometimes the child is not showing the core signs of dyslexia itself. They are showing what happens when attention, memory, language, confidence and emotional regulation have been disrupted by neglect, abuse, chronic stress, grief, family instability, traum

I want to approach the difference between AI and inherited knowledge from a different angle. Not through the oppositions of artificial versus natural, human versus non-human. I believe the fundamental difference between AI and other forms of inherited knowledge is this: Traditional inherited knowledge still requires human reconstruction, while AI can now perform part of that reconstruction for us. Inherited knowledge includes books, archives, institutions, cultural traditions

Assessing dyslexia in bilingual and multilingual children without confusing reading difficulties with language acquisition Sometimes, identifying dyslexia in a multilingual child can feel like detective work. Not because children are mysterious puzzles to be solved, but because the evidence is often layered, scattered, and easy to misread. Especially when the child is multilingual. When a bilingual or multilingual child struggles with reading, the problem is rarely visible fr

Many bilingual children develop unevenly across their two languages. One language may be stronger at school, another stronger at home. A child may mix languages, search for words, or read more confidently in the language they use most. That can be typical bilingual development. Bilingual dyslexia, however, involves persistent reading difficulties that cannot be explained by language exposure alone. The child is not only managing two languages. They are also dealing with diffi

Why Should Dyslexic Children Have Beautiful Books Too? When it comes to children’s literature, I’ve seen firsthand how much it matters whether a book is designed with the reader in mind. While teaching Russian as a foreign language, I had a transformative experience: I worked with three adult students with dyslexia. This opened my eyes to the challenges faced by dyslexic readers and made me think more deeply about accessibility, inclusive children’s books, and how design can

Forget the massive dictionaries and the endless verb tables. Language learning works best if you treat it as a masterclass in predicting what happens next, far beyond the simple act of memorizing every word. Think about how kids play together. Even if they speak different languages, they manage to connect almost instantly. They aren't waiting for a translation; they are using a "predictive superpower" to fill in the blanks using everything around the words. The Playground

Agentic AI did not suddenly destroy homework. It revealed how much of it has been built around outputs that can exist without visible thinking. For a long time, completing homework meant arriving at an answer. Now, it often means producing one. Agentic AI refers to systems that can generate full answers independently. Cognitive reps are repeated mental engagements that build understanding over time. What this is not about This is not an attack on structure, clarity, or polish

Cognitive offloading is often framed as a moral issue, when in many cases it is simply a physiological response. A brain under sustained cognitive load will look for efficiency, not because it is weak, but because it is human. This may matter especially for women, who often carry a disproportionate share of invisible cognitive labor, while also reporting higher fatigue across multiple studies. In many households, this pattern is not only experienced, but continuously modelled

In the age of generative AI, confidence has become significantly easier to produce. With generative AI tools, individuals, from students to professionals, can present ideas with clarity, structure, and certainty without the same depth of knowledge or experience that was previously required. This shift is not only changing how expertise is perceived, it is beginning to influence how decisions are made and who gets trusted. Generative AI has effectively separated confidence fro

Throughout human cultural history, people have equated polished verbal expression with intellectual depth. Historically, this association was largely justified: refined language was typically accessible only to the educated and often reflected sustained, deep thinking. With the rise of AI-generated language, this connection is becoming less reliable, particularly for children who can now produce smooth, articulate output without necessarily engaging in deeper cognitive proce

We are about to surround children with more language than any generation before them. But much of it will be synthetic. It is smooth, fast, and perfectly structured. And yet, something about it is different. It carries less hesitation, less searching, and less visible thinking. The question is no longer whether AI can produce language. It clearly can. The more important question is what kind of language children grow up with, and how that shapes the way they think. Language w

Finding the right toys that combine fun with learning can make a significant difference in a child's development during these crucial early years. Here's a curated selection of educational toys and games that support cognitive growth, motor skills, and creative thinking. Creative and Seasonal Activities DIY Felt Christmas Tree for Toddlers This interactive felt craft set includes 49 Christmas ornaments and bonus Tic-Tac-Toe games. The wall-hanging design allows children to de

1.2 billion people can't use your language learning app. Not because they don't want to learn. Because you built it for people who can see, hear, and click a mouse. That's 15% of the world's population locked out of a market EdTech calls "accessible to all." Here's what "accessible" actually means in language learning: → Works great if you can see → Works great if you can hear → Works great if you can use a mouse → Doesn't work if you need screen readers, captions, high-co

When AI generates language learning content, it often reinforces stereotypes instead of sharing real culture. This pushes learners away, not closer. A 2025 study found participation dropped by 30% when minority students saw cultural bias in AI-powered language platforms. For example: UNESCO’s review of major language models found a lot of biased examples. Spanish lessons often default to tacos and mariachi. French content shows berets and baguettes. Chinese materials overuse

500 lessons completed on your language app. But you still can't hold a basic conversation. Here's why app metrics ≠ fluency What apps promise Master a language through convenient, structured lessons. Apps promise fluency through consistent practice. What users get Pattern recognition without conversational ability. You complete exercises but freeze when someone asks a question in real time. The fundamental mismatch: Controlled practice vs. spontaneous use Apps excel at discr

Here’s the climate calculation that EdTech needs to make. The Problem When it comes to sustainability, education faces two major challenges: 1.The AI Cost Training AI models and running data centers consume significant energy, making each personalized interaction environmentally impactful. 2.Traditional’s Footprint Traditional education carries hidden environmental costs, including physical infrastructure, daily commutes, printed materials, and year-round building energy cons

I teach English to students who speak 7 DIFFERENT heritage languages.Here 's how technology changed everything: The old way: Design separate materials for each language group (impossible) The new way: Tech that honours every linguistic background at once! My framework: → AI cognate mapping: Students discover "algebra" shares Arabic roots, "piano" comes from Italian. When they realize English borrowed from their heritage languages, their background becomes an asset, not a barr

90% of expat families LOSE their heritage language by the third generation. The technology to change this already exists. Yet most parents don't know about it. The heritage language CRISIS is solvable. After looking at many EdTech platforms, I found three types that are changing how families prevent language loss: → Interactive storybook apps: Gus on the Go, Studycat, and Dinolingo now embed vocabulary learning within cultural narratives. No more boring translation drills tha