AI in Language Education · Principle IV: Reflective
Guideline 8: Support agentic use of AI
by teachers & learners
by teachers & learners
AI integration requires more than prompt-writing skills. It demands regular professional reflection — before, during, and after teaching — to support autonomous, intentional, and critical practice.
1
Three modes of professional reflection
How AI supports teacher reflection (Schön, 1983; Farrell, 2022)
FOR-ACTION
Planning forward
Using AI to generate and compare lesson variants with different degrees of autonomy, scaffolding, or counterfactual scenarios before teaching.
e.g. "What would happen if I only had one student? Generate a tightly scaffolded and an open-ended version of this activity."
IN-ACTION
Real-time pedagogical judgement
Deploying observation skills and pedagogical sensitivity to monitor AI-assisted activities as they unfold, and adjusting in real time.
e.g. Noticing when an AI chatbot interaction is unfocused and redirecting learners to defined communicative goals mid-activity.
ON-ACTION
Post-lesson analysis
Using AI to transcribe classroom interactions, identify recurring patterns, compare student outputs, and prompt reflection on less visible aspects of teaching.
e.g. Asking AI to generate competing explanations for an interactional episode, or propose follow-up inquiry questions.
2
AI supporting classroom-based inquiry
Define research puzzles
Assign AI the role of "critical friend" to help define and collaboratively refine a teaching-related question, or reformulate broad areas of investigation into researchable questions.
Systematic classroom analysis
AI can transcribe audio/video of classroom interactions, identify recurring grammatical patterns, discourse markers, and compare student outputs across lessons or groups.
Promote reflexivity
With appropriate prompting, LLMs can scaffold teacher reflexivity by generating alternative interpretations of classroom events and prompting consideration of sociocultural dimensions.
Scaffolds, not replaces
AI does not replace professional interpretation — it scaffolds it, supporting deeper analysis while leaving critical judgment firmly with the teacher.
3
Example: reflective prompt for AI (Guideline 8)
Sample prompt — AI as critical friend
"You will assume the role of a critical friend and experienced language educator. Your task is to help me reflect on a lesson I taught today to upper-intermediate learners on expressing opinions in English. The main activity was a debate, and I integrated an AI chatbot for brainstorming arguments. Ask me probing questions about: (a) what worked well and why, (b) where I need to do differently in future, and (c) how AI influenced the dynamics of the lesson. Present your questions in a way that encourages me to reflect critically and constructively."
4
Positioning language teaching through AI use
Broader impact of AI on professional identity
Teachers who use AI do not just create learning affordances — they position language teaching vis-à-vis pedagogical and social values. This theoretical repositioning (Kostoulas, 2019) impacts how language education is perceived by learners, policymakers, and the public. Crucially, teachers should be co-designers and expert stakeholders in shaping how AI tools are developed, not just end users.
5
Competence checklist
COMPETENCE 32
Use AI for reflection-for-action
- How might AI help me generate and compare lesson variants with different autonomy levels?
- What "what-if" scenarios have I explored to anticipate challenges?
COMPETENCE 33
Make informed judgements during AI-assisted lessons
- Which cues tell me an AI-supported task is or isn't working as intended?
- How do I adjust instruction in real time while maintaining learner engagement?
COMPETENCE 34
Use AI tools to reflect on completed lessons
- How can I use AI-generated transcripts to identify patterns in classroom interaction?
- What new insights about my teaching have emerged from AI-assisted lesson data?
COMPETENCE 35
Critically consider AI's positioning of teaching
- What pedagogical and social values are reinforced through my use of AI?
- How might my choices influence how language education is perceived by policymakers?
