UNESCO-EU school AI project moves to teacher-led toolkit phase

Thirty teachers and school leaders from six European education systems met at UNESCO in Paris to shape forthcoming AI toolkits and CPD resources

Teachers and school leaders at UNESCO in Paris during the FutureProof Education co-design workshop on AI use in schools. Image credit: UNESCO

UNESCO and the European Commission have completed a two-day co-design workshop in Paris for the FutureProof Education project, bringing together 30 teachers and school leaders to help shape forthcoming resources on AI use in schools.

The workshop forms part of FutureProof Education: Supporting schools in the AI evolution, a joint UNESCO-EU initiative funded through the European Union’s Technical Support Instrument.

The project involves six European education systems: the Flemish Department of Education and Training in Belgium, the Ministry of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation in Belgium, the Ministry of School and Education of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany, the Department of Education and Youth in Ireland, the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth in Luxembourg, and the Swedish National Agency for Education.

The work is focused on school-level guidance for the ethical, meaningful and safe use of AI in education. The next phase will involve turning input from the Paris workshop into toolkits for teachers and school leaders, continuing professional development resources, and recommendations for education authorities.

Shafika Isaacs, UNESCO Chief of Section: Technology and AI in Education, wrote on LinkedIn that the workshop was held “as part of the FutureProof Education Project with the European Commission.”

Teachers push back on mandated AI use

Isaacs said four takeaways emerged from the workshop, with teacher agency first among them: “Teachers need the freedom (read agency) to not use AI. This too, needs to be stated as an AI competency that teachers need to cultivate. Mandated adoption does not build competence. It builds resistance and breaks down trust.”

The post also pointed to the need for safe conditions for classroom experimentation: “Teachers need safe spaces to experiment with AI. Creating room to experiment without fear is foundational to any serious professional development effort.”

The point is likely to shape the project’s CPD resources, which are being developed for teachers, school leaders and education authorities rather than only for central policy teams.

Pedagogy placed ahead of technical skills

Isaacs said teachers at the workshop emphasized pedagogy over technical adoption when discussing AI competencies: “Pedagogy matters more for teachers. In a perceived hierarchy of human, technical and pedagogical competencies, teachers were unequivocal: the pedagogical aspects mattered more and the human and ethical dimensions were believed to be integral to their pedagogical practices with or without AI.”

The FutureProof Education project’s activities include evidence-informed analysis of AI integration in schools, thematic webinars, in-person exchanges, reports on good practice, and comparative analysis on AI in education.

The project also includes work on toolkits for teachers covering teaching practices, AI use for teaching and professional development. Separate resources for school leaders will address areas including AI for school management, learning analytics, teaching and learning.

Validation work planned in Belgium and Luxembourg

FutureProof Education was launched in September 2025 and is designed to support education authorities as they adopt or update AI strategies and school-level guidance.

In Belgium and Luxembourg, the project will also examine a validation mechanism for AI systems in education and explore how AI could be integrated into learning resource platforms.

Isaacs scontinued: “These are not conclusions. They are starting points, and the work of translating rich insights gleaned from this workshop into practical and teacher- and school leader-owned resources is just beginning.”

The next project outputs are expected to include practical toolkits, CPD resources and recommendations for education authorities across the six participating systems.