A glimpse into the future of STEM education 🧬

Part of the leadership team at Shaftesbury School and an Educational Consultant at Twin Science & Robotics , Alex More helps schools integrate AI and emerging technologies to enhance teaching and learning.

He led a workshop at the STEM For All conference titled AI Practices at the Cutting Edge: Opportunities and Risks. Here, in this article, he shares his insights and reflections on the conference experience.

A good conference connects people and ideas. A great conference does that and leaves a lasting impact with conversations that help move schools forward.

STEM for all, as conferences go, was pretty unique. In the UAE, and indeed globally, there are many conferences for teachers to choose to attend. On any given weekend, you can attend AI events, leadership conferences, and EdTech shows – but this event felt different. STEM Learning, through the ‘STEM for all’ lens, is thinking about STEM education globally.

As part of the team that designed the format, we prioritized the interests of teachers and students. We knew our job was to find reliable voices and concrete practices. The event was a carefully curated blend of inspiring keynotes from trusted figures and hands-on workshops led by experts.

Professor Rose Luckin and Lord Jim Knight were the keynotes. Jim, a former Schools Minister for England, and Rose, an authoritative and well-respected figure in the AI world. The future of STEM education was the theme, specifically accessibility, AI integration, and how to best equip students for a science and technology-driven future. To prepare well for tomorrow, students will need to think across subjects to connect ideas and solve problems. STEM as an acronym represents four subject disciplines at its core – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. In his keynote, Jim spoke about the ‘obese curriculums’ that surround each subject and how we need to collapse these traditional practices to let innovation in and have more time to teach ‘big principles’ in science or tech. Joined-up thinking through an interdisciplinary approach, rather than isolation – no subject should be an island.

Rose’s key message about AI was that we should steer our focus away from the technology itself; this is a distraction – it should be about how we use it ethically and equitably and what we learn about ourselves and the way we learn as humans. This was a message echoed by Jim – it's not about replacing teachers with AI, rather it's about ‘wrapping AI around education’ to help the child across STEM and Humanities. Human-centric learning, then, was the message. As teachers and leaders, we need to be intentional and thoughtful about how we use this technology. To borrow a phrase from AI expert Laura Knight, ‘we need to think with care.’

Personalisation was a theme too.

The audience was invited to imagine a world where content adapts to learner needs at a pace and style that suits them. Technology might make this possible, but we have to get it right. The ‘human’ element to learning needs to move away from a passive experience to active engagement, where curiosity drives innovation. A concrete example of this was provided by workshop lead Alsha, who led a session on blasting rockets using everyday materials accessible to all, covering physics, maths, and engineering. At the same time, Adam and James ran a workshop that used race cars to subtly teach mathematical concepts through a hands-on approach. Learning should be messy, and as Jim said, both a ‘a joy and a struggle.’ Sarah led a workshop on the importance and the power of STEM in Primary education, using engineering as a great way to contextualise and facilitate STEM learning for the youngest students. Early Years STEM session by Swati demonstrated unplugged coding and design thinking through playful LEGO-based activities, fostering creativity, curiosity, and problem-solving.

STEM for All gave teachers a platform to build bridges between the classroom and the workplace. In the exhibition hall, students from GEMS Winchester School stood side by side with local sponsors and industry leaders. Innovation was abundant, highlighting that it's not just about what happens in school but about connecting education with the real world.

A group of nine-year-old students designed a visionary Global Village aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), integrating solar power, electric vehicles, hydro capture, and carbon capture technology to create a smart, eco-friendly future. Every letter of the STEM acronym was in action, and every child had a role in it. The village was built from low-cost materials you would find in any school, interspersed with the odd microchip or coding element thrown in. Pure innovation. In the same hall, five metres away, Lab of Future showcased cutting-edge STEM education in AI, robotics, space science, and innovation, fostering future-ready learners. I met a robotic dog that could sense your presence and offer its paw in exchange for human interaction.

As someone who attends many conferences, I’m always searching for an experience that stands out. Too often, I leave events feeling like I’ve exchanged my time for little in return, lured in by the promise of something valuable only to walk away empty-handed. Speaking with fellow teachers and leaders, I know I’m not alone. The challenge we face is navigating between noise and concrete.

The noise in education can be overwhelming.

The false promise of an idea that sounds groundbreaking but lacks the substance to create real change. Conferences can be full of noise, hyped-up trends, slick EdTech pitches, patchy research, and pedagogical fads so flimsy they would barely withstand a draft, let alone a class full of kids. These ideas circulate widely, and I run into them often, but they rarely translate into lasting impact.

AI, as a relative newcomer to the education space, is particularly noisy. In the race to define the future, it is easy to get lost in the buzz. On the topic of AI, I keep returning to a phrase from author Tom Chatfield: ‘AI is a phrase I distrust because it claims and presumes so much.’ Leading AI workshops on the day, I could sense the energy and anticipation in the room. AI is making a visible impact in some classrooms, but not all. Out of the nineteen workshops that ran, six had a focus on AI practices in the classroom – an indication, perhaps, of the appetite for what this new technology demands. Fatima conducted a hands-on session on the practical application of AI tools in the classroom for live feedback, conducting progress checks, providing support and challenge for students, and generating resources for teachers, while also highlighting the ethical and responsible use of AI.

By contrast, concrete for teachers means real, tangible, and impactful. It’s the strategies that withstand the test of a busy classroom, the practices rooted in evidence and experience, and the tools that genuinely help students learn. Concrete means walking away from a conference with something you can apply on Monday morning, not just inspiration, but a plan, not just buzzwords, but solutions. It’s about learning from educators who have tested their approaches in real schools with real students, rather than theories that collapse under the weight of reality – offered by those who have not set foot in a classroom for years.

A great conference doesn’t just inspire; it equips.

It connects teachers with practical ideas, proven methodologies, and a community of peers who are committed to making a difference. It leaves you not just thinking differently but teaching differently. That’s what education needs more of. STEM for All brought teachers into contact with high-quality STEM education and the latest in AI practices. Delegates left feeling empowered and excited, ready to take the next steps in making STEM accessible to all students.

STEM for all felt like an important event and a catalyst on so many levels. In a fast-moving world, we need to look to the voices and practices we can trust.