As one of the fastest-moving developments in education, the role of AI is a topic that has posed significant questions for educators in Aotearoa and abroad.
NZCER is pleased once again to host Professor Brent Duckor and Dr Carrie Holmberg (San José State University) as they present new research, lived experiences and shared questions about the role of AI-assisted learning in today’s classrooms and schools from their book on AI in K-12 education in the United States.
Their book, forthcoming on Harvard Education Press, collates more than 60 teacher interviews about AI in the classroom, presenting teacher perspectives and stories as they engage with this technology on the ground. Core to these stories are their five pillars for ethical AI practice: accuracy, accessibility, agency, authenticity and assessment.
Professor Duckor and Dr Holmberg will then be joined by Denise Johnson, Tumuaki at Hutt Valley High School in Wellington, to share her perspectives on these issues from an Aotearoa context. In the spirit of the research, sharing the stories of kaiako is invited in the Q+A and discussion.
What Counts as Learning in the Age of AI? Essential Questions from the Field
Monday, November 3, 3:30pm-4:30pm (with time for Q+A)
About the participants
Brent Duckor, Ph.D., is the Executive Director of the Center for Innovation in Applied Education Policy at San José State University He is a Professor at the College of Education and serves in the Department of Teacher Education. A former high school teacher at a nationally recognized urban high school in New York City, Dr. Duckor is the author of Mastering Formative Assessment Moves (ASCD, 2017) and Feedback for Continuous Improvement in the Classroom: New Perspectives, Practices and Possibilities (Corwin, 2023) with Dr. Carrie Holmberg. Brent and Carrie’s next book AI for Deeper Learning: Promises, Possibilities, and Evolving Practices will be available with Harvard Education Press in 2026.
Carrie Holmberg, Ed. D., is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Teacher Education and preservice teacher educator at San José State University. She taught at a Title I comprehensive high school in Silicon Valley for nearly a decade and has extensive experience mentoring new teachers. Carrie has twice earned her National Board Certification. She also worked with the Stanford Partner School Induction Program and the Santa Cruz/Silicon Valley New Teacher Program for many years. Dr. Holmberg is Assistant Director of the Center for Innovation in Applied Education Policy at San José State University
Denise Johnson is the Principal (Tumuaki) of Hutt Valley High School in Wellington, New Zealand. She chairs the Wellington Loop, a collaborative learning network, and the Greater Wellington Principals’ Association. Denise is working with UNESCO’s Futures of Education and SAIL frameworks to embed AI literacy across her school, with a focus on equity of access and pragmatic approaches that support both teachers and students.