The Pastoral Side of AI: Human Connection as EdTech Strategy
Alex Gray11 min · 29 May
About the writer
Alex Gray
Head of Sixth Form & BSME Network Lead for AI in Education. Alex explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping teaching, learning, and the future of work — with honesty, clarity, and a focus on what matters most for educators and students.
59essays published
Essays by Alex Gray
59 essays
AI Is Not an IT Problem: Why Schools Can't Hand It to the Computing Team
Alex Gray9 min · 26 May
Seven Types of Rest, and Why Sleep Only Fixes One
Alex Gray8 min · 22 May
Better Humans: Why Every Educator Needs a Rest Ethic
Alex Gray10 min · 15 May
Maths, Science, English. But Not How to Think, Work or Focus.
Alex Gray9 min · 3 May
Your Students Can't Focus. Neither Can You. Here's What the Science Says.
Alex Gray5 min · 23 Apr
When AI Fixed the Three-Legged Table: Why That's a Problem for Education
Alex Gray10 min · 19 Apr
AI Is Not Just a Classroom Tool. For Many Students, It Has Become the Place They Go When They Have Nowhere Else to Turn.
Alex Gray8 min · 15 Apr
Why the First Page of Your AI Policy Might Be the Only One That Matters
Alex Gray9 min · 13 Apr
Students Already Know When You've Used AI to Plan Their Lesson. And They Resent It.
Alex Gray7 min · 11 Apr
Three AI Education Conversations You Need to Hear This Week
Alex Gray4 min · 3 Apr
Teaching Through a Screen: Tools, Resilience, and the People Who Keep You Going
Alex Gray9 min · 26 Mar
Why Smart Schools Are Ditching EdTech Subscriptions and Buying an API Key Instead
Alex Gray7 min · 17 Mar
The Negotiation Engine: Teaching an AI to Bargain With a Frustrated Kid
Alex Gray13 min · 12 Mar
MIT RAISE: The Programme Teaching 25 Million Students That AI Is Something You Build, Not Just Something That Happens to You
Alex Gray10 min · 8 Mar
Teacher AI Competency vs. Student AI Literacy: What Comes First?
Alex Gray10 min · 6 Mar
What 33 International Frameworks Say About AI in Schools
Alex Gray14 min · 4 Mar
Is Your School AI-Ready? The 9 Questions Every Headteacher Must Be Able to Answer
Alex Gray10 min · 2 Mar
Grounding AI Responses in Actual Curriculum
Alex Gray11 min · 26 Feb
How I Built My Kid's AI Homework Tutor
Alex Gray10 min · 24 Feb
From Vibe Coding to Vibe Working — What Educators Need to Understand Now
Alex Gray9 min · 18 Feb
Something Big Is Happening — And Schools Aren't Ready
Alex Gray7 min · 10 Feb
Beyond Personalisation: Why AI in Education Should Empower Student Customisation
Alex Gray8 min · 7 May
Why Your AI Tool Still Feels Like a Digital Worksheet
Alex Gray7 min · 28 Apr
Engaging Minds Across Borders: Philip Alcock on AI and Project-Based Learning in Education
Alex Gray7 min · 5 Dec
Design Thinking and AI in Education: Revisiting Dr. Sabba Quidwai's TIC Podcast Episode
Alex Gray8 min · 29 Nov
The Future of Education: A Parent's Guide to Understanding AI
Alex Gray6 min · 4 Nov
The Mental Model of Great Teaching: A Takeaway from Nick Hart's BSME TeacherCon Talk
Alex Gray7 min · 7 Oct
Breaking Silos: The Future of Teaching in an AI-Driven World
Alex Gray7 min · 27 Jun
From AI-wareness to AI-mazing Education
Alex Gray7 min · 12 Jun
How Educators Can Leverage the Latest Google AI Updates in the Classroom
Alex Gray8 min · 15 May
The World's Best Free AI
Alex Gray7 min · 14 May
Why I'm a Hybrid Teacher
Alex Gray7 min · 8 May
Leveraging Technology to Enhance Educational Performance
Alex Gray7 min · 2 May
Measuring What Matters: Identifying Essential Metrics in Education
Alex Gray8 min · 25 Apr
The Pros and Cons of AI in Creative Work: Will AI Diminish Creativity?
Alex Gray7 min · 18 Apr
Embracing Design Briefs in Education
Alex Gray8 min · 10 Apr
Revolutionising Teacher Development: UNESCO's Global Teachers Campus
Alex Gray7 min · 15 Dec
How AI Could Disrupt Teaching Dynamics: Narrowing Pay Gaps While Challenging Educator Value
Alex Gray7 min · 13 Dec
The Dawn of Google's Gemini: What This New AI Means for Education
Alex Gray7 min · 7 Dec
The Future of Education: Are GCSEs a Relic of the Past?
Alex Gray7 min · 13 Sept
The Future of Education: A New Era of Online Schooling
Alex Gray7 min · 5 Sept
We Are What We Collect: Success, Failings, and the Future of Educator Development
Alex Gray6 min · 30 Aug
Rethinking Your Lesson Plan for the AI Revolution
Alex Gray7 min · 15 Aug
Making the Most of AI in Education: The When, How, and Why of Incorporating ChatGPT Using the TPACK Framework
Alex Gray7 min · 7 Aug
Why Are Teachers Spending Their Summer Reading?
Alex Gray7 min · 3 Jul
Enhancing Educational Excellence: The Art of Professional Noticing in Teacher Observation and Development
Alex Gray7 min · 22 Jun
The Role of Teacher Training in Successful EdTech Integration
Alex Gray7 min · 13 Jun
Mastering Deliberate Practice: An Essential Guide for Teachers
Alex Gray7 min · 1 Jun
Using Artificial Intelligence in Teacher Professional Development
Alex Gray8 min · 24 May
From Pedagogy to Heutagogy: The Journey of Lifelong Learners
Alex Gray8 min · 18 May
The Pros and Cons of Online Professional Learning
Alex Gray7 min · 11 May
Unlocking the Potential: Evidence-Based Methods for Improving Student Learning Outcomes
Alex Gray8 min · 3 May
Why Repetition and Habit Lead Teachers to Plateau
Alex Gray8 min · 20 Apr
Building Professional Learning Networks and Communities of Practice
Alex Gray7 min · 12 Apr
Mutations: Good or Bad for EdTech?
Alex Gray7 min · 4 Apr
The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Education: Insights from an International Consultant
Alex Gray7 min · 31 Mar
Unleashing the Power of Gamification and Game-Based Learning in Education
Alex Gray7 min · 28 Mar
Revolutionising Education with AI: How Technology is Transforming the Classroom
Alex Gray7 min · 27 Mar