Artificial intelligence is gradually integrating into every aspect of education, profoundly shaping the educational landscape. To provide a platform focused on practice, experience sharing, and collaborative exploration, Tsinghua International School (THIS) hosted the "Multi-Path AI: AI-Empowered Teaching and Learning Exhibition and Exchange" on June 2, 2026. Educational administrators, frontline teachers, and AI experts from multiple schools gathered to engage in in-depth dialogue and exchange on topics such as how AI reshapes learning processes, empowers teaching assessment, and drives school management transformation.
Tsinghua International School: Proactively Embracing AI and Leading AI Education
Starting three years ago, Tsinghua International School has proactively embraced AI, hosting numerous AI education seminars and bringing together experts and scholars from various fields to actively discuss the development trends of education in the AI era and to foster innovation and exchange in the field of AI education.
Under the leadership of THIS Executive Principal Ying Zhu, the school has taken the lead in transforming AI-empowered teaching from concept to real classroom practice. The school has guided its teaching team to publish an independently authored AI general education reader, which has been put into use, making THIS a pioneer in AI education exploration in the region. From intelligent learning analytics to AI-assisted differentiated instruction, from AI-driven real-time feedback systems to precision teaching based on knowledge graphs, Tsinghua International School has consistently remained at the forefront of integrating technology and education.
In her opening speech, Principal Zhu stated that the more powerful technology becomes, the more education must return to its essence. AI can be a powerful assistant, but it can never replace the gentle expectations and encouragement a teacher holds for their students. She emphasized that the ultimate goal of technological empowerment is never to replace teachers, but to make their light shine even brighter and to return education to its original purpose.
Panel Discussion I: AI+Education – Exploring Diverse Pathways
This event specially invited multiple educational administrators, frontline teachers, and AI experts to participate. The distinguished guests attending included: Professor Jinxiu Zhang, Director of the Academic Affairs Office at Beijing Institute of Education, Professor, and Doctoral Supervisor; Dong Wang, Deputy Director of the AI General Education Research Center in the Department of Computer Science at Tsinghua University; Hongyan Zhao, Party Branch Secretary and Executive Principal of Beijing No. 3 Experimental School; Shuheng Zhang, Vice Principal of Beijing No. 2 High School International Department; Christopher Hansen, Dean of Teaching and Learning Center at the Keystone Academy; Peter Yeung, Senior Advisor at Western Academy of Beijing; Haonan Chang, Deputy Director of the Resource Support Center and Chemistry Teacher at Tsinghua University High School; Lijun Xuan, High School English Teacher and Assistant Grade Group Leader at Tsinghua University High School Zhixin School; as well as teacher representatives from Tsinghua University High School-Zhixin School, Guanghua School, and many other schools, along with education colleagues who traveled from various regions. The conference was moderated by Wei Liu, THIS Vice Principal and Head of Secondary School. Ying Zhu, THIS Executive Principal; Scott Pare, THIS Academic Principal; Wenbo Dong, THIS Vice Principal of Operation also attended the meeting.
The first panel discussion revolved around the theme "How does AI change the way students experience knowledge?" Administrators and frontline teachers from different schools shared their observations and practices of using AI in teaching. Participating teachers pointed out that AI is used not only for lesson preparation, slide generation, and exercise creation but also for providing real-time feedback and differentiated instruction in the classroom. Through combinations of AI agents, knowledge bases, debate-style and Socratic questioning, students have shown significant improvements in the coherence of their thinking, cross-cultural associative abilities, and logical reasoning skills.
At the same time, some teachers noted that while AI can achieve one-on-one personalized teaching, if students' interests and emotional drivers are overlooked, technology still struggles to truly ignite learning passion. Teachers generally believe that AI is not merely a tool but an important catalyst for paradigm shifts in education. True empowerment begins with a deep understanding of each learner, which is precisely the irreplaceable value of educators.
Humanities Demonstration Lessons: Questioning Authenticity and Humanity in the AI Era
In the humanities geography lesson "Aging Population: Opportunity or Challenge?" taught by Xiaofeng Kang, Academic Activity Coordinator and Social Studies Teacher at THIS, students used AI tools such as real-time word clouds and policy simulation platforms to explore the causes, consequences, and coping strategies of population aging. Every student's idea was collected, displayed, and voted on in real time, transforming class discussion from a few dominant voices into a deeply engaged collective brainstorming session. In the policy simulation segment, students acted as national strategists, selecting policy combinations to address aging within limited budgets and time spans, experiencing the trade-offs and decisions involved in real-world policymaking. The lesson was tightly paced, with students intently watching their screens, actively speaking, and frequently exclaiming or discussing changes in simulation results—their enthusiasm for learning was palpable.
In the writing and critical thinking lesson "How to Relearn Seeing in the Age of AI?" taught by Yueying Ke from Tsinghua University High School Guanghua School, students were presented with six descriptive passages about the same scene and challenged to identify which were generated by AI and which were written by humans, as well as to judge which were better. The classroom discussion was exceptionally lively, with students eagerly expressing their criteria in small groups—some analyzing from the rhythm of language, others from the authenticity of emotion. One student pointed out that while AI writing may be ornate, it often suffers from "piling up ry and emotional emptiness." Another student shared their understanding of AI, stating, "AI does not ask why it was created, but humanity's unique spirit of inquiry and pursuit of meaning is something technology can never replace." The students' independent thinking and expression drew applause from the audience and deeply moved the teachers present.
Math and Sciences Demonstration Lessons: AI Empowers Cognitive Construction and Embodied Practice
In the math lesson "Polynomials and Factor Theorems" taught by Yuqing Long, Head of THIS's AI Committee and Mathematics Teacher, students experienced a unique process of "teaching AI to learn." After learning the Remainder Theorem and Factor Theorem in the first half of the lesson, students were asked to teach the knowledge to a pre-set "uninformed" AI model and then have that AI take a test. In class, students were fully focused on their dialogues with the AI, repeatedly explaining concepts, designing examples, and correcting the AI's errors. Even students who typically do not speak much became unusually engaged, typing quickly and wearing expressions of seriousness and concentration. When they saw their "AI student" achieve high scores on the test, many students beamed with pride. Mr. Long explained that this teaching method not only helps students clarify their own thinking but also makes them aware that AI can make mistakes, thereby fostering a rational and prudent attitude toward its use.
In the math comprehensive practice lesson "The Mathematical Mystery of the Billiard Table" taught by Yi Zhu, a math teacher from Tsinghua University High School, the concept of axial symmetry was cleverly integrated with the strategy of "solving snooker" in billiards. Students first used the AI Cloud School platform to independently learn the rules of billiards, generating word clouds and identifying "axial symmetry" as the core mathematical concept. Then, based on their exploration of the principles, students used a billiard simulation game developed by the teacher using AI programming tools to test their problem-solving strategies. In class, students eagerly lined up to demonstrate their moves at the podium. Each successful shot was met with enthusiastic applause and cheers from the audience. One student excitedly exclaimed after successfully completing a two-cushion shot, "I never knew math could be this fun!" The entire lesson was filled with the joy of exploration and the thrill of success.
Panel Discussion II and Expert Comments: Teacher Transformation and Technological Restraint
All four teachers agree that the use of AI must serve real teaching pain points rather than being employed for technical showmanship or to make classrooms appear "AI-driven." Teacher Kang Xiaofeng pointed out that the core value of AI tools lies in making every student's thinking "visible." Teacher Long Yuqing emphasized that the design of "students teaching AI" not only allows students to test their own understanding by teaching others but also helps them realize that AI can make mistakes, thereby fostering a rational and prudent attitude toward its use. Teacher Zhu Yi believes that using AI for pre-class learning analysis can leverage technology to promote educational equity. Teacher Ke Yueying advocates that, in the AI era, teachers should lead students to explore the boundaries between human writing and AI writing, reflecting on the values that technology cannot replace.
Professor Zhang Jinxiu from Beijing Institute of Education summarized her observations of the classes using the words "emergence" and "being moved." She identified four new roles for teachers in the AI era: director, coach, referee, and goalkeeper. She emphasized that the greatest benefits of AI empowerment are personalized learning and the profound restructuring of teachers' roles. At the same time, she warned of the risks of students over-relying on AI and the weakening of interpersonal interactions, stressing the need to cultivate students' empathy, patience and focus for deep thinking, as well as their awareness of social interaction and collaboration. Wang Dong, from the Department of Computer Science at Tsinghua University, approached the topic from the forefront of AI technological development, emphasizing that educators should focus more on guiding students to discover their interests and engage in authentic creation, rather than merely completing tasks. He pointed out that helping students find their own passions and, with the assistance of AI, turn those passions into future careers is something educators should strive to do for children.
This event attracted teachers, administrators, and education media representatives from multiple schools in Beijing and from as far away as Henan and Gansu provinces. After attending the humanities demonstration lessons, one teacher remarked that such a classroom truly achieves a deep integration of technology and the humanities, adding that the students' genuine engagement and thoughtful state of mind were rarely seen in her years of experience. Another teacher noted that Tsinghua International School's exploration in AI education provides valuable experience for other schools, particularly its coordinated advancement across three dimensions—platform development, teacher training, and classroom practice—which is worthy of in-depth study.
From cognitive modeling in math and sciences to emotional inquiry in the humanities, from the optimization of teaching processes to systematic support for school management, this event vividly presented multi-path explorations of AI-empowered education. The future has arrived, and Tsinghua International School, with an open, prudent, and innovative stance, is working alongside all educational peers to write a new chapter in education for the era of artificial intelligence.
