One of the genuine privileges of attending the LCS Summer AI Institute was the opportunity to share two pieces of Barker's own research with this community that form part of our Strategic Research Program onAI, Learning, and the Developing Person.

On the Wednesday afternoon, I presented a preview of the Rapid Literature Review that the Barker Institute has been producing with the University of Sydney throughout the first half of 2026. Under the guiding research question of What is the Impact of AI on Young Minds (PreK-12), this review synthesises evidence from hundreds of recent studies to understand the conditions under which AI supports, or undermines, student learning. The reception was genuinely enthusiastic. A number of educators asked how they could access the full report upon publication. (The paper will be launched at Barker on 20 July and more broadly early in August, you can sign up to receive it here) It was a good exercise in distilling complex findings into their most meaningful and accessible form in preparation for the formal launches at Barker and at future conferences.

On the Thursday, I presented the research led by Claire Butler, Barker Institute Research Fellow, focussing on student actions and student voice regarding use of AI in a Year 10 assessment task (available online). Attendees were fascinated by the student experience and appreciated the rigour with which the Baker Institute approaches research in the school. Ultimately, this session provoked rich discussion about how we should be scaffolding AI use, rather than simply monitoring or policing it.

The warm reception to both presentations confirmed something I had already begun to sense: the Barker Institute's work in this space is resonating beyond our immediate context, and we have a genuine contribution to make to the international conversation.

I offer a special thanks to Head of Lakefield College School, Anne-Marie Kee, and her leadership team for their hospitality and vision in putting together this annual event. I also thank all participants, as it was the relational learning and collaboration that was the most valuable of the experience.

A sabbatical of sorts

There was something else about the LCS Summer AI Institute that I want to name, because it speaks to the nature of genuine professional learning. The physical separation from regular commitments (both this week at Lakefield and the upcoming week at the AIED conference in Seoul) are functioning something of a sabbatical: a sustained opportunity to think, read, discuss, and refine how I understand learning in the age of AI and what this means for Barker. Doing this alongside ninety experienced educators from a context very different from our own sharpened my thinking considerably.

It was particularly instructive to learn from schools that do not share Australia's high-stakes examination culture. While the HSC provides a useful target for some of our teaching objectives (and in some ways makes our objectives simpler than in the Canadian context), it can also risk narrowing our focus. Seeing educators think freely about what education ought to accomplish when AI is everywhere, unconstrained by a final external examination, was both challenging and energising.

But it was not just reflecting, my time at Lakefield College School allowed me to work on some of our own projects (with like-minded colleagues to bounce ideas off and from which to receive feedback). We are in the final stages of the rapid literature review on the impact of AI on young minds. By presenting preliminary results (and the subsequent discussions) it allowed further refinement of our final drafts as we approach publication. I have also been able to work on our bespoke AI literacy course for students and families (and maybe teachers too), particularly on how we emphasise the human capabilities that AI must support not supplant.

The impact of the week

I depart from Canada deeply grateful to Head of Lakefield College School, Anne-Marie Kee and the LCS team for their extraordinary hospitality and for creating the kind of intellectual environment this topic demands. Lakefield has a well-deserved reputation including as a school committed to outdoor and experiential learning and it shows in how they design professional learning. I also am very grateful for the facilitation of Eric Hudson who mentored each participant personally, as well as providing expert guidance to the group. Crucially, Hudson framed the school's response to this reality as a teaching and learning question, not a technology question. What should students know and be able to do when AI is the unremarkable background of their world?

The conversations at LCS have sharpened a set of commitments I carry back to Barker. AI is increasingly ubiquitous in our world. It is being used, whether or not we can see it, and increasingly, whether or not there is a screen in the room. However, schools may be a unique places where balance against this ubiquity can be achieved. Teachers are in the privileged position to leverage AI to enhance learning as much as having the power to ensure students have the opportunities in their schooling journey to benefit from times of AI-free learning. Ultimately, the question is not whether to engage with AI, but how to do so wisely. And to achieve that we will train our students and staff to develop the understanding and judgement to use AI deliberately - balancing caution, ethics, and opportunity.

There is significant work ahead. I am excited to be doing it alongside exceptional colleagues here at Barker, and increasingly, around the world.