How Teacher Training Change When AI Enters the Picture with Prof Miles Berry

In this episode from the Festival of Education 2026, host Daniel Emmerson speaks with Professor Miles Berry, Professor of Computing Education at the University of Roehampton. Miles discusses what AI changes for teaching and learning, the importance of universal AI literacy in national curriculum reforms, and how initial teacher training is evolving to address generative AI. He shares insights on balancing teacher efficiency with preparation quality, the ethical nuances of machine-generated feedback and academic integrity, and how tools like "vibe coding" are changing software development for educators. **Key Topics & Timestamps** 00:00 Vibe Coding and Software Creation 00:28 Host Introduction 01:00 Live at the Festival of Education 01:19 Modeling Ethical AI and Transparency 02:54 AI Literacy and the Head, Hands, Heart Approach 04:07 Curriculum Reform and Universal AI Literacy 05:23 Teacher Training and Lesson Planning 07:41 Quality vs. Efficiency in Planning 10:16 AI Marking and Student Motivation 12:28 Teacher Education Frameworks and SEND 13:49 Multimodal Tools and Language Acquisition 15:22 Roehampton’s AI Strategy for Graduates 17:56 Handling AI Integrity in School Interviews 20:02 Defining Cheating and Transparency Acknowledgements 22:09 The Joy of Vibe Coding **Key Takeaways & Highlights** - **Head, Hands, and Heart:** Teaching AI requires a balanced framework—understanding how models work (head), practical prompt engineering and bias mitigation (hands), and analyzing societal and ethical implications (heart). - **Universal AI Literacy:** AI education cannot be reserved solely for computer science students; upcoming curriculum reforms aim to ensure every young person develops core AI literacy. - **Preparation Over Output:** While AI can generate lesson plans quickly, the true value of planning lies in teacher preparation and thinking through the lesson, which automated tools might inadvertently bypass. - **The Human Element in Feedback:** Students often value feedback because it signals that a human teacher cared enough to review their effort; automated AI marking risks demotivating learners, especially in creative subjects. - **Embracing Vibe Coding:** Natural language programming tools allow non-traditional developers to build tailored, useful educational software through simple, iterative conversations. **Resources Mentioned** - **University of Roehampton Secondary PGCE:** Initial teacher training programmes for secondary education. https://www.roehampton.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught-courses/pgce-secondary/ - **AI4K12 Project:** Initiative providing resources and guidelines for AI education in K-12 schooling. https://ai4k12.org/ - **BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT:** England computing curriculum committee promoting digital skills and computing education. https://www.computingatschool.org.uk/digital-themes/cas-ai-zone/ **Guest Contact Information** **Guest:** Professor Miles Berry (Professor of Computing Education, University of Roehampton) Miles is Professor of Computing Education at the University of Roehampton, where he is head of curriculum and recruitment for the secondary PGCE as well as leading the PGCE in computing course. He supervises doctoral students and is a member of the University's AI development and innovation group. Prior to joining Roehampton, he spent 18 years in four schools, much of the time as an ICT coordinator and most recently as a head teacher. He has worked with Cambridge University Press and Assessment on a number of curriculum and training development projects. He helped write England's national curriculum computing programmes of study. He gave evidence to the House of Lords AI select committee, was an expert advisor to the US-based AI4K12 project, and supported Georgian universities in developing academic integrity policies. He chairs the BCS England computing curriculum committee, and until recently was chair of the National Centre for Computing Education's academic board.