The AI-Agile Classroom: The 1-Hour Assessment Action Plan for Secondary Schools
Secondary educators are currently caught in a “cat-and-mouse” game with artificial intelligence, leading to a breakdown in trust and a crisis of assessment validity. This workshop proposes a critical shift in perspective: drawing on the work of Phillip Dawson, we assert that validity matters more than cheating. Instead of building higher walls to keep technology out, we will use Ron Ritchhart’s Making Thinking Visible framework to build “AI-Agile” assessments. Participants will move toward a Student-Validated model—where student cognition is so transparent that technology becomes a tool for enhancement rather than a substitute for thought. Whether you are a leader navigating policy or a teacher refining classroom practice, you will leave this session with a concrete action plan to ensure that student learning remains authentic, visible, and uniquely human in an automated world.
Facilitated By
Emily Thomas
Senior Manager for Growth, Toddle
Emily J. Thomas is the Senior Manager for Growth at Toddle, where she works to support schools and educators across the Asia-Pacific region. With a strong background in international education, Emily brings extensive experience in literacy, assessment, curriculum implementation, and school development.
She is an active member of the IB Educator Network (IBEN), serving as an MYP Workshop Leader and DP Literature A Examiner, and previously worked as an MYP Coordinator in Korea and Thailand. As the Founder of Playground Pedagogy and Teaching Matters Yoga, Emily has also supported schools through assessment design, leadership capacity building, and system-level coherence.
In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence and education, Emily is passionate about bridging policy and practice. She works with educators and school leaders to navigate emerging challenges while maintaining strong disciplinary literacy practices, authentic assessment, and meaningful learning experiences.
Drawing on her experience across schools and educational systems in the Asia-Pacific region, Emily is committed to helping build learning environments that are design-forward, human-centered, and responsive to the changing needs of students and educators.
