AI Exposed a Bigger Problem in Schools | Andrew Calleja on Assessment, Critical Thinking & Trust

In this episode of ‪@edtechdots‬ ‪@KrzysztofKosman‬ speaks with Andrew Calleja about what really happens when AI enters schools. They discuss why AI adoption in education is much more complex than simply giving teachers access to tools. Andrew shares what schools need first: *clear aims, time to experiment, trust in AI systems, and strong implementation*. The conversation also goes deep into *AI literacy*, *teacher confidence*, *policy vs classroom reality*, and the growing challenge of *student assessment in the age of generative AI*. This is a grounded conversation for educators, school leaders, founders, and anyone trying to understand what responsible AI in schools really looks like. Subscribe to EdTech Dots and like this episode if you want more conversations about education, technology, and practical change in schools. It helps us reach more people and invite even stronger guests to the channel. Guest: Andrew Calleja -   / andrew-calleja   Host: Krzysztof Kosman -   / krzysztof-kosman   Chapters 00:00 Why this conversation matters now 01:30 Why schools are not simply slow 02:58 Why AI needs clear purpose in schools 04:54 Trust, data protection and assessment 07:24 Time, trust and clarity 10:53 Why culture matters more than tools 14:50 Can schools allow teachers to experiment? 16:14 The gap between policy and classroom life 20:21 AI, paperwork and teacher workload 22:18 The human side of teaching 24:38 Why students need AI literacy 28:33 The essay example every teacher knows 30:04 Fear and helplessness around assessment 30:32 Practical ways to change assessment 32:29 AI is exposing old problems 35:36 What COVID changed about teaching 37:19 Why education may need a rehaul 40:48 Andrew’s research on strategy vs school reality 47:40 What schools need between vision and implementation 52:48 Malta as a small system with useful lessons 58:18 Why technology gets dumped into classrooms 01:00:42 Teachers are not resistant — the conditions are missing 01:01:49 Final takeaway: technology cannot fix weak foundations alone