Reimagining Pedagogy with AI:
Sociomaterial and Posthumanist Perspectives
As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly embedded in everyday life, its presence in education invites us to reconsider the fundamental dynamics of teaching and learning. This workshop invites educators and students to move beyond viewing AI as a neutral tool and instead explore it as an active participant in our pedagogical practices and relationships.
Through a series of guided, hands-on activities, participants will examine how AI intra-acts, not merely interacts, with educational routines, shaping assessment, creativity, and knowledge construction in complex ways. Drawing on emerging theoretical frameworks such as posthumanist and sociomaterial approaches, the workshop will open space for rethinking notions of agency, authorship, and learning in the age of intelligent technologies. In addition to critical reflection, the workshop emphasizes practical engagement. Educators and students will gain concrete strategies and skills for integrating AI meaningfully and ethically into their everyday teaching practices. By the end of the session, participants will have deepened their understanding of how AI is reconfiguring education and how to navigate this shift with critical awareness and pedagogical creativity.
Invited Speaker: Asst. Prof. Dr. Freek Olaf de Groot
Department of Applied Linguistics
Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool University, Suzhou, China
When: 13 July 2025, 1.00PM- 3.30PM
Venue: D-33
About the Speaker:
Dr. Freek Olaf de Groot is an Assistant Professor in Applied Linguistics in the
Department of Applied Linguistics at Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool University in Suzhou, China.
He provides workshops on teacher education and the role of technology. He has worked in several countries such as Thailand, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, China and Iraq.
He has provided workshops for leading publishers, ministries of education, RELO and the US embassy, and the Foreign Language Learning and Research Press (FLTRP) in China. In his research on digital literacy development, multilingualism and teacher education, he applies sociocultural theory frameworks to investigate how language, learning and technology come together at the intersection of technology, media and society. His work is published in Scopus indexed journals such as TESOL Quarterly, Multimodal Communication, Journal of Language and Politics and others.
