Rethinking global issues: AI, equity and climate
In these two webinars, our expert teachers from sub-Saharan Africa will help you rethink two global issues in English language education: artificial intelligence and climate action. Our first session focuses on how AI can be a force for justice, allowing you to create inclusive learning spaces that allow all your English language learners to thrive. In our second session, our speakers share how they have used indigenous knowledge and set up research projects to help learners find solutions to climate issues where they live, developing their English language skills through practical, real-life projects.
About the sessions
Session 1: AI for equity in the English language classroom
Speaker
Mohammad Saif al-Din Hamza
Session information
AI is reshaping the world, but who gets to benefit? This practical webinar challenges you to rethink AI's role in English language learning, not as a neutral tool but as a force for justice. You'll learn how AI can help you plan equitable lessons, where all your learners have the tools to thrive. We also explore how using AI in class can break down barriers, personalise learning and create truly inclusive spaces. Finally, we discuss the risks of using AI, including possible bias, exclusion and the digital divide.
Watch 'AI for equity in the English language classroom'
Session 2: Research, gardens and eco-islands: Climate action in ELT
Speakers
Khadija Ismael Suleiman, Christopher Liberty, Happygod Macha, Muhaymina Talib Omar
Session information
This session will help you to get creative on the theme of climate action to really engage your learners. Whether it's investigating climate solutions from local indigenous knowledge, planting and maintaining a school garden, or even taking a class to do research on an eco-island, our presenters will share the place-based, experiential lesson activities they have planned and taught, helping their learners find real solutions to local problems.
Watch 'Research, gardens and eco-islands: Climate action in ELT'
About the speakers
Mohammad Saif al-Din Hamza is a Sudanese educator, trainer and presenter. He is also a master's student researching AI in education, an advocate for equity and disability rights and a member of ELDA (English Language Development Association).
Christopher Liberty is an English language educator who works on quality assurance for UNELTA (Uganda National English Language Teachers' Association). He recently worked as part of a British Council-funded project that aimed to advance gender-just climate action through blogging.
Muhaymina Talib Omar is an educator with over ten years of teaching in secondary schools in Zanzibar. Beyond the classroom, Muhaymina serves as a subject adviser for English and Swahili at a teachers' centre. She also volunteers as a professional development coordinator for the Zanzibar English Language Teachers Association (ZANELTA).
Happygod Macha is an ELT specialist and teacher trainer from Tanzania, with over a decade of experience leading professional development across Tanzania and abroad. As TELTA’s (Tanzania’s English Language Teaching Association) national leader and an education specialist, his work focuses on communicative methodologies, inclusive education and sustainability in sub-Saharan Africa.
Khadija Ismael Suleiman is a teacher of English and Literature at Khadija Secondary School in Mombasa. She is a proud SDG champion and climate action advocate. She actively engages with the English Language Professional Association of Kenya (ELPAK), working towards making a meaningful difference in the field of education in Kenya.
This webinar is particularly relevant in today’s educational context, as it challenges the idea of artificial intelligence as a neutral tool and encourages educators to examine its role through a lens of equity and social justice. The session highlights the potential of AI to transform English language teaching by supporting more inclusive lesson planning, personalising learning, and reducing barriers that have traditionally limited some learners’ opportunities. At the same time, the critical discussion of risks—such as algorithmic bias, exclusion, and the digital divide—emphasises that the use of AI in the classroom must be intentional, ethical, and pedagogically responsible.