VietTESOL International Convention 2026

AI-supported tools are increasingly integrated into academic and professional workflows, providing teachers and researchers with information retrieval, content generation, and AI-assisted knowledge work. However, many current systems remain oriented toward short-term productivity and isolated interactions, offering limited support for sustaining reflective inquiry and professional learning over time. This limitation is particularly significant in teacher development, where pedagogical insights emerge from everyday practice but often remain fragmented or insufficiently developed into longitudinal inquiry trajectories. Following the PRISMA-ScR framework, this scoping review maps existing AI-supported reflective, research, and knowledge-management environments relevant to teacher professional learning. Synthesizing perspectives from Cognitive Load Theory, self-regulated learning, distributed cognition, and reflective practice, the review evaluates how current systems support or inhibit five critical affordances: low-friction idea capture, reflective continuity, epistemic structuring, guided critique, and longitudinal inquiry development. Particular attention is given to tensions between efficiency-driven AI designs and the productive metacognitive friction required for deep professional learning. Ultimately, the review identifies persistent conceptual and functional gaps within current AI-supported environments and discusses implications for designing inquiry-oriented systems that better sustain teacher inquiry, reflective practice, and professional learning in Vietnam’s evolving ESL context.