Speakers
Description
As English transitions from a foreign language subject into a second language embedded in daily life, the pressure on educators to design richer, more responsive learning experiences has never been greater. Artificial intelligence offers remarkable potential to support this shift, but only when teachers know how to direct it effectively. This presentation argues that the quality of AI-generated educational materials depends entirely on the quality of the prompts behind them, and that prompting is itself a professional skill that every educator navigating the EFL-to-ESL transition needs to develop. Drawing on direct experience integrating AI tools into lesson planning, worksheet design, quiz construction, and assessment development for English language classrooms, the presenter shares a practical framework for crafting prompts that are precise, context-rich, and pedagogically grounded. Key strategies include moving beyond generic requests to prompts that specify learner level, communicative purpose, and real-world language use, the hallmarks of a second language environment rather than a foreign language one. The presentation also addresses common pitfalls: over-reliance on AI outputs without critical review, the risk of homogenised materials that ignore learner diversity, and academic integrity concerns that arise when AI use is unreflective. Participants leave with a set of reusable prompting strategies and a clearer understanding of how to position AI not as a replacement for teacher judgment, but as a tool that amplifies it, especially in classrooms where English is becoming something more than a subject.
Biography
Mok Boda is a dedicated English language educator and youth development practitioner from Siem Reap, Cambodia, with over five years of classroom experience serving underprivileged communities. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in TESOL and has completed advanced English training at the Australia Centre for Education. As an experienced English teacher and Academic Coordinator, Mok Boda developed curriculum frameworks, mentored students’ academic and personal growth, and led community engagement initiatives. His professional interests center on integrating AI tools into ESL classrooms, teacher capacity building, curriculum development toward inclusive education, and innovative assessment methods that reflect the diverse needs of learners. He is particularly passionate about supporting the transformative shift from EFL to ESL environments across Southeast Asia. In July 2025, Mok Boda was selected as a Cambodian Delegate to a U.S. Department of State-sponsored academic exchange program at Michigan State University, focusing on Multimodal Approaches to Content-Based Instruction. Through this experience, he gained hands-on best practices from the U.S. educational model and had the privilege of collaborating with educational experts representing 23 nationalities from across the globe, further enriching his vision for inclusive and internationally-informed language education.
Vanthon Chan is a Cambodian educator and teacher trainer with over fifteen years of experience working across community schools, international NGOs, and teacher development organisations in Cambodia. His work sits at the intersection of two questions that the shift from EFL to ESL makes increasingly urgent “how do young learners build the communicative and computational foundations they need to use English purposefully?”, and “how do the teachers guiding that shift sustain themselves professionally and emotionally while doing so?” His career has taken him through roles as an English teacher, instructional coach, coordinator, and curriculum developer, each role reinforcing his belief that repositioning English in the classroom begins not with policy, but with prepared, supported teachers and learners who have been given the right foundations. He currently trains teachers in English language teaching methodology and block-based coding, developing approaches that integrate coding with English language practice and coaching frameworks that address both the instructional and emotional dimensions of teaching in demanding contexts. An active participant in regional ELT professional development, he is committed to one core belief that “the most sustainable change in any classroom begins not with the most advanced tool, but with the person holding it.”
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