Teach Conference 2025
The annual Teach Conference, hosted at Kingswood College from 25–27 August 2025, once again proved to be a thought-provoking and inspiring gathering of educators committed to excellence in teaching and learning. With the theme centred on educational excellence, the conference brought together leading voices in education, psychology, and leadership to share research, insights, and practical strategies for today’s evolving classroom.
Keynote Highlights
Pam Tudin Buchalter– Social Media, Children, and Digital Citizenship
On the final morning of the conference, Pam Tudin-Buchalter, a clinical and forensic psychologist and co-founder of KLIKD, delivered a compelling keynote that resonated strongly with educators and parents alike. Drawing on her experience as a psychologist and parenting coach, Tudin unpacked the challenges children face growing up in a digital world saturated with devices and social media.
Her talk highlighted the urgent need for digital citizenship education, equipping children and teens not only to use technology safely but also to do so meaningfully and responsibly. By sharing insights from the KLIKD Digital Citizenship Programme, she provided practical tools that schools and families can adopt to foster resilience, balance, and healthy online habits. Her presentation underscored the reality that while technology offers unprecedented opportunities, it also demands intentional guidance from adults if children are to thrive in both their online and offline lives.
Prof. Wayne Hugo – Artificial Intelligence in Education
Earlier in the conference, Professor Wayne Hugo presented a keynote titled “Teaching Excellence in Four Dimensions: Human–Human, Human–AI, AI–Human, and AI–AI Interactions”. His session explored the transformative role of artificial intelligence in education, challenging delegates to think critically about how AI is reshaping the way knowledge is taught, learned, and assessed.
Hugo emphasized that teaching excellence now spans four interrelated dimensions:
- Human → Human: where the heart of teaching still lies in meaningful, responsive interaction.
- Human → AI: where teachers shape AI tools through curriculum design and careful oversight.
- AI → Human: where AI provides adaptive feedback, personalised learning paths, and innovative teaching aids.
- AI → AI: where intelligent systems interact to produce insights and learning patterns that can further enhance classroom practice.
Prof. Hugo reminded educators that while AI holds immense promise, its effectiveness depends on the wisdom, ethics, and intentionality with which teachers integrate it into their pedagogy.
Other Notable Contributions
The conference also featured a diverse range of keynote speakers including Lester Lalla on community and leadership, Sue Tasker on redefining educational excellence, Dr Sally James on preparing students for uncertain futures, Bruce Brown on mathematical thinking, Fr. Thapelo Masemola on character development, and Greg Theron on academic excellence and student well-being. Together, these sessions created a rich dialogue on what it means to pursue excellence in education today.
The Teach Conference 2025 at Kingswood College was a celebration of ideas, collaboration, and inspiration. From Pam Tudin’s timely reflections on children and social media to Prof. Wayne Hugo’s exploration of AI in education, delegates left equipped with fresh perspectives and practical strategies to bring back to their schools.
As Kingswood College Head, Leon Grové, noted in his welcome, excellence in education is not about perfection but about the consistent pursuit of being better. This spirit was evident throughout the conference, leaving participants motivated to continue shaping the future of young minds with creativity, compassion, and purpose.
