I started teaching almost 30 years ago, with nothing more than a blackboard, a piece of chalk and a textbook at hand. In those days, lessons were built from spoken words, from exercises carefully copied onto the board and from the patience needed to explain the same thing a second and a third time. Today, I could not imagine a classroom activity without the contribution of technology, whether it comes in the form of the interactive whiteboard, the educational platforms we rely on, or the tablets and phones with which my students set out on their adventure of discovery.
This journey did not happen overnight, and every new tool brought with it the excitement of a fresh start, along with plenty of questions and, at times, the fear of not being able to keep up. Artificial intelligence is the latest stop on this road and perhaps the most challenging one so far, which is exactly why, in October 2026, I set off for Lisbon, eager to understand how chatbots can become a teacher’s ally rather than a replacement.
From 5 to 9 October 2026, I took part in the training course „AI Chatbots in Education”, organised by Learning Together (Siner Advanced Skills Institute) in Lisbon, Portugal, as part of a learning mobility funded through the Erasmus+ Programme 2021–2027, Key Action 1 (KA121-SCH) – Learning Mobility of Individuals in School Education.
I did not make this journey alone, as I was accompanied by a colleague, a primary school teacher, with whom I shared not only the course activities but also the reflections and ideas that each day brought. In the training room we were joined by teachers from Romania, Poland and Lithuania, and this meeting of different educational systems turned every activity into a genuine exchange of experience, in which each of us brought the realities of our own classrooms to the table.
The course was led by our trainer, Débora Calado, who blended theory and practice in a natural and warm way. Over five days, we traced the history of chatbots from the first experiments of the 1960s to today’s virtual assistants, explored their role in personalised learning, repetitive practice and memorisation, and discovered how they can take over some of the routine tasks that fill so much of a teacher’s time.
If I had to choose a single lesson learned in Lisbon, it would be that a chatbot is only as good as the question we ask it. The most valuable moments of the course were the practical exercises in writing effective prompts, the clear and carefully structured instructions through which we obtain from artificial intelligence exactly what we need. Working hands-on with ChatGPT and Claude, I discovered step by step how teaching materials can take shape with their support, from yearly plans and lesson plans to well-structured PowerPoint presentations, worksheets adapted to the level of each class and interactive presentations for the smartboard.
I came to realise that a good prompt is very much like a well-prepared lesson, since you need to know what you want to achieve, who your audience is, what level they are at and what form the result should take. I learned to specify my students’ age, their language level, the objectives, the length of the activity and even the tone I wanted, and I also learned not to settle for the first answer, but to keep the dialogue going, asking for adjustments and refining the result until it truly suited my students.
For an English teacher, this discovery was all the more precious, because chatbots can become patient conversation partners that never tire of repeating a word, explaining a grammar rule or offering yet another exercise. The time saved in preparing materials naturally finds its way back to the students.
One of the moments that stayed with me most vividly was the debate on ethics on the fourth day of the course, when we discussed openly, with arguments for and against, the reliability of the information chatbots provide, the privacy and security of data, and the technical limitations of these tools. I left that debate with a few convictions that I now carry into every lesson. Information must always be checked, because artificial intelligence can make mistakes, sometimes with disarming confidence, and the teacher remains the one who validates the content before it reaches the students. Students’ data must be protected, which means that their names, grades or any other personal information have no place on these platforms. Finally, technology should support our thinking rather than replace it, since the risk of dependence is real for students and teachers alike, and our goal is to shape minds that ask questions, compare and judge for themselves.
Held in English among teachers from three countries, the debate showed me that our fears and hopes are the same, wherever we teach, and it convinced me that we do not have to choose between enthusiasm and caution, because we need both.
An Erasmus+ mobility, however, is about more than the hours spent in the training room; it is also about the city that welcomes you, and Lisbon was a host I will never forget. Lisbon is a city that calls you back again and again, with warm, friendly, calm and relaxed people, and with an atmosphere and a gentle October weather that invite you to slow down. Time seems to flow at a different, slower and more human pace, and Lisbon is the kind of place where you feel that life is not passing you by.
Perhaps it was precisely this rhythm that gave me the space to reflect. Between working sessions, I often caught myself thinking about my students and about how I could bring into the classroom not only new tools, but also this sense of calm, joyful learning.
I returned home with a suitcase full of ideas and did not wait long to put them into practice. I have already started using materials created with the help of artificial intelligence, such as worksheets adapted to each level and interactive smartboard presentations that turn a grammar or vocabulary exercise into a game. My students’ reaction has been the most beautiful confirmation of all, as the younger ones are simply fascinated, and their curiosity, their questions and the joy with which they take part show me that I have chosen the right path. The lesson is no longer a mere sequence of tasks, but a discovery that every child wants to be part of.
My plans do not stop here. I intend to use what I have learned to handle the administrative tasks that take up so much of a teacher’s time, from documents and reports to planning and correspondence, knowing that every hour saved in this way is an hour I can give back to my students. I also wish to share this experience with my colleagues, so that the benefits of this mobility reach far beyond my own classroom.
Looking back on almost 30 years of teaching, I see a long road leading from chalk and blackboard to the interactive whiteboard and, now, to chatbots. The tools have changed profoundly, yet the essence of our profession has remained the same: the desire to spark curiosity in every student.
The course „AI Chatbots in Education” helped me become a teacher better prepared for the challenges of the present, taught me to use artificial intelligence with confidence as well as discernment, and gave me the courage to turn every lesson into a true adventure of discovery.
E-learning is, without a doubt, the future. I am convinced, however, that this future will need, more than ever, teachers who guide, check and inspire, and who remain, beyond any screen, people standing by people.