In educational discussions about AI, we rarely hear from the people most affected: students. The Next Word: AI & Learners breaks this pattern by centring student voice as a co-author with equal standing. This collaborative approach between Nick Jackson, Matt Esterman and Year 12 student Amy Wallace demonstrates what genuine partnership in education can achieve. The book refuses to position AI as either saviour or threat, instead exploring how learners can develop the critical thinking and creativity necessary to work thoughtfully alongside these tools. The secondary school perspective offers crucial insights often missing from higher education-focused literature. It is timely, practical and genuinely student-centred.
Dr Lisa Harrison, Lecturer in Media and Communications, Flinders University, Australia
This book isn't just talk about the future. Instead, it unpacks what is happening right now, bringing clarity to how AI is already shaping classrooms and learning. It is grounded in pedagogy, with a clear focus on real-world applications. Each chapter includes a student voice that brings everything back to what matters most - the impact on learners. That insight alone sets this book apart. Nick Jackson and Matthew Esterman take complex ideas and make them clear, hopeful and genuinely inspiring. Amy's perspective shines throughout. She is a true future thought leader with something important to say.
Simone Hirsch, Educator, Australia (writing in a personal capacity, not representing any organisation)
The Next Word: AI & Learners is an essential read for anyone who cares about the future of education. Dr Nick Jackson, Matt Esterman and Amy Wallace stand firmly on the side of young people, challenging us to see how AI is reshaping identity and intelligence. One of the book's greatest strengths is the inclusion of powerful young voices, reminding us that our current systems are struggling to keep pace. Their message is clear and courageous: AI has exposed what was already broken. Assessment must evolve to reflect thinking and creativity, and learning must move from information delivery to transformation. The Next Word compels us to reimagine what it means to learn in an age of intelligent machines.
Cameron Paterson, Director of Learning, Wesley College, Australia
The Next Word: AI & Learners is the perfect sequel to The Next Word: AI & Teachers from Dr Nick Jackson and Matt Esterman, this time supported by the insights of an actual learner - the articulate and accomplished Amy Wallace. I loved the honest, insightful and pragmatic approach to a topic that is both critical to consider and understand, as well as a very clear focus on the various and complex impacts of generative AI on learners. A must-read for educators grappling with this new technology, and also super helpful for learners' parents. Well structured, accessible and a great read!
Arthur Baker, Director, Strategy & Innovation, Copyright Agency, Australia
The student learners are already ahead of the adults in the room. This book gets that. By weaving in direct quotes from young people around the world, it provokes action. As a teacher and parent of tweens and teens, I crave this kind of urgency. But I worry: will we look back in three years at what these voices offered us, still stuck in assessment-driven learning, with even more disengaged students? The 'Try This' challenges at the end of each chapter prove the authors are educators first, not opportunistic AI commentators. They understand the classroom realities and the deeper implications of AI beyond just skills and knowledge.
Selena Dhondea-Tenakov, UniPrep Schools Coordinator (Metro), Edith Cowan University, Australia
