Fostering Creativity in Language Education in the Age of AI

“I cannot imagine a more-needed book for language teaching practitioners. This well-organised, research-based and readable work explores how AI enriches curriculum design, classroom practice and assessment for Chinese as a second/foreign language, with valuable insights for broader language education.” 
— Rod Ellis, Emeritus Distinguished Professor, The University of Auckland, New Zealand

“Written by an accomplished pedagogical specialist for teaching practitioners, Fostering Creativity in Language Education in the Age of AI is both insightful and highly practical. With a balanced vision of AI as a partner in fostering creativity, critical thinking, and ethical engagement in the language classroom, this pioneering monograph supports and inspires pedagogical innovation in an ever-evolving AI-rich learning environment. Highly recommended for language instructors.”
— Hongyin Tao, Distinguished Professor, University of California, Los Angeles, USA

This book provides a theoretically grounded, practically oriented framework for fostering creativity in second and additional language education. Creativity is among the most valued graduate qualities of our time — yet how to cultivate it deliberately in language education in the age of generative AI remains an open question. Drawing on sociocultural, psycholinguistic, cognitive, and linguistic theories, it offers research-informed pedagogical strategies and assessment methods that integrate AI ethically and productively — as a partner for idea generation, a scaffold for multilingual practice, and a prompt for critical reflection. Illustrated with authentic classroom cases, it addresses learner agency, teacher creativity, academic integrity, and inclusive assessment. An essential resource for language teachers, researchers, curriculum designers, and students navigating creativity and AI in language education.

Xiaoping Gao is Director of the Chinese Language Centre, Associate Director of the Language Education Institute, and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Language Science and Technology at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. She is also Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Wollongong, Australia.