Reverse Mentoring in the Age of AI: Reimagining Teaching–Learning Relationships

As a humanities teacher with more than 25 years of classroom experience, I have witnessed evolving educational reforms—curricular restructuring, assessment reforms, and pedagogical innovations. However, the current shift driven by Artificial Intelligence, machine learning, and digital platforms represents a deeper transformation. It not only introduces new tools but also challenges long-standing assumptions about expertise, authority, and the direction of learning. This changing context has brought the concept of reverse mentoring to the forefront of educational practice.

Reverse mentoring acknowledges that learning in contemporary classrooms is no longer unidirectional. While teachers continue to provide disciplinary depth, ethical reasoning, contextual understanding, and critical thinking, students increasingly contribute technological fluency, digital creativity, and adaptive skills. Rather than viewing this as a disruption, I have come to see it as an opportunity for authentic teaching and learning.

At an institutional level, this approach was meaningfully realised through collaborative initiatives such as the Legal Journal Kanoon Kronicals and Inter & Intra KMUN Newsletters. These publications were co-created by educational leadership and tech-savvy student leaders. Students led digital design, layout, content management, and online dissemination, while teachers guided them in research validity, language precision, ethical representation, and academic coherence. The process enabled teachers to learn contemporary digital practices, while students gained insight into intellectual rigour, accountability, and responsible communication.

Such practices resonate strongly with the vision of the National Education Policy 2020, which advocates learner-centric education, interdisciplinary engagement, digital competence, and experiential learning. NEP 2020 emphasises flexibility, collaboration, and the development of 21st-century skills—outcomes that reverse mentoring naturally supports. By positioning students as active contributors and teachers as reflective learners, institutions create inclusive and future-ready learning environments.

From my experience, reverse mentoring does not dilute the role of the teacher; rather, it reinforces it. It redefines authority as guidance rather than control and positions learning as a shared intellectual journey. In an era where information is instantly accessible through AI, the enduring value of education lies in interpretation, ethical judgment, and human insight.

In conclusion, reverse mentoring is not merely a pedagogical innovation but a necessary mindset for institutions navigating the complexities of contemporary education. When teachers and students learn together, education moves closer to its true purpose. In the age of AI, the most resilient institutions are those where experience and innovation learn to coexist.

Dipti Chawla

HOD Social Science

Kothari International School, Noida