Should Schools Teach AI Literacy?
In this video, Dr. Justin Baeder discusses why schools should focus less on teaching AI tools and more on helping students think, write, and communicate independently.
Key Takeaways
- AI tools change too fast - Formal AI literacy lessons can become obsolete almost immediately as tools and features evolve.
- Students learn AI on their own - Many students pick up new AI tools quickly without needing much direct instruction from schools.
- Independent thinking matters more - Students need the ability to write, think, and communicate without relying on AI assistance.
- Timeless skills create an advantage - In a world where many people depend on AI, students who can do real work on their own will stand out.
Full Transcript
Schools do not need to teach AI literacy because AI is not hard to learn and students pick it up very quickly on their own and anything we teach is going to be immediately obsolete. I saw this over on Twitter today and I think it makes some excellent points.
I think, instead, what we need to be cultivating is the habits of mind to continue to be able to think, to be able to do things on your own without AI in a time when everybody is relying on AI and, as a result, not developing the skills that they should develop.
If you can write a research paper on your own, if you can write an essay on your own, if you can answer an email or make a phone call on your own, you are going to be at an advantage
So I think that is how we need to be preparing students to live in a future world, a current world, where AI predominates. Not by wasting time teaching them to use tools that are probably bad for them, that they can figure out on their own anyway, but by teaching them the timeless skills that will serve them throughout their lives. Let me know what you think.