Jeremy Swinfen Green argues that the way British schools teach needs to change the way they teach to prepare for the AI-powered world of work
Artificial intelligence (AI) is fundamentally changing the world of work, and education needs to change accordingly. The simplest children should be taught how to use AI in research and evaluation. However, the way education is provided needs to be deeply altered to enable today's children to thrive in a world of AI-driven works that is far less important than today's children deal with people.
What do children need to learn in school to prepare for work in this AI-powered world? Is it personal, social, health, economic (PSHE) education designed to develop social and emotional skills? Do they still need to memorize? Do all future adults need to know how to code to succeed at work? And should all teenagers turn into mini-scientists focused on STEM subjects?
There has been considerable political debate about the right way to ensure education supports employment and the economy (TLDR: labour = PHSE, conservative = STEM and rote). And then, suddenly, a few years ago, an easy, accessible, free-to-use AI tool emerged, and many people began to wonder if there was even a job for future people.
AI systems inevitably destroy some tasks, but AI-powered tools enhance most tasks. Humans are free from everyday data processing (not always very good) in order to focus on being human.
So, what does AI mean for UK education? First of all, consider some “hard” skills.
Hard business skills
There are many occupational skills that are important for a particular role. The ability to use pipe flaring tools, calculate employee tax rates, and write SEO-friendly blog posts is very important for a particular job. However, there are also two very important skills that are important for almost every role. Numbers and memories.
Numbers It's essential for business. That doesn't mean you're happy with differential calculations (it's not a bad thing, many people enjoy the numbers). That means you have the confidence to calculate a rough answer.
Being satisfied with numbers is an essential business skill. Engineers use rough calculations to check the feasibility of the project before beginning detailed planning. Your doctor will use it to see if you have calculated the dosage of your drug correctly. Businessmen use it to see if the marketing plan makes sense or whether the initial cost suggestions are worth further discussion. It is also an essential way to check whether the answers generated by AI are likely to be correct.
Having a calculator doesn't give you a rough answer. Apart from distracting conversations, it's easy to get the decimal point in the wrong place. So you need to do rough calculations to make sure the answer is correct.
Memorize the facts or Memorization learning It's important. I have long ago forgotten the dates of all the kings of England. But the practice of learning them has helped me learn and remember other things that are more useful, like keyboard shortcuts and time to pass due at my dentist next week. Memorization learning is discipline. It can be taught along with useful strategies to improve it, such as mnemonics and the palace of memory. And it's like muscles. In that it improves the more memory is used.
The ability to learn through memorization and the confidence to make sure you remember well is an important business ability. In negotiations, you may need to remember the price that some competing suppliers quote you. You may need to explain to someone a new concept that contains several different elements. Or maybe you need to remember someone's name when you meet again.
Business soft skills
What about soft skills? Most people are naturally good at these “people skills.” However, that does not mean that you cannot improve during education. There are three skill sets that are particularly important for employment. Personal attributes such as discipline and grit. Interpersonal skills such as teamwork, leadership, and persuasion. And creativity and problem solving.
All of these skills can be developed within the existing curriculum, if appropriate techniques are used. They are all important because today's AI systems are skills that are poor. That's why they must be given greater excellence in schools and in higher education.
Personal attributes That's what some people might call “characters.” They include pride, integrity, discipline and grit for yourself. They are demonstrated in the fundamental characteristics of workplace success. For example, standing up on time, effort, perseverance when things get harder, and integrity.
Can I teach you the characters? I think you can. The basic areas of school life are useful to some extent, but perhaps the easiest way is in sports fields and programs like adventure training and DOFE. Project work is another good way to do it. It encourages people to work on their own, encourages them to ask for help when they need it, and gives them deadlines and limited resources. These are all attributes that help people thrive in the real world.
Interpersonal skills It is also essential for business as it supports the ability to work and lead in teams. Despite the fact that AI systems are sometimes used as tools for psychotherapy and counseling, they have particularly poor emotional intelligence and empathy. My experience as a parent and (for a while) teachers may suggest that many children are impatience with these, but there are formal techniques that can help with interpersonal skills, such as active listening and self-awareness.
Instead, teamwork skills come from team activities such as sports, music, and drama, but also classroom-based team activities such as giving individual students a role to lead and mitigate discussions. Group projects are also useful. Especially when the group is intentionally chosen to include a variety of abilities, cultures, and personalities.
An essential interpersonal skill for business is effective communication. This is supported by emotional intelligence, including empathy and humility, and personality, including self-confidence and assertion. It includes the ability to explain complex problems and persuade people. Drama is especially useful for nonverbal communication, but classroom activities can similarly provide students with the opportunity to practice communication skills such as discussions and presentations.
Creativity and problem solving It plays an important role in almost every job. Everyone wants to feel creativity. However, in many cases, creativity appears to be beaten by children in favor of learning facts. Of course, there is no problem with learning facts (see above), but fixed facts get in the way of the unfixed possibility. Children should be encouraged to prefer to explore boundaries of possibilities with childlike (childish) questions. Art, creative writing, board games – everything is a great way to encourage creativity. However, subjects in science and technology are also full of the need to solve problems (how can this theory be proven? How can this physical obstacle be overcome?)
Creative thinking is a culture where certainty (even science) is questioned and people are encouraged to always look for alternative explanations. Convinced, Flat Arthur is asked to disprove the theory that the Earth is round. Classes studying Darwin's evolution may be asked to consider epigenetic theories that appear to support Lamarchism. After all, knowledge is what we know today, but not necessarily what we know tomorrow. Ask Newton.
Solving problems requires imagination. However, adaptability is also necessary. In an uncertain world where everything seems constantly changing, the ability to think is important. This may involve quickly grasping new concepts. Or it may involve evaluating new evidence and thus changing your opinion.
The ability to think flexibly takes empathy (to see other people's points) and humility (to accept that you may be wrong). It is the most difficult skill to acquire, as it can involve face loss, as it can involve face loss. But that's when people refuse to consider alternatives that will get stuck in their own opinion and creativity die.
Educate children for the future
These are the five key pillars of employment: calculation, memory, personality, emotional intelligence, and creativity. Only one of these involves recalling a number of facts. And we need to take a closer look at how our children are educated as AI is set to revolutionize the way we work, discover things, and use information.
Schools today need to move from teaching academic knowledge to employers cultivating and quantifying the most valuable skills. Memory is still important. However, if you click on the mouse, you can get a large amount of facts outside of textbooks. Skills choose relevant (and accurate) facts. The ability to remember (or know) information was no longer an important skill.
Furthermore, the curriculum should be taught in a way that develops the skills that employers value. Teamwork, leadership and communication are just as important as analyzing information. Spontaneity is an essential attribute. Creativity and problem solving – Thinking about what is – is a way of thinking that needs to be encouraged.
Changing education in this way will bring about a leap of faith. But without it, children, the UK's most valuable asset, will fail to thrive in a new world where school learning information is less than today.
istockphoto.com and Caiaimage/Chris Ryan
