Our Associate Principal Alan Cocker Introduces you to INSIGHTS from Nord Anglia

INSIGHTS ON THE LATEST EDUCATION TRENDS

I first became aware of this magazine back in late September at our global Senior Leadership Conference and was hugely impressed by the thought-provoking content and opinions offered by the contributors.

The articles cover topics such as: Can children learn how to be happy? And if they can, will it make a difference? Do children need knowledge anymore when everything’s a click or a swipe away with AI? Does learning about ‘making a difference’ (as in social impact) actually make any difference?

I really love being part of Nord Anglia. Initiatives like this that connect us with thought provoking articles based on leading research, do help us to reflect. Artificial intelligence is a hot topic in education, as noted in ‘The Fourth Education Revolution’. It particularly resonates with me as I can draw parallels from parts of my earlier life when computers began to enter education. At that time, we were promised that they would enable us to have better work life balance and things would be done for us. In reality, the skeptic in me believes that despite the exponential advancement of technology, computers haven't made us happier or helped us achieve a better balance. Instead, they have enabled us to become less patient and to expect things to be more instant. We now expect our emails to be responded to on the same day, anticipate having immediate access to correct information, and demand instant price quotes for projects. Things that we once waited for days are now expected to be delivered upon request.

Don’t get me wrong, I am part of this. I expect my Amazon delivery to arrive tomorrow, and I anticipate an immediate response to getting my air-conditioning fixed today. But I also know that the pace of my life has significantly increased. I can accomplish more in my time than I could without a computer only a few decades ago. I don’t believe my wellbeing has improved and I don’t think computers have made me happier. They do enable me to do more in less time, which means I do more and more rather than having time for other things. This is where I feel we have to be careful with AI.  

I am not sure that I agree that AI will do everything for us. I can see it helping us do more in less time – just like computers have. However, I do think that we have to harness the power of AI, embrace it. Adults entering the job market will be at an advantage if they can utilise AI. A human with AI will be more effective than one without it. For this reason, we need to wake up to this revolution and get engaged. As with all technology, AI will be used for both good and bad. For the vast majority of us, we want to see it being used to make the world a better place. We all need to think about how we enter into a relationship with AI, and doing so for the betterment of humankind not for worse.   

I invite you to read, reflect, and share INSIGHTS by clicking on the link here.

Kind regards,

Alan Cocker

Associate Principal

BIS Abu Dhabi, a Nord Anglia Education school

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