Dear parents,

I wanted to write to you to draw your attention to a brand-new publication from Nord Anglia Education called INSIGHTS that looks at the subjects that matter most to young people and their parents when it comes to education.

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?

This first issue of INSIGHTS returns to a theme which is familiar to the world of education, and specifically for us here at NAIS Pudong – preparing our students for their future.  Some of today’s hottest topics are covered in this issue, including those of wellbeing and AI, the latter of which is close to my heart within my context as both Principal and a computer scientist.  

Sir Anthony Seldon discusses AI in the ‘The Fourth Education Revolution’ article.  I agree with much of what was written, in that AI’s use in education is undoubtedly going to be impactful.  It will be a complex issue moving forward in its current form, but having seen many false starts to what was predicted to be one form or another of AI across previous decades, my current stance is ‘let’s wait and see.’  AI is just the next level of programming; a more sophisticated iteration of computing software that some human(s), somewhere, have designed and created using complex and beautiful algorithms.   AI still needs a person to enter the parameters of the search query needed to write a lesson plan or to mark student work.  AI still needs humans to do the evidence-based research - whose results are posted and which can then be data mined - to be included in a selection of resources.  And more importantly teachers – humans - still need to review AI output for validity, accuracy, and feasibility before its use in the classroom.

A fascinating topic for sure, and I’m excited to share my further thoughts with you on this topic soon.  In the meantime, please enjoy reading all of the articles for yourself and feel free to share your own thoughts in our comments div.

I invite you to read, reflect, and share INSIGHTS by clicking 'Read More' down below.