GNS Applies Critical Thinking to AI

AI. 

Do you fear it, ignore it, try to resist it? 

Or do you approach with curiosity—investigate, sniff around, see what you can learn about it that might help make some things easier, maybe even more efficient, while also weighing the concerns? 

GNS Head of School Chad Holtum recently returned from what you could call a meeting of the minds—a leadership symposium in London, England where 260 Round Square School leaders, from 50 countries, gathered to share ideas, learn from one another and review the priorities of the organization.

Round Square is a global community of like-minded schools that agree on the importance of an education built on six key themes: International Understanding, Democracy, Environmental Stewardship, Adventure, Leadership and Service—also known as the Round Square IDEALS.

The Round Square website explains it like this: “Understanding that many of life’s important lessons come from practical experience, we use experiential learning, to shape students’ character, and build their capacity to make a positive difference in the world as globally-minded, courageous and compassionate leaders.”​

As one of the Round Square pillars, service and service learning always get a lot of buzz at this symposium, held every two years. Holtum says you never get tired of talking about how you’ve witnessed service shaping a student’s character, or of hearing how your students made a big difference restoring a critical mangrove ecosystem in Costa Rica, or improving access to water for residents of a remote Vietnamese Village. 

But this year, school leaders also spent a lot of time talking about AI—its impact on teaching, on learning and on the world:

“It was fascinating to hear how schools are using AI, and how some schools are not using AI. The progressive ones—in my opinion—are not running from it. They’re trying to work with it and understand how it’s going to improve teaching and learning.”

The group heard from some impressive experts including keynote speaker Priya Lakhani, OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire), Founder CEO of CENTURY Tech and BBC AI Decoded correspondent. Lakhani also co-founded the Institute for Ethical AI in Education, and she sits on the UK Government’s AI Council. 

Holtum says Lakhani summed it up like this: 

“She talked about AI as history predicting the future. And that the number one skill for humans over the next few years while we learn what AI is, will all be about critical thinking. I can’t think of a more important thing that we’re doing at GNS than working with our students to make sure that they are critical thinkers. When I think about GNS and the impact that our teachers and our staff have on our kids—especially through the IB (International Baccalaureate) programme, whether that’s the IB Primary Years Programme, the Middle Years Programme or the Diploma Programme, critical thinking is at the heart of our approach.” 

It’s pretty much the IB programme in a nutshell: “The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme is a globally recognized curriculum that encourages students to take ownership of their learning and develop critical thinking skills. It also promotes intercultural understanding and respect by teaching students to question and appreciate diverse perspectives.”

Holtum recounts a memorable analogy Lakhani shared:

“It really stuck with me when Priya Lakhani pointed out that in some ways things haven’t really changed that much in the last hundred years. Our grandparents and our great grandparents would have sat around on Friday night listening to the radio. They would have said, ‘Well, did you hear that? It must be true. It’s on the radio.’ And then we sat around and we watched TV and thought, ‘Well, it was on TV. It must be true.’ And now we have the Internet which is full of all kinds of stuff which we don’t know to be true or not, but it’s on the Internet, it must be true, right? We have to develop critical thinkers and inquirers, so we know how to separate fact from fiction—young people who ask good questions, who aren’t afraid to challenge and dig deeper.”

When it comes to AI in the classroom GNS has taken a proactive approach, developing a thoughtful ‘stoplight’ system that helps students navigate when and how AI can be used. This cutting edge tool ensures GNS continues to lead when it comes to the science, technology and evolution of education, embracing a philosophy that recognizes students need to understand AI as a tool that will be there well beyond high school graduation—one that has advantages and limitations. 

Critical thinking is a skill nurtured in GNS students every day—in debate, design, language and literature, art, math and science. An inquiry-based approach, a deep commitment to democracy, environment and leadership, a dash of adventure, and a whole lot of service may just be the GNS secret sauce—key to turning out students able to navigate modern challenges like AI.