With the advent of the AI era, are children ready to "shift gears and speed up"?
With the rapid development of AI technology, many parents have become anxious: in this era of rapid change, what should our children learn to stay out of fashion? Is it programming, data analysis, or robot operation? Don't worry, let me tell you a story first.
Xiaohua is an ordinary junior high school student with average to high grades and no knowledge of AI. His mother watched the children around her learn to code and participate in robotics competitions, and her heart became more and more anxious. She feels that if Xiaohua doesn't learn some "high-tech", he will definitely be eliminated by society in the future.
Do you share the same concerns? In this age of ubiquitous AI, do we really need to force children to learn "in-demand skills" that they may not be interested in?
In fact, in the era of AI, what children need to learn most may not be a specific skill, but how to adapt to the rapidly changing environment, how to cooperate with AI, and how to maintain the ability to learn for life.
Xiaohua's mother began to change her mind after counseling with me. She realized that forcing Hua to learn programming that he wasn't interested in could backfire. So, she decided to start by cultivating Xiaohua's interest in learning and learning ability.
She encouraged Xiaohua to join the school's science and technology club and get in touch with different science and technology projects. In the process, Xiaohua found himself interested in data analysis. As a result, he began to take the initiative to learn related knowledge, and even used his spare time to teach himself some basic programming knowledge.
In the process, Xiaohua not only learned new knowledge, but more importantly, he learned how to take the initiative to learn, how to cooperate with team members, and how to solve problems. These capabilities are what are most needed in the AI era.
As parents, we don't need to be overly anxious about whether our children have mastered a certain "in-demand skill". What we should pay more attention to is whether children have the ability to adapt to the future society.
So, what should children learn in the age of AI? My answer is: learn to learn, learn to cooperate, learn to innovate. These abilities are the "passport" for children to the future.
Of course, this is not to say that we can completely ignore the learning of specific skills. But remember that skills are constantly being updated and replaced, and that competencies and literacy are valuable assets that will accompany your child throughout their lives. So, in the age of AI, let's work together to develop children's "future abilities".