219: The skills your child will need in the age of AI

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What your child is learning in school isn’t enough

The things your child is learning in school are not the things that are most likely to lead to their success in the future.

Who could have predicted the shifts we’ve seen since Chat GPT-3 was released to the public in November 2022?

While AI still has its bugs, it won’t be long before these bugs are squashed.

We’re going to be using more and more technology in our lives - and our children are going to need different skills to navigate it than we’ve used in our careers.

The 56 foundational skills for future success

A report from consulting firm McKinsey’s research arm described 56 foundational skills that will help people thrive in the future of work.

Eleven of these skills are related to digital fluency and citizenship, software use and development, and understanding digital systems.

The other 44 skills have nothing to do with digital knowledge or capabilities.

These skills (and how to help your child learn them) are the topic of this episode.

There's a key topic that's missing from these skills: content knowledge.

The McKinsey researchers are assuming that we can quickly learn what we need to know - or that we actually don’t need to learn very much content, because our new AI tools will do that for us (as soon as they stop making up legal cases).

But children spend 90+% of their time in school…learning content.

How are they going to get the rest of the skills they’ll need?

Well, they’re going to get them from you…or not at all.

Not sure how you’re going to make this happen?

Need help?

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Other episodes mentioned

052: Grit: The unique factor in your child’s success?

061: Can Growth Mindset live up to the hype?

165: How grit helps (and how it doesn’t)

215: Why will no-one play with me?

218: What children learn from video games

Jump to Highlights

01:27 Introducing today’s topic 03:06 According to the McKinsey report, children need cognitive, interpersonal, self-leadership, and digital skills to thrive in a tech-driven future. 06:22 The first of the four categories of skills, the cognitive category, focuses on skills like communication, critical thinking, mental flexibility, and planning. 18:01 The second category, interpersonal skills, focuses on working with others effectively, including inspiring and understanding people, and building strong relationships, and effective teamwork. 27:29 The third category, Self-Leadership, covers self-awareness, self-management, and goal achievement, stressing the importance of integrity and adaptability. 42:48 The final category is Digital, encompassing Digital Fluency and Citizenship, Software Use and Development, and Understanding Digital Systems—key for evaluating and effectively using digital resources. 53:39 McKinsey's AI-age skills focus on tech, missing crucial areas like art, languages, and spatial awareness. A well-rounded education needs both tech and human connection skills.

References

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