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This is going to be amazing. Sal Khan and Siya Raj Purohit are two of the people who I look to most for thought leadership around all the changes happening in AI. Here's my initial take on the book... come join at the book club to discuss! ****************************************************** Just finished the Sal Khan book on AI and been considering so many of the core assumptions that seem to be permeating into the AI in Education movement. Coming at this from the lens of adult learners (i.e. - teaching finance and strategy, not reading and math), it makes me think the exuberance coming out about what we *should* do with AI has gone way too far. Specifically: 🤔 Core assumption from Khan: The way that AI allows extremely personalized learning journeys is a tremendous boon. My take: I have to say, this sounds crazy isolating and particularly for the types of skills that we teach at Abilitie (skills and tools that come to light in their interactions between people… not math and reading, but finance and leadership), it sounds counterproductive. The social interactions in the learning ARE the learning and it’s why its so important that there are social experiences (read: simulations/games/projects). ******************************************************** 🤔Core assumption from Khan: Giving everyone assessments and questions that are tailored to where they are helps everyone take the right next steps. My take: Again, this sounds dystopian to me with the types of things that we do. The experience of working through a problem with another person is where the understanding comes from. Wisdom and empathy come from seeing that others, given the same situation as you, can thoughtfully and intentionally act in totally different ways! Seeing two people discuss how to navigate a situation, navigate it, and then debrief the different paths taken across pairs in a debrief is so powerful. ******************************************************** 🤔 Core assumption from Khan: it’s a great thing when we can actually reskin a topic to a learner’s preference. The example he uses is looking at World War II economy through the lens of a baseball game (I like to think about how, if given the choice, my nephew would ask for every topic to be explained as if it’s in the world of Dungeons and Dragons). I get why he’s doing it but it’s crazy. It infantilizes the learner and loses out on the nuance of a well crafted lesson/story/scenario. ******************************************************** For me, reading the book was exciting (this is crazy amazing stuff!), confusing (something feels off…), and thought-provoking. Check it out! Jonathan Schneider Andrew Rosenberg Bjorn Billhardt Matthew J. Rubins Matthew Confer
Come join us - and 150 of our friends - on August 22nd for a virtual conversation about Sal Khan's book Brave New Words! 🎇 I first visited Khan Lab School in 2016 (my article below) and it's been amazing to watch many of the principles KLS was founded on—mastery learning, personalization, and mentoring—shape the Khanmigo product. In this book club, we'll discuss: 👩🏫 The Role of Educators: How will a teacher's role evolve in a tech-enhanced learning environment? ✊ Equity & Access: Can AI help bridge the gap in educational equity? The discussion will be led by a great group of hosts: Alex Sarlin, Ben Kornell, Sarah M., and myself. Register below! #Edtech #FutureOfWork