The uncharted territory of AI literacy: A call to sharpen our learning skills

As we step into a new era dominated by artificial intelligence (AI), the term "AI literacy" is emerging as a vital skill. But what does it actually mean to be AI literate? The reality is, we don't fully grasp this yet. This uncertainty makes it tough to teach effectively. 

Tools and technologies are evolving at a rapid pace, leaving traditional education methods struggling to keep up. 

The challenge we face is significant: How do we prepare ourselves and others for an AI-driven future when the destination is still rather foggy?

Learning how to learn: the real skill we need

I believe, in this unfamiliar landscape, it’s essential to focus not just on AI literacy, but on the ability to learn how to learn. This meta-skill underpins all learning and is crucial in a world where knowledge can quickly become outdated. 

However, learning how to learn isn't easy. It demands effort, persistence, and the courage to face our limitations—qualities that often push us out of our comfort zones.

Over the past few decades, I've observed a shift where the responsibility has increasingly fallen on educators, while students' personal accountability for their own learning has diminished. There are countless reasons why learning has become more challenging in today’s world, but educators can only do so much. It's time for individuals to take ownership of their learning journey.

Humanity at a crossroads: who will thrive?

As AI continues to reshape our industries, education, and daily lives, we find ourselves at a crossroads. Those who are mentally, emotionally, and physically prepared will navigate these changes with greater ease, adapting, learning, and flourishing. But what about those who are less ready?

While I firmly believe that individuals must take responsibility for their own growth, I also recognise that as educators, we have a crucial role to play. We must ask ourselves: how can we help our learners sharpen their learning axes to meet the challenges that lie ahead?

Strategies for sharpening the learning axe

In navigating the complexities of an AI-driven world, fostering the right mindset and skills becomes crucial. The foundation of this lies in cultivating curiosity, teaching resilience, embracing flexibility, building community, and promoting mental and emotional well-being. 

So, for educational leaders we recommend the following:

• Foster curiosity: Encourage a mindset of continuous inquiry. Curiosity ignites exploration, laying the foundation for learning. Create environments—both physical and digital—that reward questions as much as answers.
• Teach and foster resilience:  Learning can be frustrating, especially with complex subjects like AI. We must teach resilience, empowering learners to move through setbacks and failures, recognising them as vital parts of the learning journey.
• Embrace flexibility: Rigid pathways are losing relevance. Educators should promote flexible thinking and problem-solving skills, enabling learners to adapt swiftly to new information and situations.
• Build community: Learning alone can feel daunting. By fostering supportive learning communities, we cultivate a culture of shared growth. This can be achieved through collaborative projects, study groups, and online forums.
• Promote mental and emotional health: Learning new skills can stress mental and emotional well-being. Incorporating mindfulness practices, physical activity, and training in emotional intelligence into learning environments helps maintain balance and focus.

These pillars are essential in creating environments that not only facilitate learning but also empower individuals to thrive amidst the inevitable challenges of acquiring new, often complex, knowledge. By integrating these principles, we can better prepare learners to adapt, grow, and succeed in an ever-evolving educational landscape.

The hard truth: no demand for what’s hard

There's a reason ‘learning how to learn’ is not in high demand—it’s tough. It requires a shift from passively consuming information to actively engaging in learning. Yet, this is precisely what we need to thrive in an AI-driven future. We must prioritise this skill, even when it’s challenging to do so.

Check out this video where I bust the myth that scrolling through TikTok means you have learned something:

Preparing for an uncertain future

As we advance, our true measure of success won't be how well we understand AI, but how adeptly we can adapt to the changes it brings. By concentrating on learning how to learn, we equip ourselves with the most powerful tool of all: the ability to evolve alongside the technology that is reshaping our world. The pressing question remains: 

Are we prepared to put in the effort to sharpen our learning axes, or will we risk being left behind as the future rushes in?