Rebecca Winthrop

Because actually, now that we have AI that can write essays and pass the bar exam and do AP exams just as good or better than kids, we have to really rethink the purpose of education. The second thing we have to think about is how kids learn. And we know a lot about that. And the third thing is what they should learn. Like what's the content? What are the skills?

People always think of education as sort of a transactional transmission of knowledge, which is one important piece of it, but it is actually so much more than that. Learning to live with other people, learning to know yourself, and developing the flexible competencies to be able to navigate a world of uncertainty. Those are kind of the whys for me.

People always think of education as sort of a transactional transmission of knowledge, which is one important piece of it, but it is actually so much more than that. Learning to live with other people, learning to know yourself, and developing the flexible competencies to be able to navigate a world of uncertainty. Those are kind of the whys for me.

But, you know, I might ask you, what are your hopes and dreams for your kids? Under the why, before we get to the details of the skills.

But, you know, I might ask you, what are your hopes and dreams for your kids? Under the why, before we get to the details of the skills.

The skills that I think are going to be most important are how motivated and engaged kids are to be able to learn new things. That is maybe one of the most important skills in a time of uncertainty, that they are go-getters, they're going to be wayfinders, things are going to shift and change, and they're going to be able to

The skills that I think are going to be most important are how motivated and engaged kids are to be able to learn new things. That is maybe one of the most important skills in a time of uncertainty, that they are go-getters, they're going to be wayfinders, things are going to shift and change, and they're going to be able to

navigate and constantly learn new things and be excited to learn new things. Because when kids are motivated, that's actually a huge predictor of how they do. And we're going to want kids absolutely to know enough content so that they can be a judge of what is real and what is fake. But we're also going to want them to have experiences where they're

navigate and constantly learn new things and be excited to learn new things. Because when kids are motivated, that's actually a huge predictor of how they do. And we're going to want kids absolutely to know enough content so that they can be a judge of what is real and what is fake. But we're also going to want them to have experiences where they're

learning and testing how to come up with creative new solutions to things, which is not really what traditional public education has been about.

learning and testing how to come up with creative new solutions to things, which is not really what traditional public education has been about.

We can't be super instrumental. So we have to come up with a new plan. I mean, we did not know, collectively, us, the world, that we would have generative AI that could basically write every seventh grade essay or college essay to get into university or the whole host of exams that are being administered and are being passed by AI just as well or better than kids.

We can't be super instrumental. So we have to come up with a new plan. I mean, we did not know, collectively, us, the world, that we would have generative AI that could basically write every seventh grade essay or college essay to get into university or the whole host of exams that are being administered and are being passed by AI just as well or better than kids.

So we have to come up with a new plan. That is not the plan for success. And I wanna push back on something you said. You said, I don't know if kids just enjoy what they're learning. It's gonna help or people are really gonna benefit from that. Engagement is very powerful. It's basically how motivated you are to really dig in and learn. And it relates to what you do. Do you show up?

So we have to come up with a new plan. That is not the plan for success. And I wanna push back on something you said. You said, I don't know if kids just enjoy what they're learning. It's gonna help or people are really gonna benefit from that. Engagement is very powerful. It's basically how motivated you are to really dig in and learn. And it relates to what you do. Do you show up?

Do you participate? Do you do your homework? It relates to how you feel. Do you find school interesting? Is it exciting? Do you feel you belong at school? It relates to how you think. Are you cognitively engaged? Are you looking at what you learn in one class, applying it to what it might mean in your life outside or other classes? And it's also how proactive you are. about your learning.

Do you participate? Do you do your homework? It relates to how you feel. Do you find school interesting? Is it exciting? Do you feel you belong at school? It relates to how you think. Are you cognitively engaged? Are you looking at what you learn in one class, applying it to what it might mean in your life outside or other classes? And it's also how proactive you are. about your learning.

And all those dimensions really work together in education that's a very powerful construct to predict better achievement, better grades, better mental health, more enrollment in college, better understanding of content, and lots of other benefits to boot. And we need to have kids build that

And all those dimensions really work together in education that's a very powerful construct to predict better achievement, better grades, better mental health, more enrollment in college, better understanding of content, and lots of other benefits to boot. And we need to have kids build that

muscle of doing hard things, because I worry greatly that AI will basically make a frictionless world for young people. It's great for me. I'm loving generative AI, but I have said several decades of brain development where I know how to do hard things. But kids are developing their brains. They're literally being neurobiologically wired to