IC Blog

Thinking in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

There is a question that, as educators, we are asking ourselves with growing urgency: When answers are available in seconds, how will we ensure that our students continue to learn to think for themselves? 

Artificial artificial intelligence is not a passing fad. It is a force that is reshaping industries, careers, and the way we engage with knowledge. But far from fearing it, we believe this historic moment gives us the opportunity to strengthen what truly makes us irreplaceable: critical thinking, creativity, ethics, curiosity, and the ability to endure uncertainty without giving up. Machines process, but they do not fully question. Only humans can blaze trails with the power of our unknowns. That is our greatest advantage and our greatest responsibility. And this is, precisely, what lies at the heart of what we teach. 

Nord Anglia Education, in collaboration with Boston College, conducted a two-year study based on a simple yet powerful question: What happens when we deliberately teach children how to think, rather than just what to learn? 

The study involved more than 12,000 students at 27 schools in 20 different countries. As part of the study, teachers incorporated “thinking routines” into everyday learning: structured pauses to reflect, ask questions, and explain one’s own reasoning rather than rushing to an answer. 

One of the routines, “See, Think, Ask”, invites students to pause in any situation and ask themselves: What do I notice? What does that tell me? What questions remain? Over time, those questions stopped feeling like an external instruction and became a mental habit. 

The results at the end of the second year were overwhelming: 

  • +21% critical thinking. 
  • +20% curiosity. 
  • +16% collaboration and commitment. 

In classrooms where these routines were practiced daily, the impact was even greater: 

  • 40% critical thinking and creativity. 
  • 50% curiosity and compassion. 
  • 85% of students have a better understanding of their strengths. 
  • 76% greater independence. 
  • 72% better understanding of how they learn. 
  • 96% of teachers: this approach prepares students for life. 

Artificial artificial intelligence can generate answers, but it cannot decide when to persevere, when to change strategy, or when to trust its own judgment. Those decisions are profoundly human, and they are exactly the ones we cultivate every day in the classroom.

This video is part of Nord Anglia Education's global campaign celebrating the human skills that no artificial intelligence can replace. 

The World Economic Forum identifies analytical thinking, creativity, adaptability, and lifelong learning as the most essential skills for the future. In a context where it is estimated that nearly 40% of core job skills will change by 2030, the students who will have the best chance for success will not be those who know the most, but those who know how to learn and how to refine their thinking. Technology will continue to transform the way we learn, and yet one thing will remain constant: we need to learn to think better and better and to determine the ways in which technology can contribute to that. 

Today, more than ever, it is essential that homes and schools focus our efforts on building the skills that will enable our children and teenagers to face uncertainty with confidence, make decisions without cutting corners, and believe in their own ability to solve problems that do not yet have easy answers. 

  • Critical thinking: noticing when something doesn’t add up, and pausing instead of panicking. 
  • Independence: deciding what to try next without waiting for someone to tell you. 
  • Perseverance: sticking with a problem long enough to find a solution. 
  • Curiosity: keep asking questions even when the answer seems within reach. 
  • Empathy and compassion: reading people’s situations and responding with genuine sensitivity. 
  • Ethical judgment: navigating complex dilemmas using one’s own values, not algorithms. 

Those are skills that last a lifetime. And that’s why at IC, we put them at the heart of everything we do. 

This research is not merely an external benchmark that we admire; it is a roadmap that belongs to us as the NAE community. In the coming months, we plan to review its findings in depth with our teaching staff, read them together, discuss them, and question them, in order to understand what they confirm and what they challenge. 

Many of the practices validated by this research are already part of our educational culture. We want to acknowledge them, define them more clearly, and intentionally reinforce them. At the same time, we seek to identify where we can go further: what routines to incorporate, what spaces to open up, and what mechanisms to build so that every student—with their own pace, background, and learning style—receives the education that our times demand. 

Metacognition metacognition—that ability to think about one’s own thinking—doesn’t develop solely in the classroom. It is also nurtured in conversations at home, in the way adults model doubt, curiosity, and tolerance for not having all the answers. 

We invite you to play an active role in this process. The progress we see in our students reflects not only what happens within the school, but also the ecosystem of trust and loving support that the entire community builds together. 

Here are some ways to support this learning at home: 

  • Ask your child how they reached a conclusion, not just what it was. 
  • Frame the uncertainty: “I don’t know, but let’s figure it out together.” 
  • Celebrate effort and perseverance, not just the right answer. 
  • Allow yourself moments of productive boredom; don't try to solve everything right away. 
  • Talk about ethics and everyday dilemmas, without rushing to give “the answer.” 

Let’s continue to build a community together that doesn’t just seek answers, but dares to ask better questions. Because that’s where real learning happens. 

Thank you for playing an active role in this journey and for joining us in educating students who are capable of thinking deeply, acting with sound judgment, and facing the future with confidence. 

Carolina Ferro 
Head of School