As I write this, I'm waiting for our students to return from their weXplore, a five-day excursion that takes students beyond their host city for immersive cultural experiences. For the past two months, we as a school have called Maun, Botswana, our home. It's a small town on the edge of the Okavango Delta and, for many travelers, a doorway into Africa. But Maun is only one perspective, and it...
Read MoreAs the future of work evolves, so do the skills students need. Experts forecast that nearly 40% of today’s core job skills will be transformed or no longer relevant by 2030.
At THINK Global School, we see education as a shared journey shaped by students, educators, and families who believe in learning that evolves with the world. Over the past several weeks, we hosted the first two sessions of the Parent Advising Circle on AI, bringing together a remarkable group of global parents to shape a thoughtful, values-driven approach to AI at TGS.
Facilitated by our Content Manager & Technologist, Matt Rogers, these roundtables invited parents to share their hopes, questions, and lived AI experiences, helping us imagine what responsible, empowering AI use should look like for young people.
We began by grounding the discussion in TGS’s unique project-based, independent, and experiential learning model. Parents noted the opportunities and challenges this creates with AI—from multilingual needs and research support to nurturing curiosity, creativity, and foundational human skills.
Drawing on a recent New York Times Hard Fork episode and personal stories, conversations explored how students use AI, where it accelerates learning, and where it risks being a shortcut. Across both meetings, several strong themes emerged:
• Equity matters: All students need access to high-quality AI tools, not just free versions, and clear, consistent usage expectations. 🌍
• Human skills remain essential: AI aids frustration or language barriers, but reading, writing, and critical thinking must stay central. ✏️
• Transparency builds trust: Disclosure of AI use allows educators to understand a student’s process, target support, and celebrate growth. 🔍
• AI literacy is non-negotiable: Students need guidance on AI’s limitations, accuracy, ethics, and risks, from hallucinations to AI-enabled scams. 🧭
• Guiding principles grounded in TGS values: Parents articulated principles tied to kaizen, satya, ubuntu, and meraki. These directly shape our formal policy. 🧠
These insights inform the work of our Staff Working Group and Student AI Ambassadors, who are developing the first draft of our AI teaching and learning policy. This policy sits within a broader school-wide AI strategy and integrates closely with our academic integrity framework.
What stood out most was the shared belief that AI should act as a thinking partner, not a thinking replacement: a tool that expands access, deepens inquiry, and supports joyful learning, while safeguarding core human skills and values.
We’re grateful for the generosity, honesty, and global perspectives of the parents in our circle. Their contributions are helping TGS build an AI policy that safeguards integrity, nurtures curiosity, and prepares young people for a future where AI is everyday life.
More updates are to come as we share the first draft of the policy with our community.