Literacy, Numeracy and... Thinkeracy?
Blog post description.
THINKERACYLITERACY & CONFIDENCE
8/25/20261 min read
There are a lot of conversations about AI and childhood learning. Coming at it from all different sides. I've been watching, reading - there are some great points raised - and I’ve been wondering whether we have a gap in our vocabulary.
A whole lot of people are saying that it isn't just about the tool, but about the thinking of the children who are using it. It's the hole in a donut. The hole only exists because the donut exists.
We talk about literacy. Numeracy. Digital skills.
But what do we call the ability to think well?
Not intelligence. That's different.
Not knowledge. That's different too.
So what do we call the ability to ask good questions?
To weigh evidence. To recognise when we don’t know enough yet. To change our minds when new information appears. To sit with uncertainty without immediately reaching for the nearest screen for an answer. To make up our own minds.
To distinguish between having enough information to form an opinion and enough information to form a judgement.
And the more I think about AI, the more important these things seem to become. When information is abundant and answers are available in seconds, the quality of our thinking matters even more.
I’ve found myself calling this Thinkeracy.
I’m not even remotely attached to the word. In fact - I said it very tongue in cheek to fit with literacy and numeracy when I first mentioned it. But I am becoming increasingly attached to the idea.
Literacy helps us read.
Numeracy helps us understand numbers.
And perhaps the next generation needs an equivalent capability for thinking itself.
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