How do we prepare children for a future shaped by artificial intelligence? By giving them strong foundations in literacy and numeracy, opportunities to think independently, and the confidence to keep learning as the world changes.

For parents, the question is becoming broader than “What career should my child choose?” We also need to ask: “What kind of education will help them adapt, make thoughtful decisions and lead a fulfilling life?”

At ISSFT, we believe that preparing teenagers for an uncertain future means combining academic learning with opportunities to explore, communicate and experience the wider world.

What does AI mean for our children’s education?

In What Should My Children Do? How to Flourish in the Age of AI, economist Daniel Susskind examines how young people can prepare for a changing educational landscape and job market. His approach includes strengthening literacy and numeracy, developing attention, and teaching students to work both with and without AI. He also encourages a focus on meaningful problems rather than prestigious career labels.

This raises an important question for families. If technology can increasingly carry out tasks once associated with particular professions, how useful is it to build a child’s education around one prediction about their future career?

Young people still need subject knowledge and technical skills. But they also need the ability to develop new interests, reconsider their assumptions and learn unfamiliar things. Education should give them a foundation they can build upon throughout their lives.

Why critical thinking matters in the age of AI

When technology can generate an answer in seconds, knowing how to judge that answer becomes an essential part of learning.

A convincing explanation is not necessarily an accurate one. Teenagers need opportunities to examine evidence, recognise assumptions and distinguish between fact, opinion and speculation.

Useful questions include:

• How do we know this is true?

• What evidence supports this claim?

• Is the source reliable and relevant?

• What information might be missing?

• Could there be another explanation?

These habits matter across subjects, from interpreting a scientific finding to evaluating a news story or discussing a business idea. They also help young people become more thoughtful users of technology.

Critical thinking requires knowledge as well as curiosity. Students need enough understanding of a subject to recognise when an answer deserves closer examination.

Learning with AI while developing independent thought

AI offers possibilities for education, including personalised explanations and tutoring. Susskind’s argument is that young people should learn to master these technologies while preserving other essential skills.

A balanced approach gives teenagers opportunities to use digital tools thoughtfully alongside time to read deeply, solve problems and develop ideas themselves.

For example, a student might attempt a difficult question independently before using AI to explore another explanation. They could then compare approaches, check the reasoning and explain what they have understood in their own words.

The educational value lies in that process. Completing a task is only one part of learning; being able to explain, question and apply the result matters too.

Why a broad education still matters

Science, mathematics and technology give young people important ways to understand the world. So do literature, history, languages and the arts.

Reading invites students to consider another person’s perspective. History encourages them to examine evidence and context. Languages create opportunities for communication across cultures. Creative subjects give them space to experiment, interpret and express ideas.

A broad education also helps teenagers discover interests they may not yet know they have. It leaves room for curiosity before they feel pressured to settle on a particular direction.

Alongside “What do you want to be?”, we can ask:

“What are you curious about? What would you like to understand? What problems would you like to help solve?”

These conversations connect education with purpose while allowing ambitions to develop over time.

How international experiences can support teenagers’ development

Education happens outside the classroom too. Meeting people from different cultures and spending time in unfamiliar places can give teenagers practical opportunities to develop confidence, independence and communication.

In an international setting, students encounter different perspectives through everyday experiences: working on a shared project, joining an activity or talking over a meal.

They have opportunities to listen carefully, explain themselves clearly and reconsider assumptions. For students communicating in English as an additional language, these interactions also provide meaningful opportunities to practise.

Independence develops through manageable experiences: organising belongings, taking responsibility for a daily routine and learning when to ask for support. A supervised residential programme can provide space to practise these skills within a structured environment.

Combining academic learning and wider experiences at ISSFT

The International Summer School for Teens (ISSFT) offers residential summer programmes in Oxford and St Andrews. Students choose one academic subject and one elective, alongside cultural excursions, sports and social activities, with 24/7 supervision. This combination creates opportunities to explore interests and practise communication in an international community.

Technology-focused options include Computer Coding and AI in Oxford and AI & Computer Science in St Andrews. These provide routes into exploring technology alongside the programme’s wider learning experiences.

Our educational philosophy values what happens between lessons as well as within them. A conversation with a new friend, a group challenge or a cultural excursion can become an opportunity to ask questions, encounter another viewpoint and grow in confidence.

Preparing young people to keep learning

We cannot predict exactly what working life will look like when today’s teenagers become adults. We can give them opportunities to become knowledgeable, curious and adaptable people who evaluate information, communicate thoughtfully and use technology with judgement.

Perhaps the most valuable education for an unpredictable world is one that teaches young people how to think—and gives them enough experience of the world to discover what is worth thinking about.

Explore ISSFT’s residential summer programmes in Oxford and St Andrews.