Crafting Tailored Journeys of Scholarly Brilliance
Emily McCarren PhD
Executive Head of School, Keystone Academy
We are facing an unprecedented moment in the history of education. The last few years have ushered in the largest technological shift in perhaps all of history, as access to generative AI based on large language models has proliferated around the world at breakneck speed. “Brave New Word” by Sal Khan invites the reader into an accessible story narrated by one of the greatest thinkers in educational reform and innovation.
To understand the importance of this book, we need to thoroughly examine the context in which this innovation has arrived. The arrival of ChatGPT came as schools were still reeling from the fallout of the global COVID-19 pandemic — teacher shortages, student learning disruptions, and the general upheaval that rocked our educational systems. Just as a sense of “normal” was starting to return, this remarkable new AI technology emerged, shocking educators and leaders once again.
Already exhausted, overtaxed, and overwhelmed, schools around the world started sharing AI policies with a mix of fervor and fear: something scary was on the way and we need to protect our children and our way of doing what we think is right for them. This feeling emphasizes the need for the parenthetical at the end of the title: “Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education (and Why That’s a Good Thing).” Don’t forget—Kahn reminds us, even from the cover of the book—what’s happening now is a good thing. Complex, sure, but good.
Of course, there is reason to be prudent and cautious with any new technology, especially after decades of educational technology focused on selling products to schools as opposed to doing what was best for student learning. And with the arrival of ChatGPT, the educational sector went to work trying to keep the perceived danger out, with fear-based AI policies proliferating around the world as teachers and administrators grappled with another paradigm shift. Then we created the “AI is here” version of measures to limit access to the tools and keep them out of our students’ hands and their learning. And entire industries proliferated to try to “catch” students in the act of “cheating” or using these tools on now outdated assignments. Teachers scrutinized papers with ferocity. Not in my classroom, their actions protectively said.
In the midst of this turbulent context, one individual was remarkably fired up and ready to take on the challenge: Sal Khan. The founder of Khan Academy had been in deep conversations with the leaders of OpenAI, poised to bring this powerful technology into the realm of education. Khan and his team were racing to demonstrate how AI could be a true game-changer, solving long standing challenges like the “two-sigma problem” that has plagued traditional classroom instruction. Research and good sense tell us that the model of 1:1 learning—a skilled tutor and an engaged student—is the most effective environment for learning, and that students with personalized support perform at a significantly higher level than those who do not.
Even before the generative AI revolution, Sal Khan and his team at Khan Academy have been tirelessly working to scale personalized, high-quality learning opportunities for millions of students around the world. With the advent of generative AI, Khan saw the potential for these new tools to further that mission in profound ways. His story of navigating this pivotal moment in history is both a salve for the fears many have about AI’s impact, and a catalyst for the excitement of knowing that the future of learning is on the precipice of remarkable transformation.
And, the Khan Academy team, like many other high quality online educational programs, had just had an amazing couple of years. While in-person education was radically disrupted, educators running online experiences soared and stepped up to support the needs of the world’s students as their schools were temporarily remote. Kahn and the team at Khan Academy were ready to take on the exciting question of what something like Chat GPT could mean for the future of education. Coupled with a healthy and vibrant community for collaborative learning, physical activity, and expression in all forms, it is magical what schools can now dare to be. In “Brave New Words,” Sal Khan paints that picture for us.
This book allows us all to see this future through the eyes of one of the great innovators in education. And he does it in a way that is remarkably accessible. Each of the important chapters can be used as a guide for discussion or brainstorming about what is best for learners. Sal Khan brings his expertise, passion, and deep care for students to guide us through the complexities, challenges, and opportunities that generative AI presents. In doing so, he reminds us that many of the core questions we now face are not entirely new—in fact, they are age-old issues in education that may finally find solutions.
How can our educational models and their limited financial resources provide the world’s children what we know they need—thoughtful, personalized mastery-based learning that helps them realize their personal and professional goals? What is the essence of high-quality teaching and learning? Where can technology make teachers even more effective and capable of doing the deeply human work of caring for their students and their learning? What is creativity and how do we (humans) assess and value it? All these questions and more are explored in these pages.
Everyone in the education sphere needs to grapple with the implications of generative AI. Our children’s futures, and the future of learning itself, depend on it. “Brave New Words” is an essential roadmap for entering this vital conversation and shaping how these transformative technologies will be leveraged to create more equitable, personalized, and meaningful learning experiences for all. This book will catalyze the conversations needed to take education forward in a humane way. It will ensure we work together to elevate and protect the transformative power of the relationships between teachers and their students. In this magic lies the secret to our shared future on our fragile planet.
