Brain Training and AI

WISELY NAVIGATING THE DIGITAL AGE

Our Critical Thinking course is a curriculum based on the idea that to thrive in a changing world students must become both discerning users of AI as well as develop an intentional, healthy relationship to screens.

Through a series of custom-built lessons, incorporating a wide range of material—from Harvard’s AI pedagogy lab to readings from Marcus Aurelius—these small group sessions help students build the skills necessary to manage their relationship to the technologies of today, so that they can thrive in the economies of tomorrow.

  • Critical Thinking

    In small group conversations with their teacher, and through a series of writing assignments, students learn to strengthen their ability to analyze & question complex ideas.​

  • Mindfulness & Screens​

    Students examine, discuss openly, and reevaluate their own relationships with technology. Screens are here to stay, but how kids choose to engage with them shape their habits, focus, and well-being for years to come.​

  • Navigating AI​

    Through exercises developed at Harvard’s AI pedagogy lab, we help students identify the technology’s strengths as well as its weaknesses, allowing them to begin using it as a ‘collaborative tool’ rather than a replacement for their own thinking.​

A Six-Week Syllabus

Week 1
Dissecting AI

In this session, we peel back the veil on AI. What is AI? How does it actually work? How are LLMs being trained and deployed? Students will explore the foundations of machine learning, understand the difference between predictive systems and human reasoning, and begin evaluating where AI is genuinely useful versus where it is often misunderstood or overhyped.

  • Topics:

  • · What artificial intelligence actually is

  • · The history and evolution of AI systems

  • · Machine learning vs. generative AI

  • · How LLMs are trained

  • ~ ~ ~

Week 2
Psychology and AI

We’re told AI can think. We’re also told it can’t think like a human. So how does AI “think”? How does a human think? Where do the “thinkings” differ? Can AI reasoning strengthen human thought? Where does AI impair human cognition? Students will examine how technology shapes attention, motivation, curiosity, and identity.

  • Topics:

  • · Cognition vs. computational prediction

  • · Attention spans and algorithmic distraction

  • · Social validation and digital identity

  • · Dopamine and engagement-based design

  • ~ ~ ~

Week 3
Information and Society

Students will examine how information ecosystems shape public understanding, political discourse, and institutional trust. The class explores the incentives that drive modern media systems and how AI accelerates both access to information and the spread of misinformation.

Topics:

  • · Information systems and algorithmic feeds

    · Misinformation vs malinformation

  • · The economics of outrage and engagement

  • · Echo chambers and polarization

  • ~ ~ ~

Week 4
Moral Choices

As AI systems become more integrated into daily life, difficult moral questions emerge. Should machines make decisions that affect human lives? Can morality be reduced to rules or outcomes? Can machines make moral decisions? Students will examine classical ethical theories and apply them to modern technological dilemmas.

Topics:

  • · Introduction to moral philosophy

  • · Plato, Socrates, and the examined life

  • · The Euthyphro dilemma

  • · Moral relativism and objective ethics

  • · Responsibility and accountability in AI

  • · Bias in algorithms and datasets

~ ~ ~

Week Five Critical Thinking is Thinking Critically

Critical thinking is not simply skepticism or disagreement—it is the disciplined process of evaluating evidence, identifying assumptions, analyzing arguments, and forming reasoned conclusions. Students will learn practical tools for thinking clearly in an age of information overload.

  • Topics:

  • · What is critical thinking

  • · Intelligence vs reasoning

  • · Logical fallacies and weak arguments

  • · Evidence, assumptions, and conclusions

  • · Asking better questions

  • · Skills vs. memorized knowledge

    ~ ~ ~

Week 6
Your Future and AI

Rather than asking whether AI will replace humans, students will explore which human skills become more valuable in an AI-driven economy. The course concludes by encouraging students to think intentionally about their future roles as workers, citizens, creators, and decision-makers.

  • Topics:

  • · The future of work and automation

  • · Skills that remain uniquely human

  • · Creativity, leadership, and adaptability

  • · Lifelong learning and resilience

  • · Building intentional technology habits


A light bulb with design in back to indicate critical thinking