By Chris Wiggin
Publication Date: 2025-11-24 00:26:00
The debate about artificial intelligence in education is at a turning point. As AI tools become ubiquitous in classrooms, we must answer a crucial question: If students have instant access to all information, does in-depth subject knowledge still matter?
A recent study by the International Education Group of Cambridge University Press & Assessment (Cambridge) collected the views of 3,021 teachers and 3,840 students in 150 countries, including New Zealand. It reveals some glaring paradoxes:
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While 25% of students see finding and understanding information as the biggest benefit technology will have for their future, only 45% feel well prepared for life after college.
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81% of teachers consider subject knowledge to be critical to students’ next educational step, but when considering life after formal education, this figure drops dramatically to just 37%.
These discrepancies suggest that we are a) confusing information retrieval with real learning and b) a fundamental…
