As parents in Singapore, you’re no stranger to the relentless pursuit of academic excellence. With the examinations looming, it’s natural to worry about anything that might derail your child’s progress. 

Enter AI tools, popping up every other quarter, that are designed to assist, explain, and even inspire. But the question lingers: Are we enhancing authentic learning, or are we erasing the importance of critical thinking skills that define true growth? 

Ultimately, success lies in viewing AI as a co-pilot. To put Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative into action, the most effective learners are those who use AI to enhance human potential: They input ideas, refine it based on AI’s suggestions, and own the final product. 

Co-existing with AI

Let’s start with the positives because for students juggling school, tuition, revision, and downtime, AI tools can be a lifeline.

Countless A-Level and IB students in Singapore use AI to brainstorm ideas for General Paper essays or debate ethical dilemmas in TOK responses, sparking curiosity and transforming passive study into active inquiry. This collaborative dynamic encourages critical thinking, essential for crafting compelling arguments, provided students refine AI’s suggestions with their own insights.

By handling repetitive tasks like generating notes for vocabulary lists and summarising dense texts, AI frees up mental space for deeper thinking. We cannot ignore AI; after all, The Ministry of Education emphasises 21st-century competencies like digital literacy, where embracing AI equips kids for future jobs in tech hubs across the globe.

Over-Reliance on AI Stunts Critical Thinking

Yet, no tool is without risks and over-reliance on AI can hinder authentic learning, the kind that builds resilience, creativity, and independent problem-solving. 

Picture this: A student copies an AI-generated essay for their essay writing homework, without grasping the language, structure or argument. What happens? They might score well short-term, but long-term, they miss out on the mental gymnastics of crafting arguments from scratch. Critical thinking, as defined by our education system, involves analysing, evaluating, and synthesising information; skills that atrophy if AI does all the heavy lifting.

In Singapore’s context, this is particularly worrisome. Our education system, while world-class (ranking high in PISA scores), is often critiqued for its exam-centric focus, which can already prioritise memorisation over innovation. Add AI to the mix, and there’s a temptation for ‘shortcut culture’. 

Reports from local forums and parent groups on social media platforms echo this: Kids using AI for homework might excel in homework but falter in open-ended tasks, like written examinations that demand original thinking. There is a real risk of humans becoming like outdated software, while AI continues to get smarter. 

As a Parent, What Should I Do?

Get a Mentor: Regular sessions with a mentor help your child view English learning as engaging and natural. A mentor fosters critical thinking, encourages independent research, and teaches them to recognise stylistic and structural elements in texts. They will also gain confidence in discussing their reasoned opinions on current affairs. Consider Scholars Hall that connects you with experienced mentors to support your child’s academic goals.

Verify AI Suggestions: If your child uses AI to generate ideas for an essay, get them to check if the vocabulary or structure fits the marking scheme, and task them to refine the draft that AI has suggested. Definitely cross-reference the essay with your child’s school assessments and their tutor’s feedback.

Spot the Gaps: AI typically sticks to generic phrases, but examiners only reward specific keywords (e.g., ‘causal connectives’ in comprehension). Have your child identify what AI misses by comparing AI’s suggestions with sample answers from assessment papers. By ‘grading’ AI’s answers, they can brush up on their comprehension skills.’

Daily AI-Free Practice: Dedicate an hour daily to tasks like summarising a passage or drafting a speech without AI. For comprehension, if they struggle with inference questions, encourage persistence. This builds the resilience needed to handle tricky comprehension sections, where thinking through ambiguity is key.