From Abacus to AI: How Cognitive Tools Have Always Transformed Education

In the mid-1970s, a survey by the magazine Mathematics Teacher revealed that 72% of American teachers opposed the use of calculators in 7th grade classrooms. Many feared these devices would erode fundamental arithmetic skills. Despite this resistance, calculators eventually became integral to education, enhancing learning by shifting focus from tedious computations to deeper mathematical concepts.

Today, we're witnessing a remarkably similar pattern with Generative AI (GenAI). Educators express legitimate concerns about AI's impact on learning and academic integrity. Yet history suggests this skepticism may eventually give way to thoughtful integration, as educators discover how AI can serve as a powerful cognitive enhancement tool.

Humans: The Tool-Creators

Throughout history, humans have continually created external tools to extend our cognitive capabilities. The ancient Mesopotamian abacus allowed for rapid computation and record-keeping thousands of years ago. Similarly, the Incan quipu—an ingenious knot-based recording system—enabled systematic census and tax records of an empire that stretched across 4000 km and had over 30 million people (very few people know about the quipu, but I luckily had a friend during my PhD who studied it). Our tools have always expanded the capabilities of our minds or bodies. That was true 10,000 years ago and that continues to be true today.

As society has evolved, so have our cognitive tools. Writing enabled knowledge to be consistently preserved beyond individual lifetimes. Libraries and later encyclopedias organized vast collections of information into concentrated places of learning. Astronomers created star charts and complex tools like astrolabes to follow the motions of the stars in the sky, eventually leading to our understanding of the structure of our solar system. And through it all, systems of education have grown and adapted.

Three Waves of Educational Disruption in the past century

Educational practices have always adapted—sometimes reluctantly—to major technological shifts:

Calculators

Calculators started becoming affordable for students to use about 50 years ago in the USA, and about 30 years ago in India. When I was in middle school 20 years ago, we were only allowed to take log tables in for any examination, and I got very good at using logarithms to do multiplications and division. However, I don't think I actually built a proper mathematical understanding of what logarithms were at that time. I just knew it as a formula and procedure.

Calculators enable teachers to remove tedious arithmetic from the daily class experience of those who have already mastered the relevant skills of arithmetic. It then enables educators to redirect focus toward mathematical reasoning and problem-solving. Research now shows that appropriate calculator use improves conceptual understanding rather than diminishing arithmetic skills (Close et al. 2008 looking at students aged 14-16 in Ireland)

Internet and Search Engines

Before widespread internet access, authoritative knowledge came primarily from textbooks and human experts. I still have some of my favourite high school and undergraduate textbooks with me, the way they organised and conveyed information was crucial to my conceptual learning. However, I rarely use them now, because I can look up sources like Wikipedia when I need some particular information. When the internet arrived, educational emphasis evolved from memorizing facts to developing critical literacy—evaluating sources, synthesizing information, and navigating information abundance.

Generative AI

GenAI represents the newest frontier in cognitive enhancement tools. With large language models being able to instantly create essays that are well articulated and well researched, there is a real risk that students will use this as a route to avoid work and critical thinking. There are also benefits - using AI as a collaborator in classrooms, educators are able to personalise teaching and also test student learning through conversation. However, this is possible if students are properly guided by educators who understood the technology's capabilities and limitations.

Why Educators and Parents Can't Afford to Wait

Today's students are already using GenAI tools—with or without guidance. A 2024 study of bachelors, masters and graduate students found that 86% of college students surveyed reported using AI tools, but 58% felt they do not have adequate knowledge or skills to use it well.

This gap presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The question isn't whether AI belongs in education, but how educators will shape its role. Ignoring it simply means abdicating responsibility of preparing students for this future.

Embracing AI doesn't mean abandoning educational principles. Rather, we must find the core of what it means to be educated. Mathematics is about far more than just arithmetic, and therefore using a calculator doesn't stunt mathematical thinking. Similarly, we now need to identify the core skills, ways of thinking, and knowing that we want to equip our students with. Educators who understand GenAI can help students develop "AI literacy"—the ability to critically evaluate AI outputs, understand their limitations, and leverage these tools ethically and effectively.

Moving Forward: Empowering Educators

To help educators navigate this transition, we're offering a comprehensive online course—Generative AI for Educators—beginning this April. Led by Dr. Navin Kabra, an expert with deep experience in both AI and education, this course equips teachers with practical knowledge to integrate GenAI into their teaching practice and guide students in responsible use.

Join us to bridge the AI knowledge gap and transform potential disruption into empowering educational opportunities. Register here - https://www.giftedworld.org/event-details-registration/genai-for-educators