Eh Eye: Enhancing Human Intelligence By Leveraging The 7 Cs With AI

Sail the 7 Cs with AI

In a world where artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly advancing, educators are tasked with striking a balance between technology and humanity. The Canadians for 21st Century Learning and Innovation’s 7 Cs provide a roadmap to ensure that AI supports—not replaces—human intelligence. By mastering these seven competencies, teachers can guide students to not only harness AI effectively but to also nurture the uniquely human qualities that AI cannot replicate.

1. Creativity, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship

AI excels at solving problems and generating ideas, but it lacks the intrinsic curiosity that drives human creativity. In the classroom, fostering creativity ensures that students don’t just use AI for rote tasks but employ it to explore new ideas and approaches. By focusing on creativity and innovation, educators encourage students to use AI as a tool for entrepreneurial thinking, transforming challenges into opportunities through unique human insight.

Balance: Creativity ensures AI complements human intuition and innovation, driving students to think beyond the data.

2. Critical Thinking and Solution Finding

AI can process vast amounts of data, but it lacks the ability to critically evaluate complex, ill-defined problems in the way humans do. Educators must focus on developing students’ critical thinking skills to ensure they can interpret AI-generated data, assess its reliability, and apply it effectively to real-world situations. By cultivating a solution-finding mindset, students learn to use AI as one piece of a broader problem-solving toolkit.

Balance: Critical thinking enables students to question AI outputs, ensuring that technology enhances rather than dominates decision-making.

3. Collaboration

AI may automate tasks, but it cannot replicate the rich, collaborative human experiences that are foundational to deep learning. Encouraging students to collaborate with both peers and AI systems promotes a symbiotic relationship where AI supports teamwork rather than replacing it. Whether through AI-powered project management tools or global virtual classrooms, collaboration remains inherently human.

Balance: Collaboration keeps AI grounded in social learning, ensuring it aids in human connection rather than isolating individuals.

4. Communication

While AI can facilitate communication, it cannot build meaningful relationships or convey empathy the way humans can. Teachers can leverage AI tools to improve communication, especially across languages and distances, but it’s crucial to teach students how to interpret and express ideas with emotional intelligence. AI can amplify voices, but the depth and nuance of human expression must be cultivated.

Balance: Communication skills ensure AI supports effective human dialogue and emotional connection, rather than reducing conversations to mere data exchanges.

5. Character

AI lacks the moral compass and resilience that define human character. Educators should focus on helping students develop ethical reasoning and a strong sense of responsibility, particularly in their interactions with AI. This includes understanding the biases that can be present in AI systems and making informed, morally sound decisions when utilizing these tools.

Balance: Character education ensures students use AI ethically, making decisions rooted in integrity and empathy.

6. Culture and Ethical Citizenship

AI’s decisions are driven by data, not cultural understanding or ethical considerations. By emphasizing cultural awareness and ethical citizenship, educators ensure students remain conscious of the diverse impacts of AI on society. This prepares students to address global challenges using AI responsibly while honoring the values of inclusion, fairness, and justice.

Balance: A focus on culture and citizenship ensures AI serves the greater good, embedding human values in technology-driven solutions.

7. Computer and Digital Technologies

While AI represents one of the most advanced digital technologies, understanding how it works and its limitations is essential. Educators must ensure students not only use AI tools effectively but also understand the underlying technology. This empowers students to critically engage with AI, fostering a generation of informed digital citizens who can innovate and control AI, rather than being controlled by it.

Balance: Digital literacy ensures that students harness the power of AI while staying in control, leading with human intelligence.

By mastering the 7 Cs, educators and students alike can ensure that AI enhances—rather than diminishes—the human experience in education. In the K-12 classroom, these competencies provide the balance necessary to wield AI ethically, creatively, and thoughtfully, ensuring that technology amplifies our humanity rather than replacing it. As educators, it’s our responsibility to guide students through this landscape, ensuring that the next generation of AI users are also the next generation of compassionate, creative, and critical thinkers.

Join the Human Intelligence movement and sail the 7 Cs with AI.

Human Intelligence Movement: https://www.humanintelligencemovement.org/

C21 Link for 7 Cs: https://c21canada.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/CMEC-C21-Canada-7Cs-Shifting-Minds-and-Systems-Drivers-Inventory.pdf