For Schools
A practical curriculum for thinking and acting responsibly with AI
A ready-to-deliver Cognitive Design programme for ages 12-18, with teacher training, structured resources, original storytelling, design projects and visible evidence of learning.
AI policy is necessary. Education must go further.
Rules about acceptable use aren't enough. Students need repeated practice in thinking independently, questioning synthetic content, understanding real human needs, making ethical decisions and using AI with purpose.
Cognitive Design builds those skills in a structured, age-appropriate way within school life.
What students develop
Critical thinking
Question information and form independent judgements.
Empathy
Understand experiences and needs that data cannot fully reveal.
Creativity
Generate original ideas before selecting generated answers.
Executive thinking
Plan, focus, adapt and complete complex challenges.
Ethical judgement
Decide what technology should do, not only what it can do.
AI literacy
Know when to use AI, how to question it and when to work independently.
Metacognition
Recognise how personal thinking and learning strategies develop.
Human agency
Keep control of purpose, values and final decisions.
Neuroscience-informed learning
Exercise the capabilities learning depends on
Cognitive Design includes age-appropriate activities that encourage attention, memory, planning, flexible thinking, emotional understanding and reflection. Students practise these capabilities through stories, games, research and design, not through passive content consumption.
Focus and plan
Sustain attention, organise steps and make considered decisions.
Remember and apply
Recall knowledge and transfer it into a new context.
Adapt and persist
Change strategy, respond to feedback and continue through difficulty.
Understand and reflect
Recognise emotion, perspective and the development of personal thinking.
These are educational activities, not medical treatments, clinical assessments or diagnostic tests.
How this connects to the brain
- Frontal lobe: Supports higher-order thinking and executive function.
- Prefrontal cortex: Supports planning, judgement, attention, self-control and decision-making.
- Hippocampus: Plays an important role in learning, memory formation and spatial navigation.
- Amygdala: Contributes to emotional processing, threat response and emotional memory.
What schools receive
Curriculum and teaching resources
Structured lessons, teacher notes, guidance materials and student activities that can fit existing priorities or form a bespoke programme.
Suri comics and storytelling
Original narrative content that introduces AI ethics, human behaviour and complex decisions through memorable student experiences.
Gamified challenges
Activities that encourage creativity, empathy, attention, persistence, planning and reflection.
Teacher training
Virtual or in-person preparation that gives teachers the confidence to deliver the programme without needing to become AI or neuroscience specialists.
Industry mentorship
Opportunities for students to hear from practitioners, receive feedback and connect classroom work with future education and employment.
SDG Design Competition
A shared challenge that enables participating schools to create and present human-centred solutions to real-world problems locally, regionally and globally.
The SDG Design Competition draws on all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals
Schools Digital Influx has worked with
- San Antonio Independent School District
- CAST Tech High School, San Antonio
- Walnut Creek Elementary School, Austin ISD
- Rex Mill Middle School
Look beyond the polished final answer
The Learning Evidence Layer helps schools consider the process behind student work: research, interviews, decisions, reflection, creative development, prototypes, testing and presentations.
It supports a richer picture of critical thinking, creativity, empathy, collaboration, persistence, metacognition and responsible AI use. It does not diagnose or medically assess students.
1 of 4
Implementation
Six steps from first conversation to a growing programme
- 1
Discover
Understand students, priorities, timetable and desired outcomes.
- 2
Design
Select the cohort, curriculum setting and measures of success.
- 3
Prepare teachers
Provide training, guidance and resources.
- 4
Deliver
Introduce stories, challenges, human research, AI ethics and design missions.
- 5
Make learning visible
Capture decisions, reflection, projects and portfolios.
- 6
Review and grow
Evaluate the implementation and identify opportunities to expand.
Start with one cohort, or build a wider implementation
Tell us about your students, timetable and priorities. We will recommend a practical starting point.
