Date
Publisher
arXiv
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its associated applications are ubiquitous in today's world, making it imperative that students and their teachers understand how it works and the ramifications arising from its usage. In this study, we investigate the experiences of seven teachers following their implementation of modules from the MIT RAICA (Responsible AI for Computational Action) curriculum. Through semi-structured interviews, we investigated their instructional strategies as they engaged with the AI curriculum in their classroom, how their teaching and learning beliefs about AI evolved with the curriculum as well as how those beliefs impacted their implementation of the curriculum. Our analysis suggests that the AI modules not only expanded our teachers' knowledge in the field, but also prompted them to recognize its daily applications and their ethical and societal implications, so that they could better engage with the content they deliver to students. Teachers were able to leverage their own interdisciplinary backgrounds to creatively introduce foundational AI topics to students to maximize engagement and playful learning. Our teachers advocated their need for better external support when navigating technological resources, additional time for preparation given the novelty of the curriculum, more flexibility within curriculum timelines, and additional accommodations for students of determination. Our findings provide valuable insights for enhancing future iterations of AI literacy curricula and teacher professional development (PD) resources.
Study at a glance
- Question: How do middle school teachers experience and adapt to teaching an artificial intelligence literacy curriculum?
- Setting and data: Middle school classrooms; seven teachers who implemented modules from an AI curriculum.
- Method: Semi-structured interviews
Why it matters
Artificial intelligence and its associated applications are ubiquitous in today's world, making it imperative that students and their teachers understand how it works and the ramifications arising from its usage.
Key findings
- In middle school classrooms, an AI curriculum reportedly expanded seven teachers' knowledge and helped them recognize everyday ethical and societal implications of AI.
- Teachers leveraged their own interdisciplinary backgrounds to creatively introduce foundational AI concepts to maximize student engagement and playful learning.
- Teachers reported needing better technical support, more preparation time, flexible curriculum timelines, and additional accommodations for students of determination.
Summary drafted with AI from the paper’s abstract and may contain errors. See the full paper for details.
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