A Year in K–12 AI Education

Abstract

The time is ripe to consider what 21st-century digital citizens should know about artificial intelligence (AI). Efforts are under way in the USA, China, and many other countries to promote AI education in kindergarten through high school (K–12). The past year has seen the release of new curricula and online resources for the K–12 audience, and new professional development opportunities for K–12 teachers to learn the basics of AI. This column surveys the current state of K–12 AI education and introduces the work of the AI4K12 Initiative, which is developing national guidelines for AI education in the USA.
 
 A Note to the Reader
 This is the inaugural column on AI education. It aims to inform the AAAI community of current and future developments in AI education. We hope that the reader finds the columns to be informative and that they stimulate debate. It is our fond hope that this and subsequent columns inspire the reader to get involved in the broad field of AI education, by volunteering their expertise in their local school district, by providing level-headed input when discussing AI with family and friends or by lending their considerable expertise to various decision makers. We welcome your feedback, whether in the form of a response to an article or a suggestion for a future article. 
 – Michael Wollowski, AI in Education Column Editor

Constructionism and AI: A history and possible futures

“…Are AI curriculum efforts constructionist? The AI4K12 example AI4K12 is a wide collaboration of researchers and educators focused on providing guidance for the teaching of AI in schools (Touretzky, 2020;Touretzky et al, 2019). They have organised several international workshops, created guidance for teachers, and curated a substantial collection of resources.…”

A Differentiated Discussion About AI Education K-12

“…The AI4K12 Working Group is composed of practicing K-12 teachers that are supported by the AI experts. Following the Five Big Ideas the working group identified topics, concepts and skills that students in the different grade-bands should know [13].…”

Youth and Digital Citizenship+ (Plus): Understanding Skills for a Digital World

“…From middle to high school, students are introduced to fundamental concepts in probability and statistics, coupled with real-world applications (CCSSI n.d.-c). Curricular kindergarten through 12th grade initiatives are also underway to introduce students to big data and data analytic tools, along with the skills needed to work with vast amounts of data (Touretzky, Gardner-McCune, Breazeal, Martin, & Seehorn, 2020). Beyond the U.S., math and science curricula that incorporate data in primary and secondary schools can be found 35 In our visualization in part III, section 3, we denoted where it might be less clear if these areas of life are included, based on our framing.…”