In the face of the rising prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) in daily life, there is a need to integrate lessons on AI literacy into K12 settings to equitably engage young adolescents in critical and ethical thinking about AI technologies. This exploratory study reports findings from a teacher professional development project designed to advance teacher AI literacy in preparation for teaching an AI curriculum in their inclusive middle school classrooms. Analysis compares the learning experiences of 30 participating teachers (including Computer Science, Science, Math, English, and Social Studies teachers). Results suggest Science teachers’ understanding of AI concepts, particularly logic structures, is on average higher than their non-Science teacher counterparts. Teacher interviews reveal several thematic differences in Science teachers’ learning from the AI PD as compared to their counterparts, namely learning from reflective discourse with diverse groups. Findings offer insights on the depth and quality of Science teacher AI literacy after participating in an AI teacher PD, with implications for future research in the integration of AI education into Science teachers’ inclusive K12 classrooms.
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This content will become publicly available on March 19, 2025
Comparison of an AI Professional Development Program's Impact on Science and non-Science Teacher AI Literacy
In the face of the rising prevalence of artificial intelligence (AI) in daily life, there is a need to
integrate lessons on AI literacy into K12 settings to equitably engage young adolescents in
critical and ethical thinking about AI technologies. This exploratory study reports findings from
a teacher professional development project designed to advance teacher AI literacy in
preparation for teaching an AI curriculum in their inclusive middle school classrooms. Analysis
compares the learning experiences of 30 participating teachers (including Computer Science,
Science, Math, English, and Social Studies teachers). Results suggest Science teachers’
understanding of AI concepts, particularly logic structures, is on average higher than their
non-Science teacher counterparts. Teacher interviews reveal several thematic differences in
Science teachers’ learning from the AI PD as compared to their counterparts, namely learning
from reflective discourse with diverse groups. Findings offer insights on the depth and quality of
Science teacher AI literacy after participating in an AI teacher PD, with implications for future
research in the integration of AI education into Science teachers’ inclusive K12 classrooms.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 2048746
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10493300
- Publisher / Repository:
- Oxford
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Proceedings of the 2024 NARST Annual International Conference
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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