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The emergence of increasingly powerful AI technologies calls for the design and development of K-12 AI literacy curricula that can support students who will be entering a profoundly changed labor market. However, developing, implementing, and scaling AI literacy curricula poses significant challenges. It will be essential to develop a robust, evidence-based AI education research foundation that can inform AI literacy curriculum development. Unlike K-12 science and mathematics education, there is not currently a research foundation for K-12 AI education. In this article we provide a component-based definition of AI literacy, present the need for implementing AI literacy education across all grade bands, and argue for the creation of research programs across four areas of AI education: (1) K-12 AI Learning & Technology; (2) K-12 AI Education Integration into STEM, Language Arts, and Social Science Education; (3) K-12 AI Professional Development for Teachers and Administrators; and (4) K-12 AI Assessment.
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This content will become publicly available on July 9, 2026
ChangeMaker K-12 + AI: AI-Enhanced Processes for Preparing Teacher Candidates to Teach Engineering
This paper explores the addition of AI into ChangeMaker K-12, a set of experiences and materials designed to support teacher candidates (TC) in learning to teach engineering design. The ChangeMaker K-12 model and materials consist of four progressive stages: design awareness, design for function, design with empathy, and design for change. This new research explores the introduction of AI assistance into these four stages.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2336825
- PAR ID:
- 10613818
- Editor(s):
- Cohen, Jake
- Publisher / Repository:
- Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE)
- Date Published:
- ISBN:
- 978-1-939797-76-6
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- engineering education teacher preparation
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- Waynesville, NC USA
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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