AI Education for K-12: A Survey

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a foundational technology that is permeating every aspect of our daily lives. It is also profoundly transforming our workforce around the globe. It is critical to prepare future generations with basic knowledge of AI, not just through higher education, but beginning with childhood learning. There is a growing body of research into how students, especially K-12 students, construct an understanding of and engage with core ideas in the field, that can ground the design of learning experiences in evidence-based accounts of how youth learn AI concepts, how understanding progresses across concepts, or what concepts are most appropriate for what age-levels. On July 7, 2023, we held a workshop on AI Education for K-12 at the 24th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education, in Tokyo, Japan, in a synchronous hybrid format, allowing both in-person and virtual contributions. The workshop brought together researchers in K-12 AI education to discuss the state-of-the-art and identify research gaps and future directions to bring evidence-based AI education in and out of the classrooms.