AI is shaping kids. What if kids could shape AI, too?
Vanderbilt University's Golnaz Arastoopour Irgens, assistant professor of human-centered learning technologies at Peabody College of Education and Human Development, partnered with Sarah K. Burriss (Ph.D. '23, Peabody's Department of Teaching and Learning), assistant professor of the practice at the College of Connected Computing, to rethink how kids should learn about artificial intelligence.
Vanderbilt University researchers are challenging conventional approaches to teaching artificial intelligence by proposing a new framework that encourages children to shape AI technology instead of merely consuming it. In a study published in the journal Educational Researcher, assistant professor Golnaz Arastoopour Irgens and her colleague Sarah K. Burriss suggest embedding social, ethical, and critical thinking about AI into any lesson plan.
The growing use of digital technologies among students is leading to less creativity, with the Program for International Student Assessment reporting a decline in creative utilization of technology. With this framework, educators can help students actively question AI by considering where the data comes from, who designed the tool, whether it represents them, and if it assists in achieving their goals.
This critical thinking approach is intended to complement technical competency, preparing students to thoughtfully evaluate and potentially improve AI tools.
The researchers' four-part approach, which emphasizes being, knowing, acting, and making, offers a holistic and flexible method for teaching AI literacy. Students first identify their desired outcomes from AI interactions and then critically assess whether the tool recognizes and responds appropriately to their identities, cultures, and linguistic backgrounds. The framework empowers children to reflect on whether they want to use AI, resist it, or actively improve it.
Teachers can integrate the framework into various subjects, such as history and social science, to facilitate meaningful conversations about AI's societal impact. By involving students in constructing AI robots or developing an AI bill of rights and public service announcements, educators can help children develop crucial questioning and critiquing skills.
These early lessons in AI discernment will equip young people with the necessary tools to navigate and potentially reshape the technological landscape in their adult lives.
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