AI Curricula in Primary and Early Childhood Education: A Cross-Country Analysis of Implementation
摘要
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has recently been considered an emerging technology, but interest has greatly accelerated with the emergence of Generative AI (GenAI). Programmes such as ChatGPT have reframed many industries worldwide, including education. As nations begin to examine the challenges and affordances of GenAI, educational systems are increasingly articulating visions for AI curriculum—some even moving towards implementation, as reflected in UNESCO’s 2022 report K-12 AI Curricula: A Mapping of Government-Endorsed AI Curricula. This chapter examines the potential and actual implementation of AI curricula in selected countries since the publication of the UNESCO (2022) report, with a particular focus on primary and early childhood education. A thematic analysis of AI curricula in these countries indicates a focus on teaching, pedagogies, and attitudes and perspectives towards AI. We then compared these themes with the key findings and recommendations of the UNESCO (2022) report. In doing so, we highlight how the AI curriculum landscape has rapidly evolved since 2022 and emphasise the need for additional recommendations concerning: clear guidelines to support those teaching and learning in the early childhood context to develop and enact suitable AI curricula; considered guidelines to better flag the development and implementation of AI curricula as part of digital technologies curricula; and explicit guidelines stating that AI literacy and AI in education are distinct aspects of curricula. We also point to specific areas for further research relevant to stakeholders in education and AI, specifically to do with teaching as well as attitudes and perceptions of AI.