{"683316":{"#nid":"683316","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Teachers Across Multiple States Prepare to Bring AI Lessons into the Classroom","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEighty teachers from four states recently completed intensive training on how to teach artificial intelligence (AI) to middle schoolers, part of a growing initiative to make AI education more accessible and engaging for students across the country.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe AI4GA program, \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gatech.edu\/news\/2024\/05\/21\/ai4ga-lays-groundwork-nsf-funded-nationwide-k-12-ai-curriculum\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003Elaunched through a National Science Foundation grant\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E and now supported by Google, continues to grow through expanded teacher training and curriculum development. It was initially led by \u003Cstrong\u003EChristina Gardner-McCune\u003C\/strong\u003E (University of Florida), \u003Cstrong\u003EDave Touretzky\u003C\/strong\u003E (Carnegie Mellon University), and\u003Cstrong\u003E Bryan Cox\u003C\/strong\u003E (Georgia Tech). The curriculum was co-designed with educators and faculty, including Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Cstrong\u003EJudith Uchidiuno\u003C\/strong\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow in its fifth teacher cohort, AI4GA is focused on upskilling educators, many of whom don\u2019t have a background in computer science. Participants in the latest group included science, English, math, and social studies teachers from Georgia, Florida, Texas, and New York.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe did a really good job with Georgia, so now we\u2019re scaling up,\u201d said Cox, Kapor Fellow in Georgia Tech\u2019s Constellations Center for Education in Computing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe curriculum introduced the cohort to machine learning, automated decision-making, natural language processing, and other foundational concepts in AI. They also learned about AI applications, including autonomous robots and self-driving vehicles.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne key activity that teachers learned, known as Pasta Land, helps students understand how computers use decision trees to classify objects. This is a core component of the lesson plan on machine learning and automated decision-making. The unit builds into more advanced lessons on training AI agents to make complex decisions.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFlexibility is central to the curriculum, which was co-designed with teachers from urban, suburban, and rural schools. Educators are encouraged to adapt lessons to reflect their communities and students\u2019 interests. For example, Thomas County Middle School science teacher \u003Cstrong\u003EWill Hanna\u003C\/strong\u003E swapped pasta for candy to better connect with students. Another teacher had her class sort minerals.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen learning about autonomous vehicles, students in Atlanta discussed Waymo, while rural students talked about self-driving tractors.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cTeachers felt empowered to make those modifications,\u201d Cox said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThat empowerment is by design. Alumni from earlier cohorts now serve as teacher leaders, helping run workshops and mentor new participants. Over the summer, these leaders helped facilitate a two-week session at Georgia Tech and another in Texas, expanding the program\u2019s reach.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe teacher leaders have been teaching the curriculum to students in their classrooms,\u201d Cox said. \u201cThey\u2019re able to say, \u2018This is how it looks on the website, but feel free to modify it based on your classroom and who your students are.\u2019\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECox emphasizes that middle school is the right place to start.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cMost of these students have been talking to AI and dealing with AI since they were 3 or 5 years old,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re using Netflix, they have AI in video games and speakers, and they\u2019re using ChatGPT. Everybody is going to have to have literacy according to AI, and if they don\u2019t, they may be marginalized out of participation in society.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EActivities are designed to align with middle schoolers\u2019 experiences, like decision-making, pattern recognition, and sensing the world, while also drawing distinctions between how humans and machines perceive and learn.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis knowledge can be developed early if it\u2019s introduced with the right examples,\u201d Cox said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EImportantly, no programming knowledge is required. The curriculum is designed for young learners and teachers across subjects. The professional development workshops prepare educators to incorporate AI into classes like science, social studies, and English, helping students connect AI concepts throughout the school day and beyond.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis powerful technology is now a core aspect of our society; our students are using AI every day,\u201d Cox said. \u201cWe have a responsibility to help students learn to design and use AI for good,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe long-term goal is to make AI education broadly accessible.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe want all teachers to have an opportunity to engage in this space,\u201d Cox said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u003Cdiv\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEighty teachers from four states recently completed intensive training on how to teach artificial intelligence (AI) to middle schoolers, part of a growing initiative to make AI education more accessible and engaging for students across the country.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENow in its fifth teacher cohort, AI4GA is focused on upskilling educators, many of whom don\u2019t have a background in computer science. Participants in the latest group included science, English, math, and social studies teachers from Georgia, Florida, Texas, and New York.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Eighty teachers from four states recently completed intensive training on how to teach artificial intelligence (AI) to middle schoolers, part of a growing initiative to make AI education more accessible and engaging for students across the country."}],"uid":"36613","created_gmt":"2025-07-28 13:21:35","changed_gmt":"2025-07-28 13:24:47","author":"Emily Smith","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-07-28T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-07-28T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"677498":{"id":"677498","type":"image","title":"AIcopy1.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThomas County Middle School science teacher Will Hanna leads a session as part of AI4GA. Photos by Terence Rushin\/ College of Computing.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1753708914","gmt_created":"2025-07-28 13:21:54","changed":"1753708914","gmt_changed":"2025-07-28 13:21:54","alt":"AI1","file":{"fid":"261401","name":"AIcopy1.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/28\/AIcopy1.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/28\/AIcopy1.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":813328,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/07\/28\/AIcopy1.jpg?itok=H7Vhwp_r"}},"677499":{"id":"677499","type":"image","title":"AIcopy2.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003ETeachers Amber Jones and Sharonda Haddock lead a part of AI4GA\u0027s fifth cohort. Photos by Terence Rushin\/ College of Computing.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1753708914","gmt_created":"2025-07-28 13:21:54","changed":"1753708914","gmt_changed":"2025-07-28 13:21:54","alt":"Teachers Amber Jones and Sharonda Haddock lead a part of AI4GA\u0027s fifth cohort. Photos by Terence Rushin\/ College of Computing. ","file":{"fid":"261402","name":"AIcopy2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/28\/AIcopy2.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/28\/AIcopy2.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1283220,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/07\/28\/AIcopy2.jpg?itok=SGA9Yxwi"}},"677500":{"id":"677500","type":"image","title":"AIcopy3.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003ETeachers Amber Jones and Sharonda Haddock lead a part of AI4GA\u0027s fifth cohort. Photos by Terence Rushin\/ College of Computing.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1753708914","gmt_created":"2025-07-28 13:21:54","changed":"1753708914","gmt_changed":"2025-07-28 13:21:54","alt":"Teachers Amber Jones and Sharonda Haddock lead a part of AI4GA\u0027s fifth cohort. Photos by Terence Rushin\/ College of Computing. ","file":{"fid":"261403","name":"AIcopy3.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/28\/AIcopy3.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/07\/28\/AIcopy3.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":2050477,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/07\/28\/AIcopy3.jpg?itok=nRXk1o9M"}},"677501":{"id":"677501","type":"image","title":"AIcopy4.jpg","body":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003ETeachers learn how to teach artificial intelligence (AI) to middle schoolers as a part of AI4GA at Georgia Tech. Photos by Terence Rushin\/ College of Computing.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1753708914","gmt_created":"2025-07-28 13:21:54","changed":"1753708914","gmt_changed":"2025-07-28 13:21:54","alt":"Teachers learn how to teach artificial intelligence (AI) to middle schoolers as a part of AI4GA at Georgia Tech. Photos by Terence Rushin\/ College of Computing. 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