Last week UNESCO held their annual flagship event on digital learning and the transformation of education. The Digital Learning Week states that it bring together “the community of digital education leaders, policy-makers, researchers and practitioners from various organizations, including UN agencies, governments, NGOs and the private sector to steer technology for education.” A key part of this year’s event was the launch of UNESCO’s AI competency frameworks for teachers and students.
AI has been a key topic of discussion in the world of education and many countries are considering how best to provide guidance and support to ministries of national education, school leaders and teachers on how best to use these emerging technologies. UNESCO has explicitly stated that they are focusing on AI separately from other digital technologies in education, because they believe it will have a major impact.
UNESCO states that the key elements of the AI competency framework for teachers are as follows:
The AI Competency Framework for Teachers addresses this gap (i.e. few countries have defined these competencies or developed national programmes to train teachers in AI, leaving many educators without proper guidance) by defining the knowledge, skills, and values teachers must master in the age of AI. Developed with principles of protecting teachers’ rights, enhancing human agency, and promoting sustainability, the publication outlines 15 competencies across five dimensions:
- Human-centred mindset
- Ethics of AI
- AI foundations and applications
- AI pedagogy
- AI for professional learning.
These competencies are categorized into three progression levels:
- Acquire
- Deepen
- Create
UNESCO states that the key elements of the AI competency framework for students are as follows:
The AI competency framework for students is designed to guide policy-makers, educators and curriculum developers in equipping students with the necessary skills, knowledge and values to engage with AI effectively. It focuses on four core competencies:
- A human-centred mindset: Encouraging students to understand and assert their agency in relation to AI.
- Ethics of AI: Teaching responsible use, ethics-by-design and safe practices.
- AI techniques and applications: Providing foundational AI knowledge and skills.
- AI system design: Fostering problem-solving, creativity and design thinking.
While the frameworks have been broadly welcomed, some such Donald Clark, have not been impressed and suggest that there is a marked difference between how the US and Europe are addressing AI. He states that
There is a stark contrast between US and EU, between the affirmative, voluntary and guidance approach of the US and regulatory approach of the EU.
So what do you think of the frameworks and will they help teachers and ultimately their students to use these tools ‘appropriately’ and ‘for good’ in educational contexts?
In other AI in Education News…
An upcoming Event Reinventing Education with AI
When: Tuesday, 1st October 2024, 9:30 AM – 2:00 PM (GMT+01:00)
Where: Dublin, Leinster, Ireland
Microsoft, in association with their partners, are hosting a series of in-person workshops where participants can explore the possibilities of generative AI specific to their role and function.
For more visit the following page and register