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Framework to Build AI Competency in High School STEM Education

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• Volume 12,Issue 4, July 2025

Year:

2025

Type of Publication:

Article

Keywords:

Generative AI, AI, Machine Learning, K12, High Schools, Engineering, STEM

Authors:

• Zeid, Abe
• Duggan, Claire

Journal:

IJIRES

Volume:

12

Number:

4

Pages:

104-114

Month:

July

ISSN:

2349-5219

BibTex:

@article{2086, author = "Abe Zeid and Claire Duggan", abstract = "Since the revolution of Generative (Gen) AI and it becoming mainstream since Open AI released ChatGPT in November 2022, we all have been using it in our daily lives. However, may high school teachers have been struggling to use in classroom teaching due to lack of understanding. The proposed framework addresses the critical need and growing demand in K12 to deepen teachers content knowledge, understanding, and utilization of AI to enhance learning in the classroom. Gen AI can serve as a powerful tool in the classroom. At the heart of the framework is a new innovative professional development (PD) program to prepare teachers. Our proposed Gen AI PD program, informed by best PD practices employs a hybrid approach via direct instruction (one week PD) followed by a year-long effort to foster the development and scale of a learning community across schools and school districts. The program will run for three years, recruiting 10 teachers annually. In the upcoming academic year, monthly collaborative meetings will be convened between our team and participating teachers to provide guidance to teachers as they develop impactful AI-informed lesson plans for incorporation into classroom STEM teaching. Our Framework endeavors to bridge the gap between AI advancements and high school STEM education by seamlessly integrating new PD AI concepts with classroom applications. The framework recruits 10 teachers annually from school districts in the greater Boston area, particularly those serving a high percentage of students underrepresented in STEM fields. This paper describes our framework, the design of the new AI-focused PD, the activities in the following academic year. The framework main deliverable is AI-focused lesson plans to use in STEM classroom teaching.", issn = "23495219", journal = "IJIRES", keywords = "Generative AI, AI, Machine Learning, K12, High Schools, Engineering, STEM", month = "July", number = "4", pages = "104-114", title = "{F}ramework to {B}uild {AI} {C}ompetency in {H}igh {S}chool {STEM} {E}ducation", volume = "12", year = "2025", }

Abstract:

Since the revolution of Generative (Gen) AI and it becoming mainstream since Open AI released ChatGPT in November 2022, we all have been using it in our daily lives. However, may high school teachers have been struggling to use in classroom teaching due to lack of understanding. The proposed framework addresses the critical need and growing demand in K12 to deepen teachers content knowledge, understanding, and utilization of AI to enhance learning in the classroom. Gen AI can serve as a powerful tool in the classroom. At the heart of the framework is a new innovative professional development (PD) program to prepare teachers. Our proposed Gen AI PD program, informed by best PD practices employs a hybrid approach via direct instruction (one week PD) followed by a year-long effort to foster the development and scale of a learning community across schools and school districts. The program will run for three years, recruiting 10 teachers annually. In the upcoming academic year, monthly collaborative meetings will be convened between our team and participating teachers to provide guidance to teachers as they develop impactful AI-informed lesson plans for incorporation into classroom STEM teaching. Our Framework endeavors to bridge the gap between AI advancements and high school STEM education by seamlessly integrating new PD AI concepts with classroom applications. The framework recruits 10 teachers annually from school districts in the greater Boston area, particularly those serving a high percentage of students underrepresented in STEM fields. This paper describes our framework, the design of the new AI-focused PD, the activities in the following academic year. The framework main deliverable is AI-focused lesson plans to use in STEM classroom teaching.

Full text: IJIRES_2086_FINAL.pdf Online version [Bibtex]