Logan Students Help Shape an AI Curriculum

As we rearranged the tables in the conference room to make a square for us all to sit around, I was quietly scoping out the three researchers from the University of Colorado, Anschutz. Although I had been emailing with them, it was one of Logan's Unit Trip Teachers (faculty who take our students out in the world to meet with experts in their field of expertise) who made the connection for this meeting. They were interested in developing an National Science Foundation-funded AI curriculum for middle school students and were starting by meeting with a small group of teachers, parents, and students from two Denver-area schools to gather input for their design process. Our Logan cohort included two students, a parent, a colleague, and me.

As I glanced at the Logan sixth grader and eighth grader in the room, I noticed their different energies. The sixth grader was excited, smiling, and chatty, while the eighth grader sat behind their laptop, looking solemn. Past experience with both of these students told me that they would have meaningful input to share about technology and their educational experiences.

We went around the table with introductions and started to get a better sense of who was in the room. Through thoughtful questioning and encouragement, the CU team made it clear they wanted honest opinions from each of us. The facilitator began by asking me to describe some of the engagement strategies that had worked with instruction in my Artificial Intelligence matrix class. The other four Logan community members shared their perspectives on what they liked, didn't like, and wanted to add. We spent the next hour and a half sorting through what felt important in terms of content, structure, and flow of AI topics. At times it sounded less like a focus group and more like a lively family dinner, with people talking over each other and voices climbing. The eighth grader who had started the meeting behind their laptop was now one of the loudest voices at the table, and the facilitator, to his credit, made sure everyone got a turn.

One student described their need for movement while learning. The other student spoke passionately about wanting more independence to use AI models. As we reviewed the main headings and topics that had arisen, I was floored when the eighth grader expressed a need for equity to be integrated into the learning. In a room full of advanced degrees, it was a middle school student who brought this idea to the table. 

As our time wrapped up, the students headed out to meet their parents, and I spoke with the CU facilitator. He suggested I let our administration know how the student voices were being integrated into building this curriculum. I agreed. Only later did it occur to me: of course our students have valuable input into a curriculum. They help design their own every day.

~Authored by Brie, Logan Tech Teacher