by Haeun Shin, Elementary School Teacher, South Korea.
With the advent of the digital transformation era, our society is changing faster than ever before. In particular, the development of AI technologies such as GPT is a revolutionary change, presenting new challenges to education systems around the world. In line with this trend, South Korea is also promoting educational reforms, such as mandating AI education in elementary and secondary schools in the 2022 revised curriculum and introducing AI digital textbooks from 2025. As such, ‘AI competency’ is an essential skill for the future society, and in order to utilize it properly, ‘AI literacy’, a critical thinking skill, must be the foundation.
I am an elementary school teacher in South Korea, and I have focused on researching and developing teaching and learning methods to improve learners’ AI literacy. In fact, I have observed positive outcomes on fostering AI literacy through a cross-curricular project utilizing Chat GPT, a super-sized AI.
1. Learning communication skills with Chat GPT (Hands-on programs)
To acquaint students with GPT, a GPT quiz race set in a Metaverse map (ZEP) was initiated. In the middle of the race, GPT-established hints guided students in solving questions, providing a natural introduction to GPT to students. Students were also asked to think about whether the information provided by GPT was helpful or not, and if not, why, so that they could identify the limitations of GPT on their own.
A “GPT Question Contest” was held in the next session to learn how to communicate with GPTs. A scenario was presented, (e.g. “I’m going to Jeju Island with my family for 2 days and 3 nights. Please make a travel plan.”), and students had to think of effective questions to ask the GPT through group discussions to get information from GPT. They were given multiple opportunities to revise their questions and explore how to ask questions to get the right information for their purposes. This prompted learners to discover and apply their own GPT instruction manual and effective conversation tips (e.g. ask questions with specific examples). The game-based activity also helped students become more involved and excited about using GPT in an engaging setting.
2. Researching Independence Activists with Chat GPT (Social Studies, Korean)
AI literacy is the ability to understand, utilize, evaluate, and create AI. To apply the GPT usage that students explored in the previous lessons, they were asked to use GPT to research ‘Korean independence activists’ that they learned about in social studies. Students refined the art of formulating useful and valid questions for GPT through self-reflection on the information they would require in a similar situation. Students were then asked to verify the information they found with their GPTs to ensure that it was accurate. The information they found was then organized according to their needs based on the ‘summarizing’ skills they learned in Korean language class. Through this activity, the students were able to develop their information selection skills and enjoy using a new medium to obtain information.
3. Creating an e-book and interview an author (Art, Korean)
The concluding lesson tasked students with creating e-books derived from their prior research, employing AI to generate novel outputs. After devising a simple storyboard, students utilized “BookCreator” to produce an e-book focused on historical ‘independence activists.’ A subsequent “E-book Publishing Ceremony” involved interviewing the authors of e-books, in this case students themselves, to delve into historical knowledge. Through this process, students were able to develop their ability to apply AI in real life and express their thoughts more creatively beyond conventional frameworks.
It could be seen that project activities based on metacognition helped strengthen learners’ “AI literacy” capabilities. Given the rapid development of AI technologies, AI literacy education becomes imperative for coexistence. This underscores the importance of activating research into diverse teaching and learning methodologies to deliver high-quality AI literacy education.
Auhtor
Haeun Shin, Elementary School Teacher, South Korea.
