Are you interested in AI and data science and how students learn about AI and data in computing? Are you a primary school teacher in England, Scotland or Wales?
At the Raspberry Pi Computing Education Research Centre, we are starting an exciting new research study looking at how we teach about AI and data in the primary computing classroom. We would like you to get involved!
We are interested in exploring:
- What ways AI and data-driven computing are taught (e.g. Machine Learning for Kids, Google’s Teachable Machine)
- What key concepts young people need to understand about AI and data
- Young people’s understanding of data-driven computing
The study involves attending a workshop on April 24th in Cambridge, collaborating on a unit of work, and then teaching it in your classroom. Where necessary, we can reimburse you for reasonable expenses, such as supply cover, travel, and accommodation.
We aim to better understand how primary teachers can teach about data-driven technologies, and to find suitable methods for teaching young people about data-driven computing.
What is data-driven computing?
Research suggests that teaching problem-solving in computing should account for emerging data-driven technologies such as AI and machine learning.. Rather than focusing on traditional rule-based logic—where students write specific instructions like if-then statements—learners now need to understand data-driven methods. This involves training models by collecting large quantities of data, such as using Machine Learning for Kids to categorize images.
However, educators and curriculum designers need effective strategies for explaining how these different approaches work and when to apply them. This research aims to support primary teachers to teach about data and AI in the computing classroom.
What does the study involve?
If you teach primary computing (Years 4, 5 and 6 or P5–P7) in England, Scotland or Wales and are keen to shape how we teach young people about data-driven computing, we invite you to join our new study.
As part of the study, you will attend a workshop with us in Cambridge to collaborate on a series of data-driven computing lessons to teach in your classroom. Following the workshop, you will teach the unit of work in your classroom and we will observe one of your lessons and interview you about your experiences.
How can I get involved?
If you would like to join our study, please register by clicking the link below:
If you have any questions about the project, you can email Bobby Whyte at rw724@cam.ac.uk.