Why This School System Is Integrating AI Literacy With Algebra 1

Could connecting artificial intelligence with math concepts boost students’ attitudes toward the subject? A research project from the Concord Consortium aims to find out.

The nonprofit educational research and development organization has partnered with the Florida Virtual School and the University of Florida to provide an “Artificial Intelligence in Math” supplemental certification program for middle and high school students taking Algebra 1.

The program, which began April 7, will introduce students to the foundational principles of AI that intersect with core math topics. It will also teach students about real-world applications, ethical considerations, and career opportunities in AI-related fields, said Jie Chao, a learning scientist for the Concord Consortium.

Artificial intelligence technologies are poised to shape many aspects of people’s lives and are already changing several industries. Experts say students need to understand how the technology works and its potential power and pitfalls so they’re prepared for future careers.

At the same time, educators are grappling with the fact that math scores on the National Assessment for Educational Progress are still below pre-pandemic levels.

The AI in math program aims to address both students’ need for AI literacy and to improve their math skills and attitudes toward the subject, Chao said.

Students are already learning about AI on their own as they experiment with free tools, such as ChatGPT, said April Fleetwood, the director of research evaluation and planning for the Florida Virtual School, an online public K-12 school district. With this program, students can learn about AI formally, while also gaining a better understanding of the relevance of the math concepts they’re learning.

AI can make math more relevant for students

It’s unclear how many schools or districts have programs that incorporate AI literacy into math. For the most part, they are still in the beginning stages of figuring out how to integrate the technology into the school day.

But math educators “are trying to stay abreast of these things,” said Latrenda Knighten, the president of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

“We like the idea of having students understand the mathematics that’s underlying the actual processes that drive AI, because that gives students a better chance of actually applying those mathematics concepts to something in the real world,” Knighten said.

Making math relevant to students’ everyday lives will help them stay engaged, experts say. Some math educators are already making connections for students between often overlooked math concepts and AI, but doing so on a larger scale can be difficult to pull off when few teachers understand the technology.

The research project also includes professional development for Florida Virtual School teachers to learn how to use emerging technologies to visualize abstract math concepts, with the goal of boosting student engagement and achievement in the subject, Fleetwood said.

For now, the AI in math certification program is being piloted with students enrolled in Florida Virtual School’s Algebra 1 course through its “flex” option, meaning students who take individual FLVS courses while attending regular public schools or registered homeschool students, Fleetwood said. The group chose Algebra 1 because it’s a graduation requirement and a foundation for higher level math courses.

More than 180 students have already signed up for the course, Fleetwood added.

The students—who can take the certification course asynchronously on Concord Consortium’s platform—will complete pre- and post-surveys as well as five activities, including creating their own AI model based on math concepts. The estimated completion time is 250 minutes for the entire module.

“Ultimately, we want [students] to feel like they can use math to do interesting and useful things,” Chao said. “Hopefully, [we can] launch them into this journey [of] becoming someone who knows how to harness this power that our modern society will rely on.”

Lauraine Langreo is an Education Week staff writer, covering education technology and learning environments.