Developing AI Literacy for K–12 STEM Teachers
Supporting K–12 STEM Teachers’ AI Literacy Through Local Partnerships and Community Practice

Project Description

This project focuses on developing AI literacy for K–12 STEM teachers through community-engaged partnerships in Eastern Washington. While artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping education and society, many teachers lack opportunities to learn how AI systems work, how they influence teaching and learning, and how to use them responsibly in classroom settings.

The project builds a community of practice that brings together teachers, researchers, and local partners to co-design professional learning workshops focused on AI literacy. These workshops support teachers in understanding core AI concepts, examining ethical issues such as algorithmic bias and data privacy, and exploring how AI tools can be integrated into STEM instruction in equitable and context-sensitive ways. The project emphasizes learning with teachers rather than delivering pre-packaged training, ensuring that AI literacy development is grounded in real classroom needs and local contexts.

Project Information

Project Period: 2025–2026

Project Lead: Peng He

Funding Agencies:
This project is supported by the Washington State University New Faculty Seed Grant Program.

Project Vision

As artificial intelligence increasingly shapes education and society, teachers need opportunities to develop AI literacy that is grounded in their instructional realities, ethical concerns, and local contexts.

This project is designed to learn with teachers rather than deliver pre-packaged training, building community-engaged partnerships that support sustained professional learning, ethical and responsible AI use, and long-term capacity building in K–12 STEM education.

Project Goals

  • Goal 1: Develop teacher-focused AI literacy workshops 
    Design and pilot professional learning workshops that help K–12 STEM teachers understand AI concepts, applications, and limitations, with attention to classroom relevance and instructional decision-making. 
  • Goal 2: Support ethical and responsible AI use in education 
    Provide teachers with practical strategies to address algorithmic bias, data privacy, and equity concerns when using AI tools in STEM teaching and learning. 
  • Goal 3: Build sustainable community-engaged partnerships 
    Establish a local community of practice in Eastern Washington that supports ongoing collaboration among teachers and researchers, enabling iterative refinement of AI literacy resources and long-term capacity building. 

Team & Collaborators

Project Team:

Tingting Li, Dini Arini, Hadir Alderaan, Jihee Im, Gan Jin

Partners

Washington Educational Service Districts (ESD 101), Pullman School District