Last year, we invited our community to share thoughts about artificial intelligence and what this rapidly changing technology might mean for children, learning, and education. Families, faculty, staff, and board members joined us in asking questions and sharing thoughts. Our approach is based on who we are as a school and what we believe about children and learning.
At La Scuola, children learn through relationships, inquiry, experience, creativity, dialogue, and meaningful engagement with the world around them. Inspired by the Reggio Emilia Approach and the IB, we hold a high image of the child – as capable, curious, resilient, and able to engage thoughtfully with complexity. This is our foundation, and it does not change with the presence of A.I. which is increasingly part of the world around us. Our role is neither to rush toward new technology nor to shield children from understanding it. It is to help them encounter their world with these same values.
This has led us to an important distinction in our current approach: learning about A.I. is not the same as learning with A.I. Our goal for students is not to teach them how to use A.I. tools; It is to help them understand and question A.I., recognize its limitations and risks, and develop the judgment they will need to navigate a world in which it increasingly exists.
With that, we share La Scuola’s Approach to Artificial Intelligence, which reflects our thinking today. There are important questions we are still exploring, and we expect our thinking to evolve as research develops, technologies change, and we learn from our own experience.
We are grateful to the parents, educators, staff members, and experts who have helped us reach this point.
Warmly,
La Scuola Leadership Team & AI Task Force