School Curriculum and Artificial Intelligence: Analysis of Teachers’ Uses and Representations through ESL (Episodes of Situated Learning) as a Projective Device

The rapid integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into various sectors emphasises the collective responsibility of equipping future generations with the knowledge and skills to navigate an AI-driven world. In recognition of this shared duty, the University of Bologna, in close collaboration with the association Dirigenti Scuole Autonome e Libere (DiSAL), launched the pilot project “AI4S - Artificial Intelligence for School” during the 2023-2024 academic year. This project, according to a research-intervention methodology, aims to empower teachers to experiment with the ESLAI (Episodes of Situated Learning in AI) framework, a tool designed to facilitate the adoption of AI within school curricula (Panciroli et al., 2023). The ESLAI framework organises AI work in the classroom into three stages: (I) anticipation with AI; (II) production with AI; (III) reflection with AI. Anticipation involves using AI-based applications to explore topics in advance, generating summaries, and producing visual representations. The production focuses on using AI applications to support the creation of artefacts, such as texts, images, videos, and audio. Reflection involves critical analysis of the results produced with the support of AI and developing critical awareness of AI’s use.