Lower School Is Different
Begin Lower School AI decisions with development, foundational learning, and the opportunity cost of instructional time.
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Professional learning course
Ethical Use of AI With Lower School Students
A developmentally grounded certificate course for Lower School educators on using AI around children while protecting foundational learning, privacy, relationships, creativity, and human judgment.
FormatSelf-paced
Time225 minutes
Enrollment$9.99
CredentialVerified certificate
Who it is for
Made for decisions educators face now.
This practical learning experience is designed for educators and school teams who need clear, responsible ways to make decisions about AI.
You do not need technical expertise. The focus is sound judgment, learner protection, transparency, and actions you can explain.
Course map
8 modules. A practical learning path.
Adults Use AI, Children Build Foundations
Use teacher-facing AI to reduce preparation work while preserving the practice that creates student learning.
Protect the Learning
Distinguish productive friction from avoidable barriers and protect the cognitive work learners need to develop.
Literacy Before Automation
Preserve direct practice in reading, writing, oral language, and the background knowledge needed for future AI literacy.
Math, Creativity, and Making
Protect mathematical reasoning, creativity, making, and hands-on experiences from premature automation.
SEL, Executive Function, and Relationships
Build executive function, social-emotional skills, and relationships through supported human practice.
Teacher Use Requires Ethical Guardrails
Apply privacy, accuracy, fairness, adult review, and meaningful human oversight to every teacher-facing AI use.
When Student-Facing AI May Be Appropriate
Teach age-appropriate AI literacy and apply a higher bar before introducing student-facing generative AI.
What learners receive
Practical guidance and verified evidence.
- Self-paced written and video learning
- Scenario-based application and reflection
- A final knowledge assessment
- A publicly verifiable certificate after passing
Research behind this course
Check the foundation directly.
These selected sources fit this course’s audience and purpose. The complete library explains evidence types and limitations.
Official guidance · 2024AI Competency Framework for TeachersUNESCO ↗Official guidance · 2023Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Teaching and LearningU.S. Department of Education ↗Peer-reviewed research · 2025Generative AI Without Guardrails Can Harm LearningProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ↗
Explore the complete verified source library →Written and reviewed byBrannon Fissette, Ed.D., MBA
Independent-school educator and technology leader with experience in teaching, faculty development, school operations, responsible AI, and applied educational research.
Review approachLiving curriculum
Research standards and source library →Guidance is checked against primary sources and revised as technology, research, and institutional expectations change.
Ready when you are