CBSE AI Curriculum for Classes 3-8: What’s in the syllabus, how will it be taught, will there be exams?

CBSE Syllabus and AI: Central Board of Secondary Education’s (CBSE) curriculum on computational thinking (CT) and artificial intelligence (AI) for Classes 3 to 8 will introduce CT first with AI coming later. For Classes 3 to 5, the CT component will be embedded into the curriculum for mathematics and The World Around Us subjects. Assessment will be linked to those existing subjects as well. For CBSE Classes 6 to 8, computational thinking has been incorporated into all school subjects through worksheet-based and project-based learning.

For Classes 3 to 5, teaching will be mostly through games, puzzles and activities; for Classes 6 to 8, it’ll be through analysis of real-world problems, collaborative and group work. It is in these classes that the foundational concepts of AI will be taught.

For now, the curriculum is mostly geared toward CBSE schools. It was prepared by a 10-member committee headed by Karthik Raman of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras .

However, during the launch on Monday, education minister Dharmendra Pradhan urged the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) to collaborate with the State Councils for Educational Research and Training (SCERT) to launch the AI and computational thinking curriculum in the other Indian languages.

AI is taught as a skill subject to students of Classes 9 to 12 in the CBSE schools.

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AI, computational thinking in CBSE subjects

As per the document, the curriculum will begin with the introduction of CT and deepen it as students move across the stages.

“AI is introduced later, once pre-requisite knowledge of CT is built for understanding AI,” states the curriculum document. “At present, CT is part of the Mathematics curriculum in the school curriculum. The curriculum recommends embedding CT in all the subjects such as TWAU (The World Around Us) and mathematics with focused learning experiences through workbooks.”

For mathematics and TWAU – social studies and environmental science – 50 hours are allotted annually.

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CBSE’s AI Curriculum: Worksheets and projects

“CT will be integrated with the existing textbook content, with additional CT questions and activities added into appropriate chapters. Similarly, for other subjects additional CT worksheets are to be designed to enrich the existing chapters. These additional activities will be in the form of a resource book,” the document says.

In case of Classes 6 to 8, CT is again incorporated into all the school subjects through worksheet-based and project-based learning along with introduction to foundational concepts of AI, or AI literacy.

For the middle classes it is 100 hours annually and the curriculum suggests 20 hours of CT and AI to teach various concepts.

The board states, “The time allocation is suggested to keep the existing curriculum load in mind to ensure balance without overburdening students with additional content load. It is flexible and schools can go beyond the allocated time depending on the needs of the school.”

Some topics which are part of the CBSE syllabus for Classes 6 to 8 include the following:

• Introduction to AI and everyday examples
• AI domains
• Data visualization and analysis
• AI project lifecycle (conceptual)
• Ethics and responsible AI

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CBSE Board: How to teach AI

The CBSE’s suggested pedagogy and teaching strategies for artificial intelligence and computational thinking involve activity-based and experiential methods, engaging students through interactive and hands-on experiences.

For Classes 3-5, CBSE suggests

• Use of worksheets based on games
• Puzzles and activities
• Allowing students to interpret charts, diagrams and any other visual representations
• Teach students to break larger problems into smaller ones to develop problem- solving skills.

For Class 6 to Class 8, CBSE’s suggests

• Use hands-on and real-world problems
• Collaborative and group-work
• Independent activities for students such as data collection, organisation and analysis
• Varied forms of representations, such as creation of diagrams and flow charts manually or using digital tools
• Discussions, debates and case studies on ethical use of AI
• Deliver fundamental concepts of AI through explanations, demonstrations and hands-on experience

“Students should be allowed to explore the practical challenges faced by the community, devise solutions for them, and apply the knowledge beyond the classrooms. Teachers would need to provide the mentorship needed for such explorations,” the curriculum document adds.

Along with the curriculum, the CBSE also released a “test book” and a “teachers handbook” on Monday. As per CBSE chairperson Rahul Singh, computer and mathematics teachers were consulted for framing the curriculum.

In Classes 3-5, mathematics and other subject teachers will deliver the CT syllabus. For Classes 6-8, it will be a collaboration among teachers of various subjects.

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CBSE: Will there be AI, CT exams?

The CBSE board has proposed an alternative form of assessment for these subjects.

For Classes 3-5, assessments will be linked to the core subjects – mathematics and TWAU.

The curriculum suggests the use of written tests involving CT questions and puzzles, interactive group activities, such as treasure hunts and teacher observation journals.

From Class 6 onwards, evaluation will focus on project presentations, assignments, reflective journals, and assigned tasks.

“Teachers need to create clear and consistent rubrics to evaluate student performance, ensuring consistency and clarity in the assessment process,” the document states.