Jointly Shaping AI in Early Education

AI as a field for shaping high-quality early education

Whilst generative AI applications are already becoming increasingly common in schools, the early education sector is still approaching the topic with caution. Yet the participants see great potential precisely here – particularly where a growing need for individual support clashes with limited staff and time resources. This challenge is shared by all the IDoS peer countries.

It quickly became clear during the discussion that AI is far more than just a new tool. “It is an open field that we can help shape”, emphasised Prof. Dr Albrecht von Müller of the Parmenides Foundation. However, it is crucial first to define the specific challenges and needs for which AI can offer solutions. It is equally important to keep in mind the values to which good early education is committed: sustainable social development and the opportunity for every child to develop their talents and play an active and self-determined role in shaping the world.

There was agreement that AI should not be an end in itself and should not replace human relationships. Rather, it can create added value where it supports educational professionals and meaningfully complements educational processes.

Individual support and new impetus for practice

The peers see great opportunities, in particular, in the individual support of children. AI-based applications could help to identify support needs at an early stage and thus enable greater educational equity.

Prof. Maike Schindler from the University of Cologne presented an example of this: the EU-funded maths learning app ‘MADITA’. The app supports children in acquiring mathematical skills and helps to identify difficulties in understanding numbers at an early stage. This enables targeted support measures to be initiated and supports professionals in their educational work.

The experts also see potential beyond specific learning applications: in future, AI could relieve the burden on professionals when it comes to observation and documentation, structure developmental data and derive individual support strategies from it. However, this requires the responsible handling of data, clear guidelines and the appropriate skills in using the technologies.

The participants therefore agreed that continuing professional development plays a key role in ensuring high-quality education in an age of technological change.

Inquiry-based learning and human relationships remain central

Another key focus of the meeting was the question of how children learn and what role metacognitive processes play in this. Prof. Dr Albrecht von Müller provided insights into the research work of the Parmenides Foundation, which focuses on human thinking and the promotion of thought processes. A key idea is that only when we understand how children learn, shift perspectives and make sense of complex interrelationships can AI systems be developed that meaningfully support these processes.

A key conclusion of the meeting was therefore: Good STEM education thrives on inquiry-based learning. Children learn with all their senses – through observation, experimentation, wonder and interaction with others. It is precisely these direct experiences, combined with the support of educational professionals, that lay the foundation for future-oriented skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving ability and self-efficacy.

AI can support professionals in providing individualised learning opportunities and specifically fostering children’s curiosity. However, the decisive factor for successful educational processes remains the relationships between children and adults.

Joint innovations for early years education

In addition to professional exchange, the focus was also on future collaborations. The aim of the face-to-face meeting was to identify synergies and jointly initiate innovations in the field of AI in early years education.

Stiftung Kinder forschen, the Parmenides Foundation and Paradigmatics provided insights into their development of an AI-supported learning tool for nurseries. The application is designed to support early years professionals in providing targeted learning opportunities in everyday exploratory situations and in guiding children to think in a multidisciplinary way and to understand connections at different levels. The peers agreed that AI-supported learning guidance could offer particular potential for relieving the workload of early years professionals and providing them with targeted options for action.

The International Dialogue on STEM Education (IDoS) is organised by the Stiftung Kinder forschen and made possible by funding from the Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Foundation.

*Attendees in the title photo from left to right: Prof. Dr. Albrecht von Müller, Djian Sadadou, n.n., Christian Tigges, Julia Oberthür, Badîn Borde, Nina Henke, Dr. Tobias Ernst, Dr. Carol O'Donnell, Prof. Jan Lundell, Claudia Schiefer, Gerd Seiler