AI Literacy for Students

Session plans

1. 1

   Why AI literacy — and what it actually means

   ~45 min
   Session plan

   Open by asking staff where they've already seen students using AI — it's always more than they expect. Introduce the four capabilities as a shared language for the day. Then have each teacher map two moments in an upcoming unit where a capability fits; share a few across faculties to show how broadly it applies.

   Discussion prompts

   • Where are our students already using AI, and what habits are they forming?
   • Which of the four capabilities do our students most lack right now?
   • What's the difference between teaching this in K–6 and in 7–12 for us?
   Watch for

   Some staff will say 'that's not my subject's job'. Reframe: AI literacy is embedded, not extra — it lives inside research, literacy and integrity work they already do. Keep it concrete with real unit examples.

   Standards2.6 Information and Communication Technology (ICT)1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development of students4.5 Use ICT safely, responsibly and ethically
2. 2

   Teaching students how AI works (and where it's wrong)

   ~50 min
   Session plan

   Do the live demo with the staff first — ask a tool something your school's teachers can immediately fact-check and watch it err. Then have each teacher rewrite the 'how AI works' explanation for their own stage in one or two sentences, and read a couple aloud — the primary vs secondary contrast is instructive.

   Discussion prompts

   • What's a question in our context the tool would confidently get wrong — and would make a great demo?
   • How simple can our explanation be and still be honest?
   • Where in our subjects does 'check it against a trusted source' already live?
   Watch for

   Avoid the rabbit-hole of technical accuracy — students need a usable mental model (predicts, can be wrong, carries bias), not a lecture on neural networks. Keep the explanations short enough to actually say to a class.

   Standards2.6 Information and Communication Technology (ICT)3.3 Use teaching strategies3.4 Select and use resources
3. 3

   Using AI honestly — integrity students can understand

   ~50 min
   Session plan

   Put three real, borderline student scenarios on the screen and have staff sort them green/amber/red — the disagreement is the point, and it surfaces how unclear the line is even for adults. Then each teacher drafts the first version of an AI-use agreement for their class; agree any school-wide non-negotiables together.

   Discussion prompts

   • Where do WE disagree on the green/amber/red line — and what does that tell us about our students?
   • What should be a school-wide rule vs a teacher/task-by-task decision?
   • How do we make student process visible in our assessments without more marking?
   Watch for

   Staff can drift into 'detection' and policing. Steer firmly toward clarity (teach the line) and design (make process visible). Capture any school-wide non-negotiables for leadership to formalise.

   Standards4.5 Use ICT safely, responsibly and ethically7.1 Meet professional ethics and responsibilities3.3 Use teaching strategies
4. 4

   Thinking critically — teaching students to question AI

   ~50 min
   Session plan

   Run a 'catch the hallucination' round live with the staff using a planted-error AI answer — they'll enjoy finding it, and they'll see the activity is easy to make. Then each teacher builds one critical-evaluation activity for their subject; collect them into a shared bank everyone can reuse.

   Discussion prompts

   • What does 'evaluating a source' already look like in our subject — and how does AI slot in?
   • Which of the three games fits our students best?
   • How do we keep this as curiosity, not cynicism about technology?
   Watch for

   The goal is critical, not dismissive. Some staff (and students) tip into 'AI is rubbish' — that's as unhelpful as blind trust. Aim for 'useful, but verify'.

   Standards2.6 Information and Communication Technology (ICT)3.3 Use teaching strategies4.5 Use ICT safely, responsibly and ethically
5. 5

   Staying safe — privacy, wellbeing and the lines students hold

   ~45 min
   Session plan

   Keep this session calm and practical. Confirm the school's actual support paths so every teacher names the same ones to students. Have staff draft a short, age-appropriate 'using AI safely' message or poster for their stage; agree a consistent privacy line and the 'not a person' message across the school.

   Discussion prompts

   • What are the exact support paths we want every student to know?
   • How do younger vs older students differ in the safety risks they face?
   • How do we teach this without making students anxious about technology?
   Watch for

   Don't let it become fear-driven. The aim is confident, careful users — privacy held, wellbeing protected, help-seeking normal. Loop in your wellbeing/Child Safe team so messaging is consistent.

   Standards4.5 Use ICT safely, responsibly and ethically1.1 Physical, social and intellectual development of students7.2 Comply with legislative, administrative and organisational requirements
6. 6

   Capstone — build and teach an AI-literacy lesson

   ~60 min
   Session plan

   Give staff protected time to build their lesson, then run a faculty share-back: each teacher presents their lesson in two minutes and adds it to a shared bank. End by agreeing the school-wide student AI-use position the day has produced — that's the artefact leadership takes forward.

   Discussion prompts

   • What's our shared, school-wide message to students about using AI?
   • Which lessons could become a common bank across stages?
   • How will we keep teaching this — and revisit it as the tools change?
   Watch for

   Protect the build-and-share time — a bank of ready lessons is the tangible payoff of the day. Make sure the capstone lessons are genuinely age-appropriate, not a secondary lesson handed down to primary.

   Standards3.3 Use teaching strategies6.2 Engage in professional learning6.4 Apply professional learning and improve student learning

Standards-relevant professional learning, mapped to the APST · verified against national and NSW frameworks, June 2026.