Dr Keith Young speaks at US National Academies Workshop on AI and Mathematics Education
Dr Keith Young recently participated as an invited speaker at an international workshop hosted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington, DC.
The workshop, International Practices in K–12 Mathematics Education: The Role of Computational Thinking, Data Science, and AI, brought together speakers from 17 countries across four continents to explore how mathematics education is evolving in response to emerging technologies.
Dr Young contributed to the Assessment Techniques and Student Learning session, which examined how different education systems are approaching assessment in order to make students’ understanding of data science, computational thinking, and AI visible alongside core mathematical ideas across K–12.
Drawing on the Irish context, Dr Young’s contribution focused on how ongoing assessment reform is creating space for richer forms of evidence of student learning. He highlighted developments across primary and post-primary education, including the role of classroom-based assessments and emerging curriculum changes in supporting data-rich and computational approaches to mathematics.
His presentation emphasised the importance of moving beyond a sole focus on final answers to include students’ reasoning, decision-making, and critical evaluation of results.
The workshop provided a valuable opportunity to exchange perspectives with international colleagues and to reflect on shared challenges around curriculum design, assessment, and teacher practice in an educational landscape impacted by AI.
