Teaching AI in the Primary Classroom
Adelaide University (CSER STEM Professional Learning)
Last updated September 15, 2026
Teaching AI in the Primary Classroom is a free, self-paced course from Adelaide University's CSER STEM Professional Learning team — which has run national K-12 professional-learning programs in Digital Technologies, AI, cyber security and mathematics since 2014 — built for primary-school teachers. It runs about 7 hours: the first part covers what AI is and how it works, and the second part is practical classroom activities, with and without technology, aligned to Version 9.0 of the Australian Curriculum. A certificate is issued on completing the course activities. Funded by Google Australia and made freely available by the Australian Government Department of Education.
What you'll learn
- Background on what AI is and how it works, with real-world examples
- Practical classroom activities that build students' understanding of AI, with and without technology
- Linking AI teaching to the Australian Curriculum: Digital Technologies strand
- Contextualizing AI for primary-school teaching specifically
Frequently asked questions about Teaching AI in the Primary Classroom
Who is Teaching AI in the Primary Classroom for?
Primary-school teachers, especially in Australia, who want to teach AI literacy aligned to the Digital Technologies curriculum.
Is Teaching AI in the Primary Classroom free?
Yes — Teaching AI in the Primary Classroom is completely free to take.
Does Teaching AI in the Primary Classroom offer a certificate?
Yes. Free certificate on completing the course activities.
Why we suggest this course
It is built specifically for the primary-school context rather than adapted from a secondary or general-audience course — the classroom activities are pitched at primary-age students and mapped to the Australian Curriculum, so a teacher can use them without translating a general AI-literacy course down to that age group themselves. One thing to know: the curriculum alignment is Australian-specific, though the AI concepts themselves travel to any classroom.