Students in Kunshan, China Develop "AI Literacy"

Stefan Bauschard

Aug 4, 2025

Education Disrupted: Teaching and Learning in An AI World

Students in Kunshan, China Develop “AI Literacy” – Summary for Educators

By Stefan Bauschard Published: August 4, 2025
Original article: https://bauschard.substack.com/p/students-in-kunshan-china-develop-...

In his compelling post, Students in Kunshan, China Develop “AI Literacy”, educator and debate coach Stefan Bauschard shares how Chinese elementary and middle school students in Kunshan are acquiring critical AI-related competencies—not through complex coding exercises or AI ethics lectures, but through structured classroom debates. These debates, conducted entirely in English (a second language for these students), organically blend performance-based assessment, interdisciplinary thinking, and real-world inquiry. The result? Authentic and joyful development of "AI literacy."

What is AI Literacy?

The U.S. government defines AI literacy as encompassing four key components:

1. Basic Technical Knowledge – Understanding how AI tools work at a foundational level

2. Durable Skills – Critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and adaptability

3. Future-Ready Attitudes – An openness to technological change and innovation

4. Engagement with AI – Including using, designing, and critically evaluating AI systems

Bauschard shows how students in China are building these competencies through debate, supported by AI tools like KIMI, a generative AI model used to enhance research and idea development.

Debate as a Vehicle for AI Literacy

The structure of the debates varied by grade level and topic complexity.

Middle school students tackled nuanced policy questions such as:

• Should funding be shifted from the humanities to STEM to maintain economic competitiveness?

• Which discipline—STEM or the humanities—better prepares students for an AI-driven job market?

• How do we preserve ethical and cultural values in a world increasingly shaped by AI?

Elementary students, meanwhile, debated engaging, age-appropriate ethical questions like:

• Should robots replace humans in the workforce?

• What happens to our parents if robots take their jobs?

• Should robots take over dangerous roles like firefighting?

• Can humans really think faster than AI?

By grappling with these questions, students began to view AI not just as a tool, but as a societal force. They moved beyond passive engagement to active interrogation of AI’s implications, displaying the exact mindset that AI literacy aims to cultivate.

Process Over Product

The most notable insight from Bauschard’s reflection is that students learned deeply without any of the stress or hand-wringing often associated with AI in education.

Students did the following:

• Learned how generative AI works and explored its limits and strengths

• Used AI tools to brainstorm and organize their thoughts

• Wrote and researched using both human and AI resources

• Engaged in verbal debate, developing persuasive reasoning and speaking skills

• Considered societal and economic implications of AI integration

The process was organic, student-centered, and performance-driven. As Bauschard notes:

“Brains grew, no brains rotted. They had fun. No one cheated. No one talked about AI writing detectors.”

In other words, authentic learning occurred—without fear or over-engineered AI guardrails. The use of AI supported creativity, analysis, and communication, rather than replacing student thinking.

Lessons for Educators

Bauschard’s model offers a refreshingly simple framework for integrating AI into any classroom:

• Teach how AI works: Even a basic introduction helps students understand the limitations and proper uses of generative models.

• Use AI tools as supports: Not replacements for thought, but as accelerators for brainstorming and research.

• Discuss AI’s impact: What does AI mean for your subject, your industry, or your students’ futures?

• Prioritize performance-based assessments: Oral presentations, debates, and interactive tasks make cheating obsolete and deepen learning.

His approach aligns well with project-based learning, competency-based education, and 21st-century skills frameworks, making it adaptable across subjects and grade levels.

Final Thought

In Kunshan, students demonstrated that developing AI literacy does not require futuristic labs, expensive software, or complex programs. It requires thoughtful pedagogy, real-world questions, and a willingness to trust students to rise to the challenge. When educators combine content learning with meaningful discussion and performance, AI becomes not a threat—but a tool to deepen understanding and enrich classroom culture.

Original Article

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Prepared with the assistance of AI software

OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT (4) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com