Implementation of artificial intelligence essentials in the secondary general education informatics course: The practice-oriented aspect

The article presents the concept of implementing the artificial intelligence (AI) essentials in the informatics course of secondary general education. The authors propose a structured and multilevel approach to AI, covering both basic and advanced levels of the subject. The concept is organically embedded in four main sections of the informatics course: digital literacy, theoretical foundations of informatics, algorithms and programming, and information technologies. Special attention is paid to the practice-oriented aspect of learning. This includes working with real data sets, programming in Python, and using specialized libraries for machine learning and data analysis. Specific examples of practical tasks are given to demonstrate the application of various AI methods and algorithms: from simple data classification to the creation and training of neural networks. The concept provides ample opportunities for project and extracurricular activities, which contribute to developing students’ creative, analytical, and research skills. An important aspect of the proposed approach is its compliance with modern requirements of the digital economy. The article emphasizes the need to teach schoolchildren competencies in AI and data analysis, which will be in demand in their future professional activities. It presents criteria for selecting learning content, exemplary thematic planning for basic and advanced levels. The authors substantiate the importance of the systematic AI study in secondary general education and point out the need to develop appropriate teaching and learning support.