Veronica Cateté

Reinforcement learning (RL) is increasingly important to AI literacy, yet accessible K-12 tools for introducing RL concepts to students remain scarce. We developed RewardGarden, a game-based learning environment in which middle school students take on the role of a hummingbird collecting nectar under varying reward structures. The browser-based game is complemented by comprehensive educator materials, including a playful narrative introduction to RL, a game tutorial, and a facilitation guide with discussion prompts. In this paper, we describe the design of the learning environment, share insights from a classroom pilot, and provide implementation guidance. To understand implementation and gather feedback, we piloted the game with 92 middle school students across three classrooms. Our experience highlights the promise of game-based approaches for democratizing RL education, while identifying important practical considerations: the value of multi-session designs, the need for balanced reward feedback, and the critical role of scaffolding for complex concepts like exploration-exploitation tradeoffs. We share detailed implementation guidance, the publicly available game, and educator materials to support adoption.

AI-based chatbots have the potential to accelerate learning and teaching, but may also have counterproductive consequences without thoughtful design and scaffolding. To better understand teachers’ perspectives on large language model (LLM) based chatbots, we conducted a study with 11 teams of middle-school teachers using chatbots for a science and computational thinking activity within a block-based programming environment. Based on a qualitative analysis of audio transcripts and chatbot interactions, we propose three profiles: explorer, frustrated, and mixed that reflect diverse scaffolding needs. In their discussions, we found that teachers perceived chatbot benefits such as building prompting skills and self confidence alongside risks including potential declines in learning and critical thinking. Key design recommendations include scaffolding the introduction to chatbots, facilitating teacher control of chatbot features, and suggesting when and how chatbots should be used. Our contribution informs the design of chatbots to support teachers and learners in middle school coding activities.