Pedagogy 2025
Abstract
As Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) tools like ChatGPT, MagicSchool, and Diffit continue to advance, educators face both opportunities and challenges in integrating these technologies meaningfully into their practice. Drawing on qualitative data, including reflective memos, teaching artifacts, and student reflections, this self-study examines how we, two teacher educators, strategically incorporated GenAI into an undergraduate Elementary Education course to prepare pre-service teachers (PSTs) to critically and responsibly utilize GenAI in diverse classroom contexts. Through this process, PSTs recognized that GenAI can function as a thought partner to foster creativity and efficiency, while also offering meaningful scaffolding and differentiation for diverse learners. They also determined that its pedagogical value ultimately depends on sustained human oversight, as no AI can supplant the teacher’s professional judgment, contextual understanding, and ethical responsibility. These findings underscore the importance of deliberate planning and the purposeful integration of GenAI into teacher preparation coursework, alongside dedicated time and structured opportunities for PSTs to engage meaningfully with these tools. Ultimately, this study offers a simple yet nuanced approach for teacher educators seeking to support PSTs as they learn to navigate GenAI in the classroom. This approach includes an iterative, scaffolded cycle that begins with explicit modeling of GenAI integration and gradually moves toward PSTs’ independent integration of these tools for authentic pedagogical purposes. Throughout the cycle, structured opportunities for critical reflection ensure that PSTs continually evaluate the affordances, limitations, and ethical implications of using GenAI in diverse classroom contexts.
Shannon M. Kane, Ed.D., is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the College of Education at the University of Maryland. Her work focuses on literacy and teacher preparation. Dr. Kane has served as a teacher, coach, curriculum writer, and principal. She holds a doctorate in Reading, Writing, and Literacy from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as master’s degrees in International Development and Elementary Education/TESOL. Her research focuses on literacy instruction, teacher development, and the ways in which technology can support both.
Loren Jones, Ph.D., is an Associate Clinical Professor and TESOL Program Coordinator in the College of Education at the University of Maryland, College Park. She works closely with pre-service and in-service teachers to strengthen instruction for multilingual learners. Dr. Jones often teaches courses on literacy, biliteracy development, and methods for teaching multilingual students. Her current research focuses on how immersive technologies can support early field experiences for future teachers. Her recent work appears in TESOL Journal and Computers & Education.