Teach GPT: understanding of pre-service teachers’ appropriate and critical development of AI in literacy and numeracy disciplines

As Generative artificial intelligence (AI) continues to evolve, it is crucial to prepare Pre-Service Teachers (PSTs) with the necessary critical AI literacy skills to effectively apply these tools in educational settings. This project investigates PSTs’ appropriate and critical development of AI in Literacy and Numeracy disciplines. It focuses on how PSTs can best navigate AI critically and appropriately and how AI can be used responsively in teaching. Moreover, the project measures PSTs’ practical skills in using AI and whether PSTs feel confident in integrating AI driven solutions into their daily teaching life such as lesson planning and developing content. A qualitative approach was used to investigate PSTs critical AI literacy and identify key factors contributing to successful AI integration in the classroom. Participants were students in the Master of Teaching degrees at WSU, arranged into three groups according to their practicum experiences in schools. The first group comprised students in their first semester of the course, the second consisted of students who had completed one year of study, and the third students nearing completion. Findings provide valuable insights for teacher educators aiming to enhance AI literacy among PSTs. By fostering a deeper understanding of AI, teacher educators can empower PSTs to critically engage with AI and make informed decisions in an increasingly AI-driven world. Through the preliminary findings, we investigate the essential components of AI literacy that PSTs need to develop; we analyse professional learning supports assisting them to integrate AI tools confidently and ethically; and we investigate roles AI literacy potentially play in enhancing future teaching practices. By developing their AI literacy, PSTs can leverage its ethical and pedagogical implications. Factors such as perceived ease of use and usefulness that can potentially influence PSTs’ intentions to use AI- based platforms are shown, hence ethical considerations and implications when it comes to PSTs’ use of Generative AI are the focus. Critical understanding of the present challenges and identifying the gaps and aligning it with AI use in teaching is also presented.