Abstract:

This study addresses the rapid spread of Generative AI (GenAI) in education and the corresponding need to prepare educators. We investigated the impact of a targeted workshop series on pre-service teachers' awareness, knowledge, and skills regarding GenAI. The methodology involved nine senior undergraduate students in a teacher training program who participated in a three-session workshop series (held in 2025). These 90-minute sessions focused on hands-on comparison and application of multiple GenAI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot). Activities progressed from understanding basic characteristics to practical applications like summarizing lesson plans and creating teaching materials, such as review drills and evaluation rubrics. The study's findings are based on a comparative analysis of pre- and post-workshop questionnaires.

The results indicated four significant changes. First, participants' self-evaluated "technology utilization ability" and "GenAI knowledge" improved markedly, with practical, hands-on tasks transforming abstract knowledge into concrete skills and confidence. Second, while all participants initially viewed GenAI as helpful, their perception of its utility became more concrete. Abstract expectations of "efficiency" evolved into specific, practical applications like "assistance in creating test questions" and "idea generation for teaching materials". Third, participants' concerns about GenAI did not disappear but shifted qualitatively; vague anxieties (e.g., "personal information leaks," "decline in student thinking") were replaced by specific pedagogical challenges (e.g., "hallucination risks," "student over-reliance," "teacher's own cognitive laziness", and the potential for the teacher's own cognitive overreliance). Finally, the workshop influenced participants' professional identity, fostering a proactive vision of a teacher who collaborates with GenAI, provides it precise instructions, and critically evaluates its output.

In conclusion, this practical, hands-on workshop was found to be effective in enhancing pre-service teachers' skills and confidence, providing them with a clear vision of its application, fostering a sound critical perspective on GenAI's risks, and helping shape a modern, proactive teacher identity. The findings suggest that such initiatives are crucial for modern teacher training. Future challenges include differentiating content for various skill levels and integrating GenAI training more deeply with specific subject-area pedagogies. This study offers important foundational insights for the design of future teacher training curricula in the age of AI.

Keywords:

Generative AI, teacher training, workshop.