Abstract:

The advancement of digitalization is a fact, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a tool that may enable teachers to plan instruction and be helpful for children in leisure-time centers in the Swedish context. Therefore, it is relevant to investigate how higher education institutions address digitalization in teacher education, focusing on how AI is highlighted. School Age Educare Centres (SAEC) are leisure-time centres which complement schools, where children between the ages of 6 and 12 can stay after school hours while their parents work or study. SAECs have the potential to offer opportunities for children to engage in learning with AI. However, SAEC teachers are not always prepared to take on this task. This paper aims to investigate 13 higher education institutions which offer teacher education for SAECs to examine how digitalization or AI is addressed in student teacher curricula. A total of 13 teacher curricula for SAEC teacher education were analyzed. The preliminary findings show that digitalization is present to some extent in the curricula. However, AI is not mentioned. In conclusion, future teachers in SAECs need to gain knowledge of AI to better prepare children for a future shaped by digitalization and technological advancements. If teacher students are to be prepared to support children’s learning with AI in SAECs, they should have a pre-understanding to convey the knowledge to the children. More research is needed to understand how digitalization and AI are integrated into SAEC teacher education to support children’s learning.

Keywords:

Technology, teacher education, development, leisure-time centres.