Pre-Service Teacher Education in a Postplagiarism World - Incorporating GenAI Into Teacher Training - Journal of Educational Research and Practice 2024 Vol. 33 (3) 11-16

Oct 15, 2026

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This essay examines how generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) can be integrated into pre-service teacher education amid ongoing debates about technology in education. It reviews cautious guidance from authorities such as the Alberta Teachers’ Association, contrasting it with international momentum, including AI curricula in countries like China and Japan. The article argues for hands-on GenAI training so future educators build AI literacy and can co-create learning while rethinking plagiarism in a postplagiarism era.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time15 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

An (Over)Abundance of Caution

Paying Attention to What Is Happening Globally

Pre-Service Teacher Education in a Postplagiarism World: Incorporating GenAI Into Teacher Training A journal of educational research and practice 2024 Vol. 33 (3) 11−16 [https://journals.library.brocku.ca/brocked](https://journals.library.brocku.ca/brocked) Sarah Elaine Eaton* Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary Abstract This essay explores the integration of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) into pre-service teacher education amidst contemporary debates on technology in education. It highlights the cautious stance taken by educational authorities, such as the Alberta Teachers’ Association, which advises against involving students directly with AI tools. The discussion contrasts this cautionary position with global trends, noting advanced AI curricula in countries like China and Japan. Emphasizing the necessity for hands-on GenAI training for pre-service teachers, the essay advocates equipping future educators with the skills and knowledge to effectively incorporate AI into their practice. It calls for engaging students as partners in learning andrethinking traditional notions of plagiarism in a postplagiarism world where AI co-creation becomes common. Keywords: Pre-service teacher education , postplagiarism , generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) , AI literacy, educational technology integration * seaton@ucalgary.ca In late 2023, I was chatting with a long-time colleague about the reactions of fellow educatorsand academics to generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) . We joked with each other, saying,“Remember when people asked us back in the early 1990s if they could turn off the internet?”Back then, with puzzled looks on our faces, we replied, “No, you can’t just turn off the internet.”Here we are , 30 years later, with some colleagues saying we should ban artificial intelligence (AI) or somehow pretend it does not exist. We have no empirical evidence, but our observations gathered over three decades of working in higher education have shown us that when new technologies are introduced, one reaction is an immediate desire to suppress their use by those less comfortable with the technology. An (Over)Abundance of Caution In January 2024, the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) guided elementary and secondary (i.e. , K–12) classroom teachers to refrain from using AI tools with students with these cautionary words: For the moment, we are encouraging teachers to explore these tools for their own pedagogical and educational purposes, and not to involve students directly in using them. It is prudent to wait until your school jurisdiction has established some student policy and practice guidelines around the use of AI before you start engaging your students in the use of these new tools. (Theobald, 2024, para. 6) What struck me about this guidance was the notion of not involving students directly, as if somehow students had no agency or curiosity of their own. There seems to be an underlying assumption with this guidance that if we hold off for a while, until ministries of education or school boards come up with official policies, students will dutifully wait on the sidelines and not touch the new technology until their teachers incorporate it into lessons in a manner that is both sanctioned and supported by the bureaucratic systems that govern education. According to one survey conducted in December 2023, less than a third (29 .4%) of Alberta’s K– 12 teachers feel positively about AI, and just over a third (37 . 2%) feel negatively about it, with another 14. 5% feeling neither positive nor negative (McRae, 2024) . In the absence of explicit guidance and professional development, teachers’ ambivalence towards rapidly developing technology, combined with the ATA’s conservative stance towards the classroom implementation or integration of GenAI for learning , means that Alberta students have missed out on an entire academic year’s worth of opportunity to learn how to use t

FAQs

Why does the Alberta Teachers’ Association advise teachers to avoid involving students directly with AI tools?

The guidance encourages teachers to explore AI for their own pedagogical purposes first and to avoid direct student involvement until school jurisdictions establish policies and practice guidelines.

What evidence does the essay use to describe teacher reactions to AI in Alberta?

It cites a December 2023 survey showing 29.4% of K–12 teachers feel positive about AI, 37.2% feel negative, and 14.5% feel neither positive nor negative.

How does the essay contrast Alberta’s cautious approach with global developments?

It compares Alberta’s hesitation with international efforts, including reported AI use and AI curriculum adoption in countries such as China, UNESCO’s findings about AI curricula across member states, and Japan’s start of K–12 AI learning in June 2023.

Oct 15, 2026

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