Pre-service teachers and AI: preliminary insights
How are future teachers engaging with artificial intelligence, and how prepared are educators to integrate AI meaningfully in education?
This preliminary mapping from AI-teach explores the current landscape of AI in education across Europe, with particular attention to the knowledge, needs and challenges of pre-service teachers, in-service teachers and teacher educators. It brings together research and policy perspectives to identify where further support and professional learning are needed.
What did we explore?
The preliminary mapping examines how AI is currently understood and adopted in education, how teachers and future teachers are being prepared for AI, and which forms of support can help educators engage with AI in informed, critical and pedagogically meaningful ways.
AI literacy
What knowledge and competences do teachers need to understand AI and critically assess its opportunities and risks?
AI in practice
How is AI already entering teaching and learning, and what does meaningful pedagogical integration require?
Professional learning needs
Which forms of training, guidance and collaboration can support teachers with different levels of prior knowledge?
What are we learning?
The literature and European landscape reviewed in the preliminary mapping point to several recurring themes.
A clear need for AI literacy
Teachers are generally positive about the potential of AI, but knowledge and competences do not always keep pace with that interest.
Knowledge is still developing
Research indicates that pre-service teachers can have limited knowledge of fundamental AI concepts and may use AI mainly when a specific need arises.
Support needs to connect theory and practice
Teachers value support that combines technical guidance, curriculum alignment, ethical considerations and hands-on strategies.
Tailored learning matters
Professional development should respond to different starting points and benefit from connection, professional community and co-creation with teachers.
Why does this matter for teacher education?
Understanding how teachers and future teachers currently engage with AI helps teacher educators identify where professional learning can make a difference. These insights provide a foundation for AI-teach’s wider work on developing tailored learning opportunities that strengthen AI literacy while keeping pedagogy, professional judgement and human agency at the centre.
Explore the preliminary mapping
Dive into the preliminary findings and explore the research, European policy landscape and teacher professional learning needs in more detail.
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This project has received funding from the European Union (European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA)) under grant agreement No 101196600.
Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.