Exploring the Role of Generative AI in Collaborative Lesson Planning for Pre-Service Teachers

Background: Collaborative lesson planning is a crucial practice in teacher education, supporting pre-service teachers in lesson design and fostering professional development. While generative AI (GenAI) is increasingly integrated into education, its role in collaborative lesson planning remains unclear. Objectives: This study aims to explore how pre-service teachers use GenAI in collaborative lesson planning and investigate how GenAI influences pre-service teachers' cognitive engagement throughout the process. Methods: Twenty-seven pre-service teachers participated in GenAI-supported collaborative lesson planning in a STEM unit within a graduate educational technology course. Their interactions were analysed using epistemic network analysis (ENA) to examine cognitive engagement patterns. Additionally, the final lesson plan designs and logs of GenAI interactions were qualitatively analysed. Results and Conclusions: The results indicated that GenAI primarily served as a direct information source for operational tasks, while its role as cognitive scaffolding was limited. GenAI significantly supported pre-service teachers during initial phases of lesson planning, fostering higher-order thinking such as analysing and creating, but its contribution diminished in later iterative phases. The findings highlight the dual roles of GenAI, emphasising the need for structured scaffolds and human facilitation to complement GenAI and support deeper cognitive engagement.