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Ten skill and knowledge areas for (language) teaching with GenAI

We propose 10 areas for language teachers to develop fundamental knowledge and skills in. While these do not constitute an exhaustive list, they cover a wide range of the main applications of GenAI for language education. We suggest that teachers devote a few hours to exploring each as soon as possible, reflecting critically on how they may be incorporated in current teaching contexts. Additional informed work can then proceed more organically as noted in the following section on our proposed reimagining of continuing professional development. For teachers who have already been using GenAI regularly and have confidence in certain areas, this section can serve to highlight potential gaps.

This is part of a draft of an article I wrote with Phil Hubbard. He wrote this part. In this paper, we are proposing a way in which teachers can organize their own professional development (PD) in the context of the rapid expansion of Generative AI.
We call this PD sustained integrated PD (GenAI-SIPD). Sustained because it is continuous and respectful of the other responsibilities and commitments teachers have; integrated because the PD activities are an integral part of what teachers do anyway; the teacher retains control of the PD process.

The full article is available as open access:
Hubbard, Philip and Mathias Schulze (2025) AI and the future of language teaching – Motivating sustained integrated professional development (SIPD). International Journal of Computer Assisted Language Learning and Teaching 15.1., 1–17. DOI:10.4018/IJCALLT.378304 https://www.igi-global.com/gateway/article/full-text-html/378304

Adapting and creating prompts. A GenAI prompt is the set of instructions provided by the user to get the GenAI to generate the desired output. Prompt templates for particular purposes provide useful starting points, and then teachers can adapt these as needed. The act of adapting predefined prompts or creating novel ones is often referred to as prompt engineering. This is typically an iterative process, where an initial prompt is followed by adjustments to arrive at the desired outcome. Importantly, that outcome should always be checked. For an example of an introduction to prompts, see Heaps (2024). This source distinguishes strategies for “one big prompt,” chaining prompts for dividing a complex task into parts, and question and answer prompts.
GenAI ethics. There are a number of ethical areas surrounding the use of GenAI, ranging from what the underlying language model, to issues of what constitutes acceptable use by teachers and learners, privacy issues, safety issues, credibility issues, equity issues, issues in output bias, and even considerations of environmental impact. Some of the information teachers and learners need in order to make ethical decisions is easily accessible, but some is hidden within the language of user agreements and default settings of the controls. Many institutions already have guidelines. For example, the Ethics Institute at Michigan State University maintains a site that provides ethical guidelines and examples for teaching with AI: https://ethics.msu.edu/gen-ai/teaching. A recent paper by Ohashi and Hubbard (2025) discusses GenAI ethics in depth in the context of language education and offers a set of emerging principles to guide language teachers in ethical use.
GenAI chatbots. AI chatbots have been around for many years in language learning (Coniam, 2008), but GenAI ones are relatively new. They are a quintessential application of AI for language education as the vehicle for interaction (the student’s L2) is also the target of learning. There are at least three main uses for a GenAI chatbot. One is to interact with the chatbot in the target language to assist with content searches or (allowed) translation of texts beyond the learner’s level for some ancillary purpose (see point 6). A second use is for the learner to produce target language texts that the learner then edits, keeping transparent both the original AI-generated and adapted version, or the teacher can use GenAI to produce examples that the learner then renders into coherent prose and incorporates in their work. Third, a chatbot can be a conversation partner, though as noted previously, the GenAI chatbot itself is not negotiating meaning. However, their use in principle allows a simulated interaction that can provide both direct conversational practice and learner-produced material for AI evaluation and feedback. Elements such as perceived usefulness and ease of use have been shown to be important considerations in selecting and employing GenAI chatbots (Zou et al., 2024). As reported in various studies (Huang & Zou, 2024; Peng & Liang, 2025; Wang et al., 2024) for some students GenAIs like ChatGPT as conversation partners can lower affective barriers and improve willingness to communicate.
GenAI translation. A special case for language education is the impact of GenAI on machine translation (MT). As noted earlier, the availability and appropriate use of MT in language learning has been an issue for several decades. How can it serve as an aid to learning rather than as a shortcut for students that is detrimental to the goal of learning? LLMs like ChatGPT can act as translators and in the role of a conversational agent may be useful for tasks like providing a needed word or phrase as part of a natural communicative interaction rather than as a dedicated translation tool. There is a general sense of the need for teachers to develop tasks and to help learners to understand ways in which translation can be helpful.
Course and lesson creation. A major area for teachers is the potential of GenAI to save time producing course curricula and lesson plans as well as generating lesson content targeted to a specific teaching context. For example, Contact North’s AI Assistant at https://contactnorth.ca/news/introducing-ai-teaching-assistant-pro-a-free-personal-teaching-aide can produce a draft course curriculum, complete with lesson outlines and course notes, simply by having a user fill out an online form. How efficient and effective this might be for a language class as opposed to a physics class remains an open question. However, even in its present state, GenAI is worth experimenting with as a tool for generating lesson ideas and sample content. Another element of lesson creation is the potential of GenAI to personalize learning so that students could work with materials and learning paths tailored to their current level, personal interests, and learning styles. This is frequently mentioned as an affordance of AI but remains an underexplored area. Using GenAI tools to generate additional differentiated tasks for individual students and small sub-groups as well as useful examples and bases for student exploration and discussion has been suggested as a way forward (Mittal et al., 2024).
Classroom assessment. Gen-AI based assessment is a popular but challenging application because its accuracy is often questionable. However, there are two areas where such assessment may be well-supported. The first is in the simple assessment of areas like reading or listening comprehension via quizzes. A variety of options exist for generating such quizzes, such as an open-access one from the Canadian non-profit Contact North: https://www.aiteachingassistantpro.ca/. As with all GenAI applications, it is important for teachers to review the output carefully and make edits before releasing the result to students. Recent research suggests that GenAI is good at writing multiple choice questions but has significant issues with providing plausible distractors (Chun & Barley, 2024). It is of utmost importance to consider pedagogical and ethical consequences. When a teacher generates a quiz, it is more likely that students can generate the answers, and it is questionable how a teacher should react to generated answers, when students are answering a generated question. The second is formative assessment and feedback for learners on their own work, especially in writing. Studies looking at this application for writing have noted that the feedback is primarily focused on surface issues but that students still find it useful. Finally, GenAI applications can be used for summative or proficiency assessment, though extra care must be taken in checking their work.
Student misconduct. Soon after ChatGPT 3.5 went public in November 2022, the most visible concern involved students using GenAI to complete assignments and assessments with the assistance of this tool. There were efforts to outright ban ChatGPT and its cousins because there was confusion about how to employ it in a way that didn’t constitute cheating or otherwise subverting learning objectives and the goal of course assessment (e.g., Banks, 2023). For entities at a number of levels, from government, to institutions, to individual teachers, the primary responses to this issue have been 1) to provide guidelines for what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable use in course assignments and assessments and 2) to develop strategies to limit the risk of students violating those guidelines, such as flipped learning (Pratschke, 2024) and assessing process rather than product (Schulze, 2025a). GenAI has the potential to be a valuable partner to students in language classes but only if they use it to support rather than interfere with learning.
Learner training for AI. Closely tied to the setting of guidelines for what constitutes acceptable use of GenAI is the training of learners in that acceptable use. And beyond just acceptable use, teachers can train learners in effective use so that the GenAI becomes a positive participant in language learning tasks without compromising the outcome (Wang & Stockwell, 2024). It is just as important for learners to become proficient in GenAI for their language learning as it is for teachers, a point that has been made for technology more generally in language learning (see e.g., Hubbard, 2013; Lai & Lin, 2012). Learner peers can be helpful as well in this process through sharing relevant strategies.
Awareness of functionalities of general vs. targeted GenAIs. Much of our discussion here has revolved around general purpose GenAI applications like ChatGPT or Gemini, but it is also common to find applications that embed GenAI, often using a smaller language model. Godwin-Jones (2023) notes that creating these has become more accessible since descriptions of the desired functions of a “narrow app” can now be done by prompting in plain language rather than needing programming skills. He cites the example of Lan and Chen (2024), who reported on a project where they created a dedicated GenAI tutor to support learners’ story writing. As using such apps often involves the same privacy and safety considerations as the general GenAI apps, it is important for teachers to be aware of what underlies these narrow apps and how user data is treated.
Awareness and control of other forms of AI. As we noted earlier, GenAI is the most visible AI at the moment, but there are other AI implementations relevant for language learning. It is easy in some instances to distinguish GenAI from other forms of AI when using branded GenAI apps like ChatGPT or Gemini. In other cases, the form is not clear. Automatic Writing Evaluation, for instance, relied on other types of AI well before the appearance of GenAI (Lu, 2019). Also, the same type of AI applications that are used to create individual user models for personalized recommendations by streaming services like Netflix and online shopping sites like Amazon have the potential to personalize language instruction as well through student modeling.

We proposed 10 key areas for teachers to develop foundational knowledge and skills in as soon as possible so that they can make informed decisions regarding GenAI use in their teaching contexts. We have not provided details of either the precise level of knowledge and skills, nor information beyond a few examples of where and how to gain that knowledge and skills. Those decisions need to be contextualized and consider what a teacher already knows and can do. However, a useful informal rubric for a teacher might be “How well can I explain what GenAI is with respect to the preceding 10 key areas to another teacher or to my students?” Giving these explanations to students is an excellent example of a teachable moment, and helping colleagues with GenAI is exemplary collaborative professional development.

References

Banks, D. C. (2023, May 18). ChatGPT caught NYC schools off guard. Now, we’re determined to embrace its potential. Chalkbeat. https://www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2023/5/18/23727942/chatgpt-nyc-schools-david-banks/

Chun, J. Y., & Barley, N. (2024). A comparative analysis of multiple-choice questions: ChatGPT-generated items vs. human-developed items. In C. A. Chapelle, G. H. Beckett, & J. Ranalli (Eds.), Exploring artificial intelligence in applied linguistics (pp. 118–136). Iowa State University Digital Press. https://doi.org/10.31274/isudp.2024.154.08

Coniam, D. (2008). Evaluating the language resources of chatbots for their potential in English as a second language. ReCALL, 20(1), 98–116. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0958344008000719

Godwin-Jones, R. (2023). Emerging spaces for language learning: AI bots, ambient intelligence, and the metaverse. Language Learning & Technology, 27(2), 6–27. https://doi.org/10125/73585

Heaps, T. (2024). Generative artificial intelligence: Practical uses in education. Open Education Manitoba. https://pressbooks.openedmb.ca/aiineducation/chapter/writing-and-refining-prompts/

Huang, F. & Zou, B. (2024). English speaking with artificial intelligence (AI): The roles of enjoyment, willingness to communicate with AI, and innovativeness. Computers in Human Behaviour. 159. 108355.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2024.108355

Hubbard, P. (2013). Making a case for learner training in technology-enhanced language learning environments. CALICO Journal, 30(2), 163–178. https://doi.org/10.11139/cj.30.2.163-178

Lai, C., & Lin, X. (2012). Strategy training in a task-based language classroom. The Language Learning Journal, 43(1), 20–40. https://doi.org/10.1080/09571736.2012.681794

Lan, Y. J., & Chen, N. S. (2024). Teachers’ agency in the era of LLM and generative AI. Educational Technology & Society, 27(1), I–XVIII.

Lu, X. (2019). An empirical study on the artificial intelligence writing evaluation system in China CET. Big Data, 7(2), 121–129.

Mittal, U., Sai, S., Chamola, V., & Sangwan, D. (2024). A comprehensive review on generative AI for education. IEEE Access, 12, 142733–142759. https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2024.3468368

Ohashi, L. (2024). AI in language education: The impact of machine translation and ChatGPT. In P. Ilic, I. Casebourne, & R. Wegerif (Eds.), Artificial intelligence in education: The intersection of technology and pedagogy (pp. 289–311). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-71232-6_13

Pratschke, B. M. (2024). Generative AI and education: Digital pedagogies, teaching innovation and learning design. Springer Nature.

Schulze, Mathias (2025). The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on CALL pedagogies. In Lee McCallum & Dara Tafazoli (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Computer-Assisted Language Learning. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51447-0_7-1.

Wang, C., Zou, B., Du, Y., Wang, Z. (2024) The impact of different conversational generative AI chatbots on EFL learners: An analysis of willingness to communicate, foreign language speaking anxiety, and self-perceived communicative competence, System, 127,103533. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2024.103533

Wang, Y., & Stockwell, G. (2024). Training to use machine translation for vocabulary learning. In M.F. Teng, A. Kukulska-Hulme, J.G. Wu (Eds.) Theory and practice in vocabulary research in digital environments (pp. 132-153). Routledge.

Zou, B., Wang, C., Yan, Y., Du, X., & Ji, Y. (2024). Exploring English as a foreign language learners’ adoption and utilisation of ChatGPT for speaking practice through an extended Technology Acceptance Model. International Journal of Applied Linguistics (pp. 1-16). https://doi.org/10.1111/ijal.12658

What teachers need to know now about GenAI

We begin by reviewing four frameworks covering teacher competencies for AI and GenAI in education as a whole – UNESCO (2024), Educause (2024), ISTE (2024), and Paradox Learning (2023, 2025).

This is part of a draft of an article I wrote with Phil Hubbard. He was the main writer of this part. In this paper, we are proposing a way in which teachers can organize their own professional development (PD) in the context of the rapid expansion of Generative AI.
We call this PD sustained integrated PD (GenAI-SIPD). Sustained because it is continuous and respectful of the other responsibilities and commitments teachers have; integrated because the PD activities are an integral part of what teachers do anyway; the teacher retains control of the PD process.

UNESCO (2024). The UNESCO AI Competency Framework for Teachers begins with a chapter motivating the need for AI skills and knowledge and showing alignment with the more general UNESCO ICT Competency for Teachers Framework. The document covers six key principles, the organizational structure of the framework, and specifications for the three levels of teacher competency. The six key principles are based on humanistic considerations: 1) ensuring inclusive digital futures, 2) a human-centered approach to AI, 3) protecting teachers’ rights and redefining roles, 4) promoting trustworthy and environmentally sustainable AI, 5) ensuring applicability to all teachers, and 6) lifelong professional learning for teachers. The document also includes suggested implementation strategies and highlights the importance of adjusting the framework to fit local contexts.

The first of the three levels of teacher competency is Acquire. UNESCO states “The overall curricular goal in the ‘Acquire’ level is to support all teachers to reach a basic level of AI competency or literacy required by the teaching profession across varied contexts” (p. 28). Regarding the second level, Deepen, “The overall curricular goal in the ‘Deepen’ level is to support teachers to become fully competent teachers or master teachers in using AI” (p. 33). And for the third level, Create, “The curricular goal at the ‘Create’ level is to empower teachers who have sound AI knowledge and competency to become expert teachers and agents of change” (p. 38).

Educause (2024). Educause, an association of over 2,100 member organizations, describe themselves as ”a nonprofit association whose mission is to lead the way, advancing the strategic use of technology and data to further the promise of higher education” (https://www.educause.edu/about). They have produced what they call a “durable framework” for AI literacy in teaching and learning, with separate competencies for students, faculty, and staff. The faculty competencies are divided into technical understanding, evaluative skills, practical application, and ethical considerations.

The technical understanding competency begins with Fundamentals of AI: “Faculty must grasp the core principles of AI, including machine learning, natural language processing, and neural networks. This foundational knowledge is crucial for understanding how AI operates and what its potential applications are in various academic disciplines.” This is a particularly strong statement in that it moves beyond GenAI to the underlying principles of other AI applications. A second point to touch on here is “Integration into teaching” under the practical application category. The target competency here is presented as “Faculty should be encouraged to integrate AI tools into their daily teaching activities. This includes using AI to personalize learning experiences, manage course content, and assess AI-informed assignments.” There are other valuable suggestions in this document, though it should be emphasized that the target is university-level education, driven by goals of learning subject content rather than by achieving interactional proficiency, as is the case for much of language learning.

ISTE (2024). Widely considered a major leader in technology and education, ISTE has provided technology standards for teachers for decades. TESOL drew on ISTE standards in the development of their framework for English language teachers and learners (TESOL, 2008). We focus here on the ISTE white paper on AI (ISTE 2024). It offers a framework for updating teacher education programs, which they call “Educator Preparation Programs,” or EPPs. The goal of the framework is to provide guidance in rethinking and restructuring teacher preparation. Although not primarily concerned with in-service learning, ISTE’s AI EPP framework is also relevant for teacher educators and institutions that work with in-service teacher professional development.

The framework is built around three major elements “to guide EPPs in their journey to integrate AI competencies into their programs” (p. 1). The first element, Vision, challenges EPPs to evaluate current faculty and teacher candidate attitudes toward AI and tools in use, followed by developing both short and long-term objectives and a process for tracking progress and achievement. The second element, Strategy, includes deepening faculty understanding of GenAI and how it works, modeling GenAI skills for teacher candidates and providing a foundation in GenAI ethics. The third element, Support, covers the importance of each EPP developing a governance structure at the institutional level, “that addresses accountability mechanisms, transparency, application, ethics, and impact assessment, among other aspects” (p. 6). The framework document includes additional details and illustrative examples useful to language programs and teacher educators involved with in-service teachers rather than initial preparation. Other relevant resources from ISTE are available at https://iste.org/ai.

Paradox Learning (Lee, 2023; Lee, 2025). Paradox Learning is a private company providing elearning solutions and training with an emphasis on developing AI literacy for educational clients. They have created a number of AI resources for educators and made them available open access. Pratschke (2024) recommends one of these, AI Toolkit for Educators (Lee, 2023), and we briefly review it here. In the first part, Lee addresses the question of why to use AI in education, noting how it can be used to support students with resources, personalize learning, provide real-time monitoring and intervention, and aid faculty in administration, research, and teaching. The next part looks at AI tools for administrative and workflow automation, research, and teaching and learning. This is followed by a discussion of challenges and limitations of AI in six areas (e.g., unequal access), with a case study to illustrate each. The next and most innovative element of Lee (2023) is a seven-part framework for what she calls AI literacy (primarily GenAI but including other types), covering both teachers and learners: fundamentals of AI, data fluency, critical thinking and fact checking, common AI applications, AI ethics, AI pedagogy, and future of work.

An update of the AI literacy competencies appears in Lee (2025). The framework is similar to the 2023 AI Toolkit but replaces “common AI applications” with “diverse use cases” and adds an eighth category of “assessment”, clearly needed in the education sector. Like the UNESCO framework, it distinguishes three distinct levels of AI literacy competencies, which Lee labels explorer, integrator, and pioneer. For example, in the assessment category at the lowest “explorer” level, Lee proposes the following target competencies: “List commonly used AI tools for assessment. Describe AI assessment tools’ primary functions, such as automated scoring and personalized feedback. Describe the benefits and limitations of AI in assessments, including efficiency, scalability, and inclusivity” (p. 6).

Beyond these four sources for determining AI competencies in education, those interested in a more comprehensive overview of GenAI in education can turn to Pratschke (2024), Generative AI and Education: Digital Pedagogies, Teaching Innovation and Learning Design. An overview of AI issues for language teaching can be found in Edmett et al. (2024), Artificial intelligence and English language teaching: Preparing for the future. We recommend that teacher educators in particular become familiar with the content of these excellent resources.

As is clear from the preceding review, there is a great deal of overlap among AI competency frameworks in terms of the areas they recommend addressing, even though each is targeting a different population. All four point to the importance of knowing the fundamentals of what GenAI is and by extension what it is not. This suggests that teachers who simply jump in and use GenAI without that foundation face unnecessary challenges compared to those who have taken the time to build a basic understanding of GenAI and its range of functionalities for language learning.

As a first step for teachers, we recommend starting with an overview of GenAI to survey the range of issues and options. In addition to the information and insights in the first half of this paper and in the sources noted above, there are many others freely available online in text or video format that provide accessible surveys of GenAI for educational purposes. For example, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania has produced a five-part Introduction to AI for Teachers and Students that is particularly useful because teacher and student perspectives are considered together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9gmyvf7JYo.

References

Educause. (2024). AI literacy in teaching and learning: A durable framework for higher education. https://www.educause.edu/content/2024/ai-literacy-in-teaching-and-learning/faculty-altl

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2024). Evolving teacher education in an AI world. https://1818747.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/1818747/2024_ISTE_whitepaper_EvolvingTeacher_Ed_in_an_AI_World.pdf.

Lee, S. (2023). AI toolkit for educators. Paradox Learning. https://paradoxlearning.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/AI-Toolkit-for-Educators_v3.pdf

Lee, S. (2025). AI literacy framework for educators & learning professionals. Paradox Learning. https://paradoxlearning.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/AI-Literacy-Framework_updated_031325.pdf

UNESCO. (2024). AI competency framework for teachers. UNESCO Publishing. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000391104

Navigating change — the Panta Rhei enterprise

This post is a replica of the original home page. (The current home page of the site is simply set to the list of recent posts in reverse chronological order.) Just thought you might be interested what is behind this blog. If you are a regular reader, … it cannot always be about AI 😉

Welcome

Thank you for coming by. Is it the blog that got you interested? Were you googling Panta Rhei? Are you thinking a lot about complexity and change? Have a look ’round and feel free to get in touch.

Chris and Mat started this site and blog in late 2019. We both like writing, and talking, about the complexities and simplicities of life, about working in groups and leadership, and about learning and teaching both in the chaotic and the virtual worlds. We both have years of experience in language and communication, education and training, management and leadership. We wanted to share our ideas, our expertise, and our insight with a wider audience. Worth a try, we thought. A lot has happened since then … Both of us are working full time. And Chris started dedicating his time to narrating audio books. Mat had put more emphasis on my writing per se. Learning new things, joining writing groups and courses, …

So, what is happening here?

Years of learning, reading, listening, experiencing, doing, reflecting, leading, following, smiling, crying, talking, writing, … Then it was time to share, time for this site, time for this blog:

On what they call … Artificial Intelligence

For his PhD, Mat wrote – what he likes to call – a research prototype of a grammar checker for learners of German. He then went on to write several articles and a book about the nexus of language learning and AI. Still, when GenAI fell on all of us, he was surprised by the rapid change and the immense power for a while. Then he began to learn and … write. Most recent blog posts are on the topic in one way or another.

On the complexity of change

Most of nature is complex. Most of society is complex. Human behavior is complex. And, as the cliché has it, the only constant is change. And this change is not linear. Sometimes it seems we soar ahead, sometimes it feels like we walk ’round in circles, and sometimes we are taken for a ride. On a rollercoaster. It is this complexity of change that Mat has been exploring, on which he has been reflecting. One blog post at the time. Thinking about it, reading about it, writing about it, … Learning about Chaos Theory, Complexity Science, and Dynamic Systems Theory, he has been doing for more than 15 years. And if you count dialectic — we are going on forty …

RoLL: Research on language and learning

Mat is paying for his daily bread, his shelter, and for what he considers to be luxuries with language and learning and teaching. So, when he writes about language and learning, it often is also about complexity and change, about technologies and artificial intelligence.

The posts Chris wrote on the BASE model are also still available.

Get in Touch

Look around a bit more. Or why not join the growing group of people who follow the Panta Rhei Blog? [In case you are wondering, the relevant button is in the top-right corner of each page or underneath the text and comment box, if you are reading this on your phone.] If you are unsure about the idea of following, really all it means is that, when something gets posted, you will get an alert, if you are on WordPress, or an email with a link and summary, if you are not.

If you have any comments, suggestions, or questions, comment right on the page or post or send a quick email to mschulze7980@gmail.com. I live and work in Southern California. If you happen to be in the area and would like to meet, again an email is good.

Find the contact details and social media handles on a separate page.

Panta Rhei – everything flows and changes, and so does this site. Come back again to see what changed.

Wishing you a wonderful day.