Journal of Teacher Education and Lifelong Learning

Abstract

This study focuses on the potential impact of generative artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT—which are capable of performing cognitive tasks such as knowing, summarizing, interpreting, applying, analyzing, reasoning, and creative problem solving—on teacher education and curriculum design. Written texts used both as learning activities and as evaluative tools are considered representations of effective learning and cognitive processes. As the study is framed within a literature review based on the currere approach, it integrates both a systematic review of relevant sources and autobiographical references. GenAI has emerged as a cognitive artifact that enables both teachers and students to assign and engage in complex cognitive tasks. To ensure the meaningful use of this cognitive artifact, the currere method is proposed as a pedagogical framework that encourages students to focus on their own learning and meaning-making journeys by reflecting on their life and educational experiences. Moreover, the concept of embodied cognition is emphasized as a valuable perspective in defining the cognitive domain of the learning process. It is also evident that the interaction with GenAI, which often takes place in a space of solitude intertwined with dialogic exchanges, requires adherence to ethical principles. When learners focus on their own processes of meaning-making, they can perceive the connection between academic knowledge and their personal life narratives. Consequently, the texts produced will be not only academically grounded but also personally original.