Abstract
This paper focuses on the data gathered from an exploratory, qualitative study which focuses on the experiences of secondary ELA teachers and their beliefs about writing and the teaching of writing during the early years of easy-access generative-AI. It also seeks to develop a better understanding of secondary ELA teachers’ AI literacy and related Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge. The sequential study began in 2024 with a survey and extended into 2025 with additional interviews. The research questions are: “How do secondary ELA teachers understand the teaching of writing in the context of Large Language Model- based (LLM) generative AI (e.g. ChatGPT)?” and “What does research data reveal about secondary ELA teachers’ AI literacy and its impact on their AI-specific Technological and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK)?” These questions frame the survey and interview questions, eliciting responses that allow for better understanding of how new generative AI technologies are transforming their classrooms and pedagogical practices. Early data analysis suggests that the focus ELA teachers strongly lean into discourses of writing that emphasize its purpose as an essential communicative skill, as well as writing as a tool for thinking. Teaching writing with these core beliefs becomes uniquely challenging when teachers and students have access to controversial tools like ChatGPT, which are both lauded and damned in educational spaces. This study presents findings from both phases of the study, and will engage participants in dialogue about their experiences teaching writing alongside of— or in spite of— LLM generative AI such as ChatGPT.
Presenters
Michelle RateringStudent, The Joint Program in English and Education, The University of Michigan, Michigan, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
New Digital Institutions and Spaces
KEYWORDS
Social Transformations, Pedagogical Shifts, LLM Generative AI, Writing Pedagogy, SecELA
