Exploring Teachers’ Insights about the Implementation of ChatGPT as an Assistant Tool in Lesson Planning.

Abstract

Developing an effective lesson plan in EFL settings is crucial for successful teaching and learning. Lesson planning poses challenges for EFL teachers due to lack of time and materials. This skill enables teachers to foster a more creative environment, raises their confidence and professionalism, makes well informed decisions, and increases learners’ motivation. The rapid advancement of technology has introduced artificial intelligence, namely ChatGPT, as a promising tool to support language teaching, particularly lesson planning. However, incorporating ChatGPT into planning EFL lessons demands careful examination to fully understand its potential, benefits, and challenges. The present study aims to explore teachers’ insights about the integration of ChatGPT as a scaffolding tool in lesson planning and seeks to determine its potential uses in enhancing lesson plans’ efficiency. To achieve these aims, the following questions arise: Are teachers familiar with AI tools like ChatGPT as assistant tools in lesson planning? What are EFL teachers’ perceptions towards implementing ChatGPT in creating lesson plans? How does the integration of ChatGPT improve lesson planning? What are the challenges EFL teachers may face when using ChatGPT? In order to answer these questions, a mixed methods research design is adopted. A structured questionnaire was administered to ninety-six teachers of secondary schools in Mila and Constantine, and a semi structured interview has been conducted with ten teachers of middle schools from the same regions. The results reveal valuable insights, perceptions and attitudes towards the implementation of ChatGPT as an assistant tool in lesson planning, as well as their agreement that it is regarded beneficial for articulating learning objectives, tailoring contextualized materials, designing assessments and activities, and, most importantly, as a time- saving tool.