Artificial intelligence integration in TESOL teacher education: Promoting a critical lens guided by TPACK and SAMR

As generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) transforms language education, teacher educators are uniquely positioned to equip teachers with the skills to engage with artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Although AI offers opportunities for automating tasks and personalizing learning, educators must ensure these tools align with pedagogical integrity, equity, and social justice. This Teaching Issue article explores AI integration in TESOL teacher education using the Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) and the Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition (SAMR) models. The TPACK model provides a lens for understanding the interplay of technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge, whereas the SAMR model evaluates the transformative potential of AI tools. Through these frameworks, we show how TESOL teacher educators can address AI's critical sociopolitical, ethical, and cultural dimensions in TESOL. Focusing on issues such as bias in feedback, equity in access, and cultural representation, we also provide a roadmap for integrating AI into TESOL teacher education in ways that promote equity and social justice. Copyright © 2025 The Author(s).