Generative AI Empowers Smart Teaching of Children's Literature: Practice and Exploration

Children's Literature is a cornerstone of primary education, playing a crucial role in building a strong foundation for language arts and fostering cultural literacy among aspiring teachers. The curriculum standards emphasize the selection of themes reflecting children's lives, encouraging imaginative reading, appreciation of childlike language, and the development of creative expression through writing and illustration. This foundational importance underscores the need for innovative teaching methods that can effectively engage students and cultivate their literary and creative capacities.

Recent research indicates a growing interest in leveraging AI for educational reform. Studies have explored AI-driven inquiry-based smart teaching, the integration of AI in art and design education, and the use of AI in smart classrooms for foundational courses. While many studies focus on specific disciplines, their findings on personalized learning, enhanced creativity, and interactive experiences offer valuable insights for Children's Literature instruction. International perspectives also highlight the importance of sustainable AI in teaching. This body of work provides a theoretical and practical foundation for investigating the application of generative AI in Children's Literature.

The initial phase of the experiment, conducted at the beginning of the semester, focuses on empowering students to design lesson plans using AI tools. Students are tasked with selecting an AI tool (e.g., ChatGPT, Wenxin Yiyan, Zhipu Qingyan, Kimi, Xunfei Spark) and, in conjunction with the "Curriculum Standards for Compulsory Education (2022 Edition)," create a lesson plan for a "fairy tale" based on the "Six-Foot Alley" story. This task includes a multiple-choice question to assess understanding of curriculum standards and a practical component requiring students to generate and refine a lesson plan with AI assistance. The objective is to bridge theoretical knowledge with practical AI application skills, fostering critical thinking and adaptability in future educators.

The final phase of the experiment, conducted at the end of the semester, involves students creating AI-powered virtual digital humans based on the "Six-Foot Alley" narrative. This task is framed within the "post-course-competition-certificate" integrated education model, emphasizing the development of digital creation abilities relevant to the cultural and creative industries. Students collaborate to design and animate digital humans, aiming to creatively present the cultural connotations of the "Six-Foot Alley" story. This activity enhances students' practical skills, teamwork, communication, and problem-solving abilities, preparing them for future career challenges in digital content creation and cultural heritage dissemination.

A qualitative and quantitative analysis was conducted on 48 AI-assisted lesson plans submitted through the Chaoxing Learning platform. The analysis focused on structural elements, teaching methods, and teaching media. Findings revealed high coverage of AI course introduction design, generative content explanation, and personalized homework assignment. The study identified the frequency of various teaching methods, with reading and discussion methods showing significant positive correlations with student comprehension and thinking skills. AI-assisted lesson plans incorporated diverse teaching methods and multimedia technologies, enhancing engagement and catering to varied learning needs. The analysis also assessed the reasonableness of AI-generated lesson plans and their effectiveness in facilitating timely feedback and adjustments.

On-site observations were conducted during teaching demonstrations in real or simulated environments, focusing on teachers' use of AI-assisted lesson plans. The observations revealed a tendency for teachers to over-rely on AI-generated text, with some exhibiting "reading from script" behavior. While many teachers demonstrated flexibility and incorporated interactive elements, some interactions felt forced. A common issue was the insufficient "secondary processing" of AI-generated content, leading to a direct transfer of material without adequate adaptation. This highlights the need for teachers to develop greater autonomy and flexibility when integrating AI tools into their teaching practice, particularly in engaging introductory segments.

This study concludes that generative AI tools significantly enhance the efficiency and quality of smart teaching in Children's Literature, fostering greater student interest and participation through personalized content and interactive experiences. AI assists in lesson plan creation, content delivery, and student data analysis, leading to improved learning outcomes and the development of critical thinking and innovation skills. Despite the positive findings, limitations such as sample size and testing duration exist. Future research should expand sample diversity, explore the integration of AI with other educational technologies (VR/AR), and address ethical and privacy concerns to ensure AI serves as a responsible and effective tool in education, promoting the development of students' literary competence and overall well-being.