With the rapid advancement of technology, education is undergoing a transformational change. Chatbots have become increasingly popular in recent years and are being utilized as teaching assistants to support teachers and students in various ways. However, little research has been done on the skills required by teachers to prepare curriculum content using chatbots. The research aims to identify the skills teachers need to prepare curriculum content with chatbots. It examines the fundamental and cognitive skills individuals need to interpret content generated by chatbots and explores the difference between self-assessment and evaluator-based assessment. Fifty-eight third-year students, pre-service teachers, in the Elementary education program attempted to write a lesson plan using ChatGPT and completed a questionnaire to assess the skills required. Their communication with the chatbot as well as their prepared lesson plans were reviewed by an evaluator who rated the skills of the participating pre-service teachers. Results indicate that pre-service teachers tend to overestimate their skills required to interpret chatbot-generated content compared to the evaluator's ratings. Such discrepancies could lead to inaccurate or incomplete assessments of their skills, which could hinder their potential for growth and development. Keywords: artificial intelligence, chatbots in education, cognitive skills, fundamental skills, lessons plan

In a sample of 1215 teachers, this study examined the readiness of science educators for assessment in the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence in education. Participants responded to an online questionnaire during the emergency remote teaching phase, offering insights into the frequency and nature of assessment methods utilized. The research draws a connection between assessment techniques during remote teaching and the emergence of AI in education. The results show that the selected assessment methods vary across teachers, with some specific differences observed in the assessment practices of science teachers. The study underscores the critical role of reading literacy in enhancing student engagement in contemporary learning environments. Moreover, the findings suggest that continuous professional development significantly improves the readiness of (science) teachers for AI-enhanced assessment. Drawing from these insights, recommendations for subsequent research are delineated. Keywords: artificial intelligence, assessment, reading literacy, science teachers, teacher training

Effective natural science teaching in primary schools helps students to form and change their conceptions about nature and natural processes. This is only possible through communicating about learners’ existing misconceptions and the process of transforming them into correct scientific concepts – using a socio-constructivist learning approach. The aim of this study was to find out what happens when the natural science teaching/learning process moves into digital learning environments. Immediately after the end of the Covid-induced school lock down, a sample of 183 first-, second- and third-grade teachers in Slovenia were asked to report about what happened in their science classes during the 11-week school lock down. The results reveal problems originating in very limited digital literacy competences as well as a lack of basic skills (in the first grade), and slowly emerging basic literacy in grades two and three. This had a great impact on the communication between teachers and students and between students themselves. According to research results, the problem significantly affects science teaching and is particularly urgent in didactics of chemistry and physics. Keywords: basic literacy, communication competence, digital literacy, primary school, science class, socio-constructivist learning approach

Learning environments and teaching methods have been constantly changing over the past decades. As the shift in the learning environment is primarily toward a physical to an online learning environment, this study examines how to enable younger students to select appropriate content for learning in digital learning environments that they can then successfully read and evaluate using appropriate strategies. The study is based on 54 in-depth case studies. Using the Internet reciprocal teaching method (IRT), 54 implementers trained 54 primary school students from first to fifth grade in basic computer skills, Internet information searching, and website navigation, as well as analysing data obtained using the TICA Phase 1, 2, and 3 Checklists, the implementers' report, and the children notes in a text editor. Triangulation of the data in combination with selected statistical methods shows that there are differences in the use of the method between students according to age. While the latter can use an unadopted form of the method, younger students need some adjustments, which are suggested in the light of previous research. Keywords: digital literacy, e-reading, primary school, internet reciprocal teaching, online learning