“Hey, ChatGPT! Prepare Me a Lesson Plan …”: How EFL Teacher Candidates Enact AI-Generated Lesson Plans

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT are increasingly used in education for tasks like lesson planning, yet there is still limited understanding of how pre-service teachers work with and adapt AI-generated materials in real classroom settings. This study explores how English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teacher candidates in Türkiye mediated and reshaped ChatGPT-generated lesson plans during their teaching practicum. It draws on reflective writings from 30 final-year candidates and examines their experiences from the early planning stages through classroom implementation and later reflection. The findings show that AI supported the candidates by saving time and offering ideas, but its shortcomings, particularly when the content did not fit their specific teaching context, pushed them to think critically, make decisions, and assert their professional judgment. The considerable adjustments they made highlight the essential role of the teacher as an active mediator. The study proposes a practice-based model of teacher mediation and suggests that teacher education should focus on developing critical AI literacy and adaptive expertise rather than simply teaching technical skills.