Pedagogical Co-Agency in the Age of Generative AI: From Chalkboard to ChatGPT

Abstract

Abstract.The rapid transition from chalkboard-centered instruction to generative artificial intelligence–supported learning environments marks not merely a technological shift, but an epistemological rupture in the history of education. This article critically interrogates the pedagogical, cognitive, and ethical implications of integrating large language models–particularly ChatGPT developed by OpenAI–into formal and informal learning contexts. Rather than adopting a celebratory or alarmist stance, the study positions generative AI as a transformative mediating artifact that reconfigures knowledge production, authorship, assessment, and academic integrity.Drawing upon socio-constructivist theory (Vygotsky), critical pedagogy (Freire), and postdigital educational frameworks (Jandrić), the paper develops a multi-layered conceptual model termed Pedagogical Co-Agency, which conceptualizes AI not as a tool or substitute teacher, but as a cognitive collaborator operating within dynamic human–machine assemblages. Through qualitative discourse analysis of policy documents, higher education syllabi, and classroom narratives across secondary and tertiary contexts, the study identifies three emergent paradigms: (1) algorithmic scaffolding, (2) distributed cognition, and (3) epistemic outsourcing. These paradigms illuminate both productive affordances – enhanced feedback loops, adaptive explanation, democratized access to expertise–and structural risks, including epistemic homogenization, shallow learning patterns, and the erosion of authorial responsibility.The findings suggest that the uncritical incorporation of generative AI into curricula accelerates what is termed cognitive automation dependency, a condition in which learners increasingly externalize metacognitive labor to algorithmic systems. However, when embedded within critically designed pedagogical frameworks emphasizing reflexivity, transparency, and dialogic engagement, AI-mediated learning can deepen conceptual understanding and foster higher-order thinking.

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