DEVELOPING LESSON PLANNING COMPETENCE THROUGH DIGITAL LITERACY IN TEACHER EDUCATION

Abstract

This research examines the role of digital literacy in enhancing pre service teacher's lesson planning competence in the Department of Education, University of Narowal. The development of lesson planning skills to prepare teachers can be transformed with digital literacy integration in teacher education. It can enhance the quality, structure and engagement of lesson plans.  This study aimed to find out how the planning, pedagogical decision making and professional confidence of pre service teachers is enhanced by digital literacies. A qualitative research design was implemented through semi-structured interviews with fifteen purposively selected final-year pre-service teachers of teacher education. After reviewing the participants’ experiences, courses related to education technology and lesson planning, the participants were chosen. The thematic analysis method aided in the assessment of the interview data which highlighted the relationship between digital literacy and quality lesson planning competencies. The study shows, the digital literacy significantly improves lesson planning competence through three dimensions. It first enhances the pedagogical structure of lessons and assists in the alignment of objectives, activities and assessment and diversifies access to resources designed for teaching. Secondly, it helps to strengthen pedagogical decisions in which teachers then can choose the appropriate teaching strategy to use and accommodate the diverse needs of learners. Thirdly, it boosts professionalism confidence, equipping pre service teachers for contemporary classroom issues and promoting efficacy. This study has contributed vital insights which shed light on the role of digital literacy in teacher education. The results indicate that the implementation of technology into lesson planning training improves pedagogical and professional competencies