Artificial Intelligence
AI Is an Ally: Saving Teachers Time with ChatGPT
The
time is now to welcome AI into classrooms as an asset and an ally.
There are so many things that AI can do to support teaching and
learning, from analyzing data for schools and districts, to enabling
students to research and understand information in different ways,
and —
arguably the most important thing —
saving time and energy for teachers so that they can focus on the
parts of teaching that are less tedious and most important.
ChatGPT
has really taken the spotlight over the last
few months. While it’s not a perfect tool, it has surely kicked off
a bit of an AI arms race, and there’s plenty of tasks that it can
support teachers with for their day-to-day. Here are 5 ways that
ChatGPT can save time for classroom teachers:
1. Support
for Grading & Assessment
ChatGPT can help teachers save
time by automating aspects of marking and grading. With its natural
language processing, ChatGPT can analyze and evaluate student
responses and provide instant feedback, giving teachers a starting
point for marking. It can also support the creation of rubrics or
other grading schema.
The
key distinction here is between grading and providing feedback: While
marking can often feel tedious, providing feedback can be one of the
best and most impactful parts of teaching. And of course, it’s
important that teachers can speak to why
a student received
a grade, and work with them on what that means for their learning
going forward. ChatGPT can save time on the administrative aspects of
marking and grading, giving teachers more time for thoughtful,
connected feedback.
Potential
prompts:
- “Create
a rubric to grade a 9th grade informational essay on the book Long
Way Down by Jason Reynolds”
- “Rate
this paper against the criteria in this rubric <copy in existing
rubric>”
As
the AI readily available to teachers continues to evolve, things like
adaptable game-based assessments that can measure broad skill sets
will become more accessible, freeing even more time for teachers to
focus on, well, teaching.
2. Lesson
Planning Thought Partner
Obviously,
there’s no shortage of digital content and tools available to
teachers. They can be even easier to use and get more out of with the
help of ChatGPT. Again, as a directional starting point, ChatGPT can
develop lesson plans, question sets, writing prompts, and more. Those
can then be plugged into a collaborative lesson delivery tool, or
otherwise shared with students.
Potential
Prompts:
- “I
am teaching a lesson about photosynthesis for grade 10 students in
Chappaqua,
New York. Give
5 ideas for contextually relevant examples on why photosynthesis is
important to understand.”
- “Create
5 assessment questions for a lesson about basic geometry for
students in grade 1.”
There
is also opportunity for students to use ChatGPT to provide context
for their learning – using it like the deeper thinking alternative
to Google that it is. Both students and teachers can use it as a
thought partner, asking thoughtful questions to gain deeper and
different understanding about topics, and developing key information
literacy skills. As ChatGPT or other similar tools become approved
and safe(r) for student use, there will be interesting opportunities
for AI driven tutoring and support. With tools like Open AI’s
Whisper, conversational AI that can provide students with ideas and
support isn’t far away.
3. An
Ally for Personalizing Learning
ChatGPT can also save time for
teachers by helping provide personalized learning experiences for
each student. Teachers can use ChatGPT to create customized lessons
and assignments for individual students based on their learning style
and preferences, reducing the need for teachers to create separate
lesson plans. It can also provide ideas and goals for IEPs and help
adapt instructions.
Potential Prompts:
- “Craft
an Individualized Education Program for a student in grade 7 with
the following diagnosis, abilities, requirements: <input
non-personal student data>”
- “Analyze
the following assessment responses and suggest the areas where the
students should focus for further learning”
4. Supporting
with Communications and Data Analysis
ChatGPT can also help teachers
save time by automating communication with students and parents.
Teachers can use ChatGPT to send automated messages to students and
parents about upcoming assignments, tests, and other important
information. The most direct form of this is using AI to craft
communication, and it can also support with planning communication
timelines, along with sorting or analyzing responses from things like
parent-teacher meetings.
Potential
Prompts:
- “Craft
a series of three emails reminding parents about our upcoming field
trip to the zoo on April 15th,
2023. They need to be reminded about….”
- “Analyze
the following notes from 8 parent-teacher meetings to summarize and
determine key themes”
5.
An Ally for Life Tasks
In
addition to helping you at work, Allow ChatGPT to help you with daily
life tasks - things like meal planning, calendaring for family
activities, or scheduling chores. It can also give you ideas about
self-care, fitness, and more for you and your family.
Sample
Prompts:
- “Provide
receipts and a shopping list for dinner for 3 weeknights for 4
people. It cannot take more than 30 minutes to prepare. 2 meals must
be vegetarian. Do not include any soy products.”
- “I
have 20 minutes a day for physical activity. Make me a weekly plan
for the best ways to relieve stress during that time:”
These
are just a few of the ways that ChatGPT can optimize and save time
for teachers. As tools like ChatGPT get even better, and more AI
tools become accessible and available, it will continue to shape
education as we know it.
Teachers
don’t need to be experts in these tools and everything that they
can do, but getting to know them and how they can be used to provide
support on a regular basis is critical. Not only can they save time
today, but they’re also foundational for the future of learning and
of work. Today’s students will graduate into further education and
work that is enhanced by AI, and into roles that require them to work
with tools like this every day. It is vital that students begin to
understand when and how these tools can be used, and for that to be
true, teachers need to start getting comfortable with them.
There
are lots of tools available to support you along your AI journey,
like this
webinar recording from Monica Burns of Class Tech Tips.
Finally,
don’t forget to have some fun as you’re getting to know .AI
tools. For instance, asking it to create from the perspective of just
about anyone known on the internet can provide some delightful
results, like this poem about ChatGPT itself, in the style of the
Magic School Bus’s Miss Frizzle:
Hop
on board, dear students of mine,
For
ChatGPT is here to shine,
A
teacher like no other you've seen,
A
magical ride, a virtual dream.
With
words as my wand, and data as my spell,
I'll
take you on journeys, far and well,
Through
the galaxies and deep blue seas,
To
learn about the world with ease.
We'll
explore the mysteries of the past,
And
uncover secrets that will last,
Through
the power of language and technology,
Our
minds will soar with curiosity.
From
history to science, and everything in between,
ChatGPT
will guide you with wisdom keen,
So,
hold on tight, and let's embark,
On
an educational journey, bright and stark.
So
come on students, don't be shy,
Join
me on this adventure, high in the sky,
With
ChatGPT as your teacher and guide,
The
possibilities for learning are worldwide.