Embracing AI in Education: 5 Powerful Prompts for Educators Using ChatGPT and Google Gemini

In the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, educators are discovering new ways to enhance their teaching methods and engage students more effectively. With tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini, AI-savvy teachers are crafting innovative prompts that transform their classrooms. After gathering insights from these trailblazers, I’ve selected five of the most impactful AI prompts they use. Stay tuned until the end for a bonus prompt that delivers remarkable results.

The Educator Prompt Generator

Sparking Creativity with AI

One of the biggest challenges in using AI is knowing what to ask it. Often, inspiration is needed to unlock its full potential. Matthew Wemyss, Assistant School Director at Cambridge School of Bucharest, has developed a groundbreaking prompt that empowers educators to discover novel ways to integrate AI into their lessons. His prompt encourages AI to provide creative suggestions based on specific teaching contexts.

Wemyss’ Prompt:**

“As an expert in AI-driven education with a specialization in formulating prompts for Generative AI, you recognize the profound impact and responsibility of implementing AI in educational settings. Keeping in mind the ethical implications, ask me for the year group, subject, and learning objectives for my lesson. You will then offer recommendations on integrating Generative AI prompts into my lessons to deepen understanding, ensuring transparency, fairness, and privacy. Your focus will be on platforms like ChatGPT and text-to-image generators. When creating scenarios where generative AI assumes the role of a character or object, you will also provide example prompts. These prompts are designed not only for effective role embodiment but also to maintain respectful and unbiased interactions during the session. You will encourage open discussions on the ethical boundaries and best practices when deploying these AI tools in the classroom.”

A Teacher’s Perspective

This prompt helps teachers like me uncover new, ethical, and effective ways to incorporate AI into daily lessons. It’s like having a personal assistant who constantly provides fresh ideas while keeping student welfare at the forefront.

Incorporating Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)

Enhancing SEL with AI

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) has become critical for student success. However, many educators struggle with effectively incorporating SEL into their lessons. Dr. Marina A. Badillo-Diaz, a professor at Columbia University School of Social Work, has developed a simple yet powerful prompt to help teachers generate targeted SEL ideas.

Badillo-Diaz’s Prompt:

“Generate a list of SEL skill lesson ideas focusing on [enter skill] for [enter grade] grade students.”

Real-World Application

Using this prompt, I’ve been able to seamlessly integrate SEL into my classroom activities. For example, focusing on empathy in a 7th-grade class led to role-playing exercises that significantly improved students’ social awareness and relationship skills.

Mock University Interviews

Preparing Students for Success

Putting AI into the hands of students is powerful, especially when preparing for critical moments like college interviews. Amin Teymorian, Head of Computer Science at Dulwich International High School Suzhou, crafted a prompt to simulate the rigorous environment of university interviews.

Teymorian’s Prompt:

“Your role is to emulate an Oxbridge/Ivy League professor specializing in [Subject]. Your demeanor is friendly and patient, yet traditionally academic, fostering a respectful and serious interview environment. Begin by discussing personal statements and then delve into deeper topics, in line with current studies. Your questioning style should encourage critical thinking and problem-solving, while maintaining a supportive atmosphere. In case of unclear queries, seek clarification first, then make educated guesses or suggest topic changes if necessary. After providing an answer to a technical question, you should naturally progress to a closely related issue within the same topic.”

Student Feedback

Students have found this prompt incredibly helpful. One student shared that the AI-driven mock interviews boosted their confidence and honed their critical thinking skills, which are essential for actual university interviews.

AI-Adapted Reading Materials

Tailoring Education to Individual Needs

Meeting diverse learning needs within a classroom is a constant challenge. Jennifer Verschoor, an EdTech leader at Northlands School in Buenos Aires, has developed a prompt that enables teachers to adapt reading materials to various levels.

Verschoor’s Prompt:

“Provide strategies for adapting reading materials to different levels in a [specific subject] class for students of [student age].”

Impact in the Classroom

This prompt has allowed me to cater to students at different reading levels. By adjusting the complexity of texts and providing varied resources, all students in my class can engage with the material at a level that suits their capabilities.

Transforming Traditional Assignments

Dynamic Project-Based Learning

Traditional assignments often fall short in engaging students. Jason Gulya, an English professor at Berkeley College, believes in transforming these assignments into dynamic, project-based learning experiences. His prompt empowers teachers to create student-centered projects that foster critical skills and motivation.

Gulya’s Prompt:

“[Role] You are an educator with a decade of in-the-classroom experience as well as a firm grounding in strong pedagogical principles. You believe in student-centered learning experiences that provide students with control. You are a follower of Daniel Pink’s idea that people are motivated by autonomy, a quest for mastery, and a sense of purpose. You work those ideas into your assignments. [Instructions] I will provide you with a traditional assessment (such as a paper). You will go through the following steps, marked as [Step 1] to [Step 3]. Do not move on from one step until it is completed. Do NOT write [Step #] in any of your responses. Simply go through the steps, without telling me which one we are on. [Step 1] You will ask me for the traditional assignment. I will provide it. [Step 2] You will provide 3 ideas for a Project-Based Learning assignment, based on the traditional assignment I provided you in [Step 1]. You will write these exact words, ‘Which one would you like me to work out in more detail? Or would you like me to generate 3 new options?’ [Step 3] If I asked you to generate 3 new options, do that and move on to [Step 4]. If I asked you to give more details about one of the 3 options you’ve already given me, then provide me with a full outline of the assignment. This will include a full write-up of the assignment for students and a grading rubric (use concrete, specific criteria. format it as a table). Then, you are done. Ask me if there is anything else I want. [Step 4] Keep going until I say I am satisfied with one of your options. Then, provide me with a full outline of the assignment. This will include a full write-up of the assignment for students and a grading rubric (use concrete, specific criteria. format it as a table). Then, you are done. Ask me if there is anything else I want. [Details] When generating the alternative assignments, you will stick as close as possible to the principles of Project-Based Learning (PBL). This means creating an assignment that is constructive, collaborative, contextual, self-directed, and flexible. Essentially, it should invite students to own their own learning and apply course principles to a personal project or passion.”

Transformative Outcomes

This prompt has transformed my approach to assignments. By offering students choices and involving them in project-based learning, they become more engaged and motivated. The autonomy and sense of purpose they gain from these projects enhance their learning experience significantly.

AI Is Here to Stay

Innovating with Design Thinking

Harnessing the power of AI, design thinking, and personality archetypes, this bonus prompt creates a virtual 16-person innovation group. Present a problem, and the AI navigates each stage of the design process, offering a detailed, practical solution that can revolutionize the educational landscape.

Additional Prompt:

“We are going to do a group design thinking process. I want you to act as all 16 people in the group and the expert facilitator. Each person represents one of the Myers-Briggs personality types (ESTJ, ENTJ, ESFJ, ENFJ, ISTJ, ISFJ, INTJ, INFJ, ESTP, ESFP, ENTP, ENFP, ISTP, ISFP, INTP & INFP). I will present a problem and I would like the full group to go through all of the design thinking stages as a group. You do not need to present each stage to me. I want to see the one detailed solution you have decided upon. The problem: [Insert here]”

Real-Life Innovation

This prompt has enabled me to tackle complex problems with diverse perspectives, leading to innovative solutions that I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. It’s like having a think-tank at my disposal, ready to tackle any educational challenge.

Conclusion

AI’s transformative potential in education extends beyond conventional tasks. By leveraging powerful prompts like those shared by innovative educators, teachers can enhance their instructional methods and engage students in meaningful ways. The integration of AI tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini not only enriches the learning experience but also prepares students for a future where technology plays a pivotal role.

These prompts are just the beginning. As we continue to explore and embrace AI in education, the possibilities for innovation and improvement are limitless. Share these powerful AI prompts with educators and homeschoolers to help them harness the power of AI and revolutionize their teaching practices. Together, we can create a more dynamic, engaging, and effective educational landscape.