Practical Tips for Teachers to Use AI

When it comes to using artificial intelligence at school, whether in the classroom or for more routine teacher tasks, some educators are all in, while others are fully opposed. And still others are probably curious about AI but aren't sure where to start. One thing is pretty clear: AI isn't going away anytime soon, so ignoring it isn't really an option! (If you don't understand what AI is or how it works, our training course AI Foundations for Educators is a great place to start.)

Using AI successfully in a school setting brings challenges and opportunities for both teachers and students. For example, AI-based plagiarism may already be a problem in your class or school. Or maybe you've toyed around with the technology but don't know what to try next, or you're not sure how to create prompts that get useful results. And then there are all those AI tools to evaluate!

No matter where you are on your AI journey, we have practical tips to address your most pressing concerns, as well as suggestions for especially useful functions. Below are some handy hacks to help you work with this evolving technology while prioritizing privacy and well-being.

Get Informed First

It's great to start by learning the basics about AI because it's definitely not a monolith. This technology has been around for quite a while in various forms, and it's likely that you already use it on a daily basis (in features like autocomplete and social media algorithms)! Consider using our training course AI Foundations for Educators to achieve foundational understanding. And below you'll find some other resources to help you understand the different types of AI a bit better. 

• Our AI literacy lesson collection has clear explanations of AI generally, chatbots, algorithms, and more. 
• Our in-depth AI product reviews offer a ton of information about popular AI platforms.
• AI Prompt Engineering for Responsible Digital Citizens: This recorded webinar provides an overview of AI prompt engineering to help teachers and students use AI ethically and purposefully.
• Bringing AI Literacy Lessons to Life: This recorded webinar provides an explanation of AI, its pros and cons, and an overview of our lessons.
• AI Unleashed: Vetting the Tools: This recorded webinar shares what to look for when selecting AI tools and also includes some of our top picks.
• Setting AI Expectations: Creating Clarity in Classrooms: This recorded webinar will help empower teachers to create clear expectations for students' AI usage.

Top-Line Tips

Now that you're informed, here are some foundational tips to ensure you're employing AI thoughtfully and effectively:

• Don't input personal information. No matter what type of generative AI you're using or how you're using it, do not include any personally identifiable information (PII) about yourself or your students.
• Use it for language tasks, ideas, explanations, and editing. Generative AI is most helpful as a thought partner, a starting place, and a distiller of information. It's not as reliable for research or fact-finding because it can make things up ("hallucinate").
• Keep in mind what you gain and what you lose. Depending on how you're using generative AI, you may save time brainstorming but lose the opportunity for true creativity. Similarly, you may get a quick summary but lose nuance, or draft efficiently but lose your authentic voice.
• Verify, specify, and clarify. Double-check the information you get for accuracy, refine your prompt until you get the output you need, and tell the bot how it can improve its response even further.
• Include reputable sources in your prompts. If you're using AI to ask for information, include some trustworthy sources so it pulls from those first. This isn't a guarantee that it won't hallucinate, so it's still best to verify, but it's a helpful starting point.
• Ask for citations (and make sure they're real). If you decide to use AI as a research tool, ask the bot to include citations, and then make sure they're real, reputable sources.

Create or Consult Your Policy

Without having any policies or systems in place, AI integration in schools is, at best, often fragmented and haphazard. At worst, it could be inequitable and misaligned with your classroom's or school district's goals. Our step-by-step toolkit can help you and your district create an AI policy with support for planning, decision-making, and implementation. In addition, check out the following resources:

• Our getting started guide provides a road map for school districts to move from initial AI exploration to structured policy implementation. 
• Our recorded webinar Navigating the AI Policy Landscape features school district leaders who share actionable insights to lead your school toward a future where AI enhances education responsibly and inclusively.
• AI Leadership in Action: Building Bridges Between Students, Staff, and Systems is a recorded webinar that explores how school and district leaders can take intentional, systems-level steps toward responsible and equitable AI integration. 

Prompt Engineering 101

Getting the most out of generative AI depends on what you put in. To quote our Outreach team, "It's a tool, not magic!" As the technology evolves, more and more chatbots are designed for specific purposes. But it's still helpful to have the basic skills to design and refine effective prompts. (Fun fact: Being polite to the bots can elicit better results!)

Here are two specific methods:

Role, purpose, specifics, sources, refinement:

• Role: Who is the chatbot portraying? A tutor? An editor? Starting with "What would a diverse group of (insert role here) advise/do…" prompts the bot to pull from sources with more diverse viewpoints, though it may not eliminate all biases.
• Purpose: What is the purpose of its task? To explain? To summarize?
• Specifics: How do you want to focus the output? For fifth graders? In bullet points?
• Sources: If you're doing research, ask for specific sources and fact-check them.
• Refine and correct: Continue with the same prompt, but ask for more clarification or point out errors. Did it give you what you need? If not, tell it how!
• Check out this huge library of prompts for specific educator purposes, courtesy of AI for Education.

POP prompt method

Similar to the method above, this one is from Jeremy Caplan of Wonder Tools:

• Persona: Give the bot a role to play, but ask for a "diverse group" to widen the sources the bot uses to respond.
• Objective: Define its purpose.
• Parameters: Give it very specific instructions about audience, delivery style, reading level, and more.

Educator-Specific AI Applications

What might you do with your prompt-engineering prowess? Always keeping PII in mind, there are lots of ways generative AI could assist you right now. Of course, the quality of results will vary, so remember to correct and refine prompts until you get what you need. And even if it's not spot-on, the output might at least spark an idea or save a bit of time. Below are just a handful of possibilities.

Data aggregation, summaries, and translations

Though AI can't fairly evaluate students or their work, it can help you digest and communicate that information by compiling and summarizing it. AI bots can also translate into different languages (though be aware there could be inaccuracies).

Thought partner

AI can be especially useful when you want to design a new lesson or spice up an old one. For example, if you need a fresh approach to teaching students about symbolism, ask your preferred bot for a list of fun ideas. An AI bot could also help assist you in reflecting on instructional dilemmas, overall curricular design, summarizing research, and more.

IEPs and personalized learning plans

Without inputting any personal student information (even first names, which can invite bias), you can set parameters to help with the rote elements of drafting IEPs or other personalized learning plans. 

Differentiated and individualized lessons or practice materials

Tools like Diffit are designed to help educators create differentiated lessons and materials based on students' reading levels. AI tools can also help you differentiate for multimodal accessibility based on students' visual and auditory needs. You can also use a student's interests and specific learning challenges to create personalized materials. For example, "Explain basic fractions using elements from soccer to help a fifth grade student struggling with numerators and denominators."

Scaffolded creative projects for students

By clearly defining how students can use AI, you can specify that it's OK to use AI for activities like prewriting, forming an argument, or developing essay structure.

Parent and caregiver communication

Consider using an AI bot to help you save time by drafting clear, straightforward communications for parents and caregivers. In addition, translation tools can help you connect with diverse learners' guardians.

Sub plans

Being out of the classroom no longer has to result in more work and stress than showing up to do your job! Use AI to create substitute teacher plans when you're in a pinch or need a coherent set of simple instructions for multiple days at a time.

In-class applications

Below is just a small handful of options, but check out the linked prompt libraries for ideas from other educators. Pairing any student use with AI literacy is definitely recommended!

• Have a live debate with a bot using student input.
• Prompt-engineer historical figures or characters to chat with.
• Have students fact-check or critique AI outputs.
• Challenge students to engineer prompts for specific purposes—a process that uses executive functioning and literacy skills.
• Check out this prompt library from AI in Education that covers a variety of different purposes.

Evaluating AI Tools

Concerns about privacy and plagiarism sometimes keep schools from fully adopting the use of AI tools, but tech leads and individual educators have started to experiment. So as edtech companies jump on the AI bandwagon, how can you tell if any of these tools are worth your time? To get the full picture, watch this webinar or review the slides from the presentation. And you can check out our assessment of AI Teacher Assistants.

Here are some more top-level guidelines:

• Privacy and safety: Most AI tools aren't designed with kids in mind and require users to be at least 13 (or have parent permission). However, some AI tools are designed for the classroom (or have potential uses for the classroom), but make sure they comply with your school or district's AI and privacy policies.
• Pedagogy: Student-centered, collaborative experiences that integrate AI in truly meaningful ways are best. Building off of your adopted, vetted curriculum can help ensure that materials are of high quality and aligned with learning goals.
• Engagement: The most engaging tools are usually challenging but adaptable, visually appealing, and intuitive. Ones that feel relevant also tend to motivate students.
• Support: Onboarding, hints, FAQs, progress tracking, integrations, learning extensions, and varied language/differentiation possibilities are useful features.
• Bias and equity: Being accessible at home (if necessary) by all, with outputs that are accurate and don't exhibit bias, is another important consideration.