I Trained an AI to Help Me With Lesson Planning, and Here Are the Resources We Made Together

Did you know that around 65% of teachers are wrestling with the challenges of managing their time effectively and keeping up with endless paperwork?

That's exactly why I decided to start Octoped.

We're on a mission to tackle this issue head-on with our innovative school community software.

Inspired by the rigorous NASA Technology Readiness Levels, we're currently at level 3, putting our hearts and minds into developing software that truly makes a difference.

But we're not stopping there.

I'm eager to show educators the incredible possibilities AI can bring to the classroom, even as we continue to build and refine our platform.

Imagine teaching without the long hours of sitting in front of a computer writing reports, marking, and lesson planning.

I'm a teacher, and I have been using Chat GPT every day since the 30th of November 2022.

When it first came out, I started contacting AI experts on LinkedIn and asking them the same question: "As someone who knows nothing about AI, what do I need to know?"

Over the coming weeks, I will share my findings and practical knowledge of using AI in education.

Context is key.

I've taught English as a second language for the last eight years, and I've been a reception and nursery teacher in international schools.

Honestly, I've always felt like there were not enough hours in the day. This was especially the case when I became a mother with a newborn baby and not much sleep.

So, I decided to work smarter not harder. I started dedicating my time to figuring out how to train an AI to help me.

I found that the best results came from incorporating storytelling techniques.

Program your robot brain by telling it who to be:

"Please take on the persona of an outstanding early years teacher in the UK. You follow the EYFS curriculum, and you incorporate mindfulness into your teaching resources and planning."

Then, give it an instruction. Think about what you need.

"Generate engaging quizzes, puzzles, and storytelling activities that assess the seven EYFS areas of learning for a professional UK teacher with QTS, targeting 4-5-year-olds' skills and understanding."

Once I played into my strengths and started using them to create educational resources, I truly experienced the power and potential of this revolutionary technology.

It's sort of like having a magical Jeanie that will give you any digital content you want. All you need to know is exactly what you want and how to ask for it.

AI is like a giant word puzzle.

Remember AI is imperfect.

It's your job to protect sensitive data, identify errors, and verify information.

You are the teacher, and it's your job to train and monitor the language model.

Yes, AI can teach you, but like any teacher, it can be wrong sometimes. Managing bias in language models is also important.

For example, if you ask MidJourney to imagine a picture of a CEO, it often generates an image of a man. This gender bias is just one of the many ways these systems are flawed.

That's why a hybrid approach is the most effective because you use your real-world knowledge and professional experience to train the AI and screen the results.

This balanced approach respects the role of traditional educators and complements a digital first approach to teaching.

Tip: If you are an educator and want to get some feedback but don't have access to a support network of outstanding teachers to help you on demand, then here's a way to quickly improve your work with Chat GPT.

"Take on the persona of a Headteacher at an outstanding school in the United Kingdom. They were recently assessed by OFSTED. A junior teacher has handed you this piece of work. To show her how to improve her work, you make some changes. Now, it's an outstanding weekly lesson plan. Congratulations! Now, please share the text with me below. {Here is the junior teacher's work: _____}"

I didn't use all suggestions that came from this process, but it's nice to check multiple ideas and choose your favourite.

Let's look at the content I have made with the prompt from step one of the Octoped Approach to personalising education: Assess Learning.

My objective here was not to create a detailed lesson plan but to quickly get some lovely activity ideas together in a visually appealing design. It's especially helpful with medium term plans and can even be shared with the parents for a collaborative educational experience.

I have always been that person with multicoloured glitter pens, and I'm not embarrassed to admit that my heart beats a little faster when I am in my favourite stationary shops.

I find that organising my ideas and tasks in a beautiful way improves my work.

You'll see the images reflect this, and I am happy to say it didn't take me long at all because I know a few tricks to link the data in Canva, which I will show you in my next article.

For now, here's what I made with Jackie, my personal AI assistant:

Communication and Language: Storytelling Circle

Engage in the Magical Storytelling Circle: Dive into a world of imagination with a mystery bag filled with intriguing small items. Each child embarks on a creative journey, drawing an object and weaving a unique story segment around it. This vibrant activity ignites the imagination, enriches vocabulary, and crafts unexpected, delightful narrative twists.

Quiz Challenge: Unearth the secrets of your chosen item. Imagine its past, its legendary owner, and uncover its hidden powers or mystical attributes.

Puzzle Adventure: Soundscape Exploration

Delve into an auditory mystery with the Soundscape Exploration. This puzzle mixes environmental and animal sounds, sharpening critical listening and distinguishing skills.

Observation Checkpoint:

• Engages in storytelling with interest
• Can recall part of the story
• Uses new vocabulary inspired by story objects
• Listens and responds to ideas expressed by others during the storytelling

Physical Development: Adventure Obstacle Course

Embark on the Adventure Obstacle Course: Transform your play area into a thrilling challenge, with tunnels, balance beams, and climbs. This adventure promotes gross motor skills, balance, and resilience, tailored to each adventurer's abilities.

Quiz Challenge: Discover the most effective movement for mastering the balance beam.

Dynamic Challenge: Movement Challenge

Imitate animal movements with the Dynamic Movement Challenge, enhancing coordination and understanding physical capabilities.

Observation Checkpoint:

• Navigates the course with coordination
• Shows understanding of need for safety
• Demonstrates balance and agility
• Participates in setting up and modifying the course

Personal, Social, and Emotional Development: Emotion Theatre

Participate in Emotion Theatre: Express and interpret a variety of emotions through role-play, enhancing emotional literacy and empathy in a supportive atmosphere.

Quiz Challenge: Show excitement without uttering a word.

Interactive Game: Emotional Match-Up

Match emotions to scenarios or expressions with Emotional Match-Up, fostering emotional recognition and empathy.

Observation Checkpoint:

• Recognises and names different emotions
• Expresses own feelings through role-play
• Shows empathy towards characters' emotions
• Collaborates with peers to create a scenario

Literacy: Interactive Story Journey

Navigate the Interactive Story Journey: Explore diverse story paths with digital storytelling tools, engaging actively in narrative adventures.

Quiz Challenge: Predict character X's response to challenge Y and justify your reasoning.

Literacy Quest: Alphabetical Adventure

Embark on a classroom-wide Alphabetical Adventure, seeking hidden letters and uncovering phonemic secrets together.

Observation Checkpoint

• Predicts the next part of the story
• Describes characters and setting using descriptive language
• Recognises familiar words and sounds
• Engages with digital storytelling tools or contributions in a guided scenario

Mathematics: Maths Explorer Club

Join the Maths Explorer Club: Solve real-life math mysteries around your school, integrating measurement and shape discovery into an outdoor adventure.

Quiz Challenge: Calculate the magical gems needed to unlock the treasure.

Geometric Quest: Shape Wizards

Construct 3D shapes with various materials, diving into spatial awareness and geometric wisdom.

Observation Checkpoint:

• Identifies numbers and counts in sequence
• Measures and compares using simple tools
• Recognises shapes in the environment
• Solves practical problems involving counting, adding, and subtracting

Understanding The World: Global Discovery Diaries

Embark on Eco Explorers: Venture through virtual field trips, unveiling diverse environments and cultures, sparking curiosity and expanding worldviews.

Quiz Challenge: Share insights from our virtual tour on life in a chosen country.

World Exploration: Global Journeys

Piece together the world map puzzle, exploring countries, cultures, and environmental wonders.

Observation Checkpoint:

• Talks about similarities and differences between life in different countries
• Shows curiosity about the natural world
• Uses technology to explore and discover
• Discusses environmental conservation and cultural diversity

Expressive Arts and Design: Orchestra of Imagination

Create with the Orchestra of Imagination: Experiment with making music, exploring rhythm, melody, and harmony together.

Quiz Challenge: Compose a melody that mimics the sound of rain.

Creative Space: Masterpiece Station

Unleash creativity at the Masterpiece Station, where diverse materials inspire painting, sculpting, and collage.

Observation Checkpoint:

• Creates simple musical patterns
• Explores different sounds and instruments
• Expresses feelings and experiences through music
• Works collaboratively to produce a piece of music

Community: Unity in Diversity Mural Project

Collaborate on the Unity in Diversity Mural: Celebrate community and diversity through a collaborative art project, integrating technology and collective spirit.

Quiz Challenge: How does our mural illustrate the message that everyone belongs?

Community Effort: Puzzle Challenge

Assemble the Community Puzzle, each piece a testament to diversity and teamwork, reflecting our shared narrative.

Observation Checkpoint:

• Contributes ideas for the mural
• Recognises the importance of teamwork in creating the mural
• Talks about what diversity means and how it is represented in the mural
• Uses digital tools to share and reflect on the mural project

I'm thinking about putting on a free webinar for teachers.

If you would like to learn some practical AI and Canva skills to save hours of time, then send me a message to let me know.

Thanks for reading!

Sophie Carr

Visit our website www.octoped.ai for more information about building school community software.