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changes and added some public domain clip art to complete the handout.
To follow up that handout, I created a prompt on ChatGPT that said: “Suggest a
rubric to be used to assess the following assignment.” I pasted the revised campaign
assignment wording directly below the opening request. Within seconds, the rubric
response was typed on the site. The rubric needed only minor changes in wording
and point distribution. I added greater point value to steps that required higher-level
thinking skills.
In less than 20 minutes, I finished both a handout asking 11th-graders to design Sheryl Hinman has
campaign items for the women’s suffrage movement and the rubric that could be used been a member of Alpha
to assess that project. My early experiments convinced me that teaching candidates Rho Chapter in Illinois
State Organization
could benefit from the detailed responses provided by AI responses. since 1977. She currently
serves as the chapter’s
Guided Practice for Teaching Candidates corresponding secretary
The methods course I teach concentrates on designing and adapting teaching and historian. For 39 years,
material to suit the needs of secondary-level learners. The 15 participants in my Hinman taught English in
spring class had little to no experience using the ChatGPT site. To introduce the District 205 (Galesburg,
potential of AI for education, I assigned the reading of A Teacher’s Prompt Guide to Illinois). Currently
a student teaching
ChatGPT (2023), an online publication by the New South Wales (NSW) Centre for supervisor and lecturer
Education Statistics and Evaluation. in educational studies at
Sample prompts align with the NSW strategies labeled “What Works Best.” Knox College in Galesburg,
Themes such as “high expectations,” “explicit teaching,” “effective feedback,” “use she has also worked as
of data to inform teaching,” and “assessment” are familiar to every educator. Under a presenter of various
each theme, the prompt guidebook offers easy-to-understand examples. history specialties such
as Women Spies of the
After reading the guidebook, teaching candidates quickly discovered the value Civil War.
of ChatGPT for strategy enhancement. For beginning teachers, some of the most
challenging steps involve pinpointing academic vocabulary, selecting appropriate slhinman@knox.edu
discussion questions, and creating effective quick assessments.
Within a single class period, methods class students were able to identify
weaknesses in their lesson plans and solve such common problems by writing an
advice request. For example, a prompt could ask that the site scan a pasted lesson
plan, select potential academic vocabulary to teach, and provide definitions of key
terms.
The lesson designers appreciated the fact that ChatGPT prompts can be tailored
to produce material based on reading level. A request for a definition of the term
“public domain” that is suitable for Grade 7 produced this response: “Public domain
means that something, like a book, picture, or song, can be shared by anyone without
needing permission from the original creator. Works enter the public domain when
the copyright expires or the creator chooses to give it to the public for free.”

Independent Practice
Although most class members had pre-selected standards to use as their lesson
focus, others were overwhelmed by the detailed list of skill requirements for each
subject and grade level. ChatGPT prompts asking for appropriate grade level Common
Core Standards for a particular topic helped writers shape lesson objectives.
As the methods class members improved their lesson drafts, several found
ChatGPT’s ability to provide differentiation recommendations to be of great help.
For example, an art major received practical suggestions for accommodating color
blindness during an assignment related to creating a color palette for an upcoming
project.

Promoting Professional and Personal Growth of Educators and Excellence in Education 43