From ChatGPT to Classroom: 10 Simple Ways Teachers Can Start Using AI Today

The educational landscape is evolving rapidly, with artificial intelligence (AI) tools becoming increasingly accessible and user-friendly for educators. Yet many teachers still feel uncertain about how to begin incorporating these powerful tools into their daily practice. If you’re curious about AI but unsure where to start, you’re not alone.

The good news is that you don’t need technical expertise or a complete classroom overhaul to begin benefiting from AI. This article presents 10 practical, straightforward ways to start using AI in your teaching practice today. Each suggestion includes step-by-step guidance, estimated time commitment, and the specific benefits you can expect for both you and your students.

Whether you have five minutes or an hour, whether you teach kindergarten or high school, there’s an entry point for you to begin exploring how AI can enhance your teaching and your students’ learning. Let’s dive in!

1. Generate Differentiated Practice Problems

Time Commitment: 10-15 minutes

Tools: ChatGPT, Gemini, or MagicSchool.ai

One of the most time-consuming aspects of teaching is creating differentiated practice materials for students at various levels. AI can generate custom practice problems tailored to different ability levels in seconds.

How to Do It:

1. Open your preferred AI tool (ChatGPT, Gemini, or MagicSchool.ai).
2. Provide a specific prompt that includes:

• The subject and topic
• The grade level or ability level
• The number of problems needed
• Any specific formats or requirements

1. Review and refine the generated problems before using them with students.

Example Prompt:

Create 10 math word problems about fractions for 5th graders. Make 3 problems for struggling students, 4 problems for on-level students, and 3 problems for advanced students. For each problem, include the answer and a brief explanation of the solution process.

Benefits:

• For Teachers: Save hours of preparation time while still providing personalized practice opportunities.
• For Students: Receive appropriately challenging practice that meets them at their current level.

Pro Tip:

Save successful prompts in a document for future use. You can quickly modify them for different topics or levels, creating a personal library of effective AI instructions.

2. Create Engaging Lesson Introductions

Time Commitment: 5-10 minutes

Tools: ChatGPT, Gemini, NotebookLM

Capturing students’ attention at the beginning of a lesson is crucial for engagement. AI can help you generate creative hooks, interesting facts, or thought-provoking scenarios to launch your lessons.

How to Do It:

1. Open your preferred AI tool.
2. Describe the topic you’re teaching and the age group.
3. Specifically request an engaging introduction, such as a real-world scenario, a surprising fact, or a thought-provoking question.

Example Prompt:

I'm teaching a 7th-grade science class about photosynthesis tomorrow. Generate three different engaging ways to start the lesson: one using a surprising fact, one using a real-world scenario, and one using a thought-provoking question. Each introduction should take no more than 2 minutes to present.

Benefits:

• For Teachers: Consistently start lessons with fresh, engaging approaches without spending hours brainstorming.
• For Students: Experience more engaging lesson introductions that activate prior knowledge and spark curiosity.

Pro Tip:

Use AI to generate multiple options, then choose the one that best fits your teaching style and your specific group of students.

3. Simplify Complex Texts for Different Reading Levels

Time Commitment: 5-15 minutes

Tools: Diffit, ChatGPT, or Gemini

When working with complex texts or concepts, students with different reading abilities may struggle to access the same material. AI can help you quickly adapt texts to different reading levels while preserving the core content.

How to Do It:

1. Open Diffit (specialized for text leveling) or another AI tool.
2. Paste the original text you want to simplify.
3. Specify the desired reading level and any particular vocabulary or concepts you want to ensure are included.

Example Prompt:

Rewrite the following paragraph about the water cycle at a 3rd-grade reading level. Keep the key terms "evaporation," "condensation," and "precipitation," but explain them in simple terms:

[Original paragraph]

Benefits:

• For Teachers: Provide accessible materials to all students without creating multiple versions from scratch.
• For Students: Access grade-level content regardless of reading ability, building confidence and content knowledge simultaneously.

Pro Tip:

For longer texts, break them into smaller chunks before processing. This often results in better quality adaptations and avoids overwhelming the AI.

4. Generate Formative Assessment Questions

Time Commitment: 5-10 minutes

Tools: MagicSchool.ai, ChatGPT, or Gemini

Quick formative assessments help you gauge student understanding and adjust instruction accordingly. AI can generate diverse question types to check for understanding at different cognitive levels.

How to Do It:

1. Open your preferred AI tool.
2. Specify the topic, grade level, and types of questions you want (multiple choice, short answer, etc.).
3. Consider requesting questions at different levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy to assess various thinking skills.

Example Prompt:

Create 5 formative assessment questions about the American Revolution for 8th graders. Include:
- 2 multiple-choice questions testing recall of key facts
- 2 short-answer questions requiring analysis of causes and effects
- 1 open-ended question prompting students to evaluate a historical figure's decisions
Include the correct answers for the multiple-choice and short-answer questions.

Benefits:

• For Teachers: Quickly create varied assessment questions that target different cognitive skills.
• For Students: Receive immediate feedback on their understanding and practice different types of thinking.

Pro Tip:

Use AI-generated questions as a starting point, then modify them to better align with your specific learning objectives or to incorporate classroom-specific contexts that will resonate with your students.

5. Provide Personalized Feedback Templates

Time Commitment: 15-20 minutes initially, then 2-3 minutes per student

Tools: ChatGPT, Gemini, or MagicSchool.ai

Providing meaningful, personalized feedback is essential but time-consuming. AI can help you create customizable feedback templates that address common patterns in student work.

How to Do It:

1. Identify common strengths and areas for improvement in your students’ work.
2. Ask the AI to generate feedback templates for each pattern.
3. Customize the templates for individual students by adding specific examples from their work.

Example Prompt:

Create feedback templates for a 6th-grade argumentative essay assignment. Generate templates for:
1. A student who has strong ideas but lacks supporting evidence
2. A student who has good evidence but struggles with organization
3. A student who has mechanical errors that interfere with clarity
Each template should include specific praise, areas for improvement, and actionable next steps.

Benefits:

• For Teachers: Provide consistent, high-quality feedback more efficiently.
• For Students: Receive personalized guidance that acknowledges strengths while offering clear paths for improvement.

Pro Tip:

Create a document or spreadsheet with your feedback templates organized by assignment type and common patterns. This creates a growing resource you can draw from throughout the year.

6. Translate Communications for Multilingual Families

Time Commitment: 5 minutes per communication

Tools: ChatGPT, Gemini, or Google Translate (with AI enhancements)

Communicating effectively with families who speak languages other than English is crucial for student success. AI translation has improved dramatically and can help bridge language barriers.

How to Do It:

1. Draft your communication in English.
2. Ask the AI to translate it into the target language, specifying that the tone should be warm and professional.
3. If possible, have a native speaker review important communications before sending.

Example Prompt:

Translate the following note to parents about an upcoming field trip into Spanish. Maintain a warm, informative tone and ensure that all important details (dates, times, requirements) are clearly communicated:

[English text]

Benefits:

• For Teachers: Communicate more effectively with all families without relying solely on district translators or translation services.
• For Families: Receive important information in their primary language, enabling greater participation in their child’s education.

Pro Tip:

Include both the original English text and the translation in your communications. This allows bilingual family members to compare versions and helps everyone learn.

7. Create Scaffolded Note-Taking Templates

Time Commitment: 10-15 minutes

Tools: ChatGPT, Gemini, or NotebookLM

Effective note-taking is a crucial skill that many students struggle to develop. AI can help you create customized note-taking templates that scaffold this process for different learners.

How to Do It:

1. Identify the content you’ll be teaching and the key information students should capture.
2. Ask the AI to generate a note-taking template with appropriate scaffolding for your students’ needs.
3. Review and adjust the template before distributing it to students.

Example Prompt:

Create a scaffolded note-taking template for 9th-grade students learning about cellular respiration. Include:
- Key vocabulary words with space for definitions
- Main concepts with partially completed notes that students can finish
- Visual organizer sections where students can draw or diagram processes
- Reflection questions at the end
The template should support students who struggle with organizing information while still requiring active engagement.

Benefits:

• For Teachers: Provide structured support for note-taking without creating templates from scratch.
• For Students: Develop note-taking skills with appropriate scaffolding that can be gradually removed as they become more proficient.

Pro Tip:

Create templates with varying levels of scaffolding to differentiate for students with different needs. Some may require more structure, while others might benefit from more open-ended formats.

8. Generate Discussion Questions for Different Thinking Levels

Time Commitment: 5-10 minutes

Tools: ChatGPT, Gemini, or NotebookLM

Facilitating rich classroom discussions requires thoughtful questions that promote different types of thinking. AI can help you generate questions that target various cognitive levels and engage all students.

How to Do It:

1. Specify the topic, grade level, and the types of thinking you want to promote.
2. Ask for questions at different levels of complexity or that target different learning styles.
3. Review and select the questions that best align with your learning objectives.

Example Prompt:

Generate 10 discussion questions about "To Kill a Mockingbird" for 10th-grade students. Include:
- 3 questions about key plot events and character motivations
- 3 questions comparing themes in the book to contemporary issues
- 2 questions analyzing the author's use of literary devices
- 2 questions prompting personal reflection on the moral dilemmas presented in the book

Benefits:

• For Teachers: Quickly generate thought-provoking questions that promote different types of thinking.
• For Students: Engage with content at multiple levels, developing various thinking skills.

Pro Tip:

Keep a running document of effective discussion questions for each unit. Over time, you’ll build a comprehensive question bank that you can draw from and refine.

9. Create Personalized Learning Goals and Success Criteria

Time Commitment: 15-20 minutes initially, then 5 minutes per student

Tools: MagicSchool.ai, ChatGPT, or Gemini

Setting clear, personalized learning goals helps students understand expectations and take ownership of their learning. AI can help you craft individualized goals and success criteria based on student needs.

How to Do It:

1. Provide information about the learning standards and the student’s current performance level.
2. Ask the AI to generate appropriate learning goals and specific success criteria.
3. Review and adjust the goals to ensure they are challenging yet achievable for each student.

Example Prompt:

Create personalized writing goals and success criteria for a 4th-grade student who:
- Can write complete sentences and basic paragraphs
- Struggles with organizing ideas in a logical sequence
- Has limited vocabulary variation in their writing
The goals should align with 4th-grade writing standards but be specifically tailored to this student's needs. Include 3 concrete success criteria for each goal.

Benefits:

• For Teachers: Efficiently create personalized goals that address specific student needs while maintaining alignment with grade-level standards.
• For Students: Understand exactly what they’re working toward and how success will be measured, increasing motivation and clarity.

Pro Tip:

Use AI to generate initial goals, then review them with students to ensure they feel ownership and understanding. Adjust as needed based on student input.

10. Build Reflection Prompts for Project-Based Learning

Time Commitment: 10-15 minutes

Tools: ChatGPT, Gemini, or NotebookLM

Meaningful reflection is a crucial component of project-based learning, helping students consolidate their learning and develop metacognitive skills. AI can help you create thoughtful reflection prompts tailored to specific projects.

How to Do It:

1. Describe the project, including its learning objectives, activities, and expected outcomes.
2. Ask the AI to generate reflection prompts that target different aspects of the learning process.
3. Select and adapt the prompts that best align with your goals for student reflection.

Example Prompt:

Generate 10 reflection prompts for middle school students completing a project where they designed and tested their own water filtration systems. The prompts should help students reflect on:
- Their design process and decision-making
- Challenges they encountered and how they overcame them
- Connections between their project and real-world water purification issues
- Their collaboration with team members
- How their understanding of the scientific concepts evolved throughout the project

Benefits:

• For Teachers: Provide structured opportunities for meaningful reflection without having to create all prompts from scratch.
• For Students: Develop metacognitive skills by reflecting on different aspects of their learning process.

Pro Tip:

Use a mix of written, verbal, and multimedia reflection opportunities to accommodate different learning preferences and keep reflection engaging.

Conclusion: Your AI Journey Begins with a Single Step

Incorporating AI into your teaching practice doesn’t require a complete overhaul of your methods or extensive technical knowledge. By starting with these simple, practical applications, you can begin to experience the benefits of AI while gradually building your confidence and expertise.

Remember that AI tools are meant to enhance your teaching, not replace your professional judgment. Always review AI-generated content before using it with students, and be prepared to make adjustments to ensure alignment with your specific learning objectives and student needs.

As you become more comfortable with these basic applications, you may find yourself ready to explore more advanced uses of AI in education. The key is to start small, focus on specific challenges you want to address, and maintain a critical perspective on how these tools are impacting your teaching and your students’ learning.

What AI-enhanced teaching strategy will you try first? Whatever you choose, take that first step today—your future self (and your students) will thank you.