THE PREP PERIOD

Quick tips, tools & tricks you can take to the classroom on Monday

Anatomy of a Strong Prompt | This week's tip comes from Aldeya​

This week's tool comes straight from the Aldeya Resource library - Anatomy of a Strong Prompt - and builds off of last week's tip where we discussed applying the Bloom's Taxonomy Apply step in the context of strong prompt writing.

If students get a vague or unsatisfying answer from AI, the prompt itself may have been vague to begin with. The tricky part is that telling them to "be more specific" doesn't help much if they've never been shown what specific looks like in the context of generative AI. This visual gives them a roadmap for writing a robust prompt.

Here, a strong prompt falls into five parts: role, context, task, constraints, and audience/format. The example uses the water cycle, but the structure works for any subject or grade level.

Have students build one prompt using all five parts before they start an assignment. That single step cuts down on vague output and gives students something concrete to revise when the AI gets it wrong.

The full PNG can be downloaded for free here: aldeya.ai.

LOUNGE READS

The AI headlines that matter for your classroom

A wave of new state and district guidance arrived, with Michigan and Utah both releasing frameworks, and Boston proposing a formal policy. Meanwhile, researchers and teachers are pushing back on the idea that AI can replace human relationships or human prose.

Streamline Feed
​I knew my writing students were using AI. Their confessions led to a powerful teaching moment​

One teachers honest reflection on addressing unauthorized AI use in the classroom.

"By surrendering the agonizing struggle of translating abstract thought into coherent prose, students are effectively amputating their own intellectual capacity."

Youth Today

​Nearly 200 Student Stories Reveal AI Can't Replace Relationships​

Students say what matters most to them in school still has nothing to do with AI.

"Across those voices, one clear takeaway emerged: The relationship wasn’t the support. It was the solution."

Michigan Department of Education

​Michigan Releases Artificial Intelligence Guidance for Schools​

Michigan's new state guidance gives teachers a framework for AI use with actual classroom direction.

Official guidance can be found here: michigan.gov​

For info on your state check out Lounge Reads from Issue 4 of Campana or AI for Education's State AI Guidance page.

SARAH'S PICK

Youth Today

​Nearly 200 Student Stories Reveal AI Can't Replace Relationships​

If AI can tutor, give feedback, and answer questions at any hour, does what we do in the classroom still matter the same way?

I'd argue it matters even more.

175 participants were asked about a time they found meaningful support in the education system. The answers, not surprisingly, centered overwhelmingly around humans, not tools.

Educators on the frontlines will tell you, recent budget and funding cuts mean humans are in short supply and that can have devastating effects on the students who need them most.

The relationships, the moments when an educator notices them, adjusts for them, or just stays present with them, are the things that make learning meaningful. While many educators are being asked to integrate more AI tools, the human in the room is what students say they need the most. These two things don't have to be in conflict, but educators deserve to hear that the research backs up what they already feel. And policymakers must take note.

As your school or district asks you to add more AI to your practice, what are you being careful not to hand over? What boundaries have you set for yourself and for your students?

Never hesitate to send me an email if you're looking for some human-forward thought partnership!

A NOTE BEFORE YOU GO...

I'm glad you're here! If something resonated this week, hit reply and tell me. If you know a fellow educator who would find this useful, forward it their way. The village grows when educators share with other educators.