AI is developing quickly, and if you’ve never used it before it can feel a little like trying to jump on board a moving train — one that’s getting faster all the time.
When you’re already busy, it doesn’t matter how much time programmes like ChatGPT could save you once you can use them. It’s the time to learn that’s the problem!
The good news is there are straightforward ways to get started with using such programmes in the classroom, and we’ll cover them in this series. We are assuming a starting point of ‘complete beginner who has never signed in to ChatGPT before’. We’d love to hear how you get on — and if you’ve tried anything in your own classroom that worked well, we’d love for you to share it!
We’re going to start with some definitions, but if you’re keen to sign in and start experimenting you can skip the next section and head straight to ‘Getting started’.
Some definitions
The world of AI, like the world of education, loves a good acronym, so let’s start with some of the most commonly-used examples and phrases:
LLM (Large Language Model): The name of the newest batch of Artificial Intelligence systems that are able to create text in response to a user. They do this through a form of 'learning', essentially processing huge bodies of natural language from sources like websites, and using it to generate the statistically most likely response.
ChatGPT: One of the commercially available Large Language Models created by OpenAI to have 'conversations' with the user
Generative AI: A more general term for new Artificial Intelligence systems that are able to generate new content such as text, audio or pictures. ChatGPT, an LLM, is an example of generative AI.
Prompt: the question or task posed by a user when trying to generate content using generative AI. For example, a user might want to understand the most important points in a long piece of text. They could copy the text into ChatGPT, and then use a prompt such as 'Summarise this text in 100 words or fewer'.
When getting to know LLMs such as ChatGPT, it is important to remember that it is neither alive and thinking, nor simply a search engine — rather, it is using statistical probabilities to generate the most likely answers based on a vast quantity of information.
If one were to ask ChatGPT 'In what year did the Titanic sink?', one could expect it to respond '1912'. That is because this is far and away the most likely answer found on the internet, not because ChatGPT itself is storing the answer.
This can cause problems — it might not be clear from all the things that humans have written whether 240/16=15, whereas some questions (like 2+2=4, say) probably are clear enough in people's writing to reliably give the correct answer.
Likewise, in the sentence 'I don't know if I should pack my umbrella - is it raining ...' the most likely next words are 'outside' or 'right now'. It is very unlikely the next word is 'yesterday' or 'somewhere else'. This process, at scale, is how ChatGPT generates its answers.
Getting started
As we’ve seen above, ChatGPT is a form of generative AI — in other words, a programme where users can enter prompts (such as questions or tasks) to which the system generates answers. Interacting with ChatGPT should feel a little like interacting with a very receptive human — you can give it feedback on how good its answer was, and it will in turn learn from your feedback.
There is a free version of ChatGPT, and a more advanced paid-for version which currently comes with a monthly subscription of $20.
This series will focus on the free version of ChatGPT. You can access it here: https://chat.openai.com/auth/login
You’ll need to create an account, but it can be linked to your existing Gmail, Outlook or Apple account.
Once you sign in, you’ll see the screen below:
Now we’re ready to go!
What can I use ChatGPT for?
The answer to this question is ‘a lot!’
ChatGPT can be useful for:
Summarising long pieces of text
Reviewing an answer against a set of criteria
Designing quizzes or other straightforward tasks
Generating ideas
Writing code
Drafting emails or blog content [don’t worry, this blog has a person behind it!]
The prompts you use are the most important part of quickly getting what you need from ChatGPT. Luckily, as teachers, we are already skilled in using questioning to draw out the right response, and ChatGPT is a receptive student.
Learning to ‘prompt’ ChatGPT
When you’re first getting started, there will probably be some back-and-forth before you get the outcome you want. Once you’ve found prompts that work, you can reuse them again and again.
ChatGPT is designed for you to interact with — let’s look at an example below.
In this example, I want to use ChatGPT to design a short revision task for pupils to learn quotes from ‘A Christmas Carol’.
I start by asking ChatGPT to ‘List the best six quotes from ‘A Christmas Carol’ that link to the theme of greed.’
In the example above, ChatGPT has successfully met the terms of my prompt — but these quotes are too long for pupils to learn and remember in a closed-book exam. In my next prompt, I ask for shorter quotes. I also realise that ‘best’ is too subjective — what I really mean is a quote that can be used across multiple themes. I therefore provide some other key themes and ask that my quotes cover more than one of them:
The length is better, but there’s a glaring problem — these aren’t real quotes! In my third prompt, I specify that the quotes need to come from the book:
Now we’re away! In my final prompt, I ask ChatGPT to turn these quotes into a revision task by removing a key word from each one.
The multiple choice options are a pleasant surprise! To finish, I ask for the same again without the answer options. Now I have two versions of the same quiz, which could be used at different times in the year or for different pupils as part of their revision.
But here’s where it gets really exciting. Now I have a format I like, I can repeat it. Imagine that I am creating a revision booklet for year 11, or I’m planning all my retrieval starters for the coming half term. All I need to do is ask ChatGPT to repeat the same format for a new text and a new set of themes:
And now for the multiple choice option:
It took a couple of tweaks, but now I have a revision format I’m happy with. In 10-15 minutes, I could have a term’s worth of mini revision quizzes planned — and all my work is saved in the top left of my screen, so I don’t need to start again next time I sign in.
The missing-word format above is easily applicable across subjects with lots of quotes or facts for pupils to recall.
If you want to experiment with other tasks, try beginning prompts with imperative verbs:
Summarise
List
Describe
Explain
Suggest
Don’t forget you can supply your own information too, such as lists of key facts, quotes, themes, or case studies for ChatGPT to reference.
ChatGPT outside the classroom
In future blogs, we’ll look at other ways of using ChatGPT to support your teaching. In the meantime, here are some applications that have nothing at all to do with school, but might be fun or helpful!
Meal planning supported by ChatGPT: https://johnfawkes.substack.com/p/how-to-generate-meal-plans-with-chatgpt
Planning a holiday supported by ChatGPT: https://create.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/articles/how-to-use-chatgpt-for-vacation-planning
Applying for jobs supported by ChatGPT: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/chatgpt-google-bard-bing-ai-help-find-job
Writing a novel supported by ChatGPT: https://www.thinkific.com/blog/ai-to-write-a-book/