{"id":9695,"date":"2024-07-09T20:45:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-10T00:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.com\/blog\/?p=9695"},"modified":"2024-07-09T20:42:49","modified_gmt":"2024-07-10T00:42:49","slug":"prompt-engineering-for-teachers-making-the-most-of-ai-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/2024\/07\/prompt-engineering-for-teachers-making-the-most-of-ai-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Prompt Engineering for Teachers: Making the Most of AI, Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

According to a recent article<\/a> from EdWeek,<\/em> approximately one-third of teachers use AI-driven tools in their classrooms for creating lesson plans, generating rubrics, writing letters and emails, and other purposes. However, another article<\/a> reports that seven in ten educators have yet to receive any professional development about using AI and have concerns about using it effectively and appropriately.<\/p>\n\n\n

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There are several fantastic generative AI resources and tools, but one thing they all have in common is that they begin with a prompt that provides the tool with the information it needs to produce the desired result. Prompt engineering or prompt crafting is the ability to write and modify prompts to obtain a valuable response. Understanding how to write effective prompts is critical to taking advantage of the many benefits of using AI tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For our purposes, we will stick to how to use prompts with chatbots and image generators. Once you grasp the art of crafting effective prompts, you can apply this knowledge to various AI resources and tools that can help educators generate lessons, texts, assessments, and other materials with ease. Visit our special topics collection TeachersFirst\u2019s Resources for Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Productivity<\/a> to explore free tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are several frameworks that provide guidelines to assist users when creating prompts in chat tools.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five S Model<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

TheFive S Model describes 5 actions educators can take to engineer effective prompts that lead to high-quality outcomes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Set the scene<\/strong>. Begin your prompt with relevant information about you (your role, level of experience, etc.) and the environment you\u2019re working in to provide context for the tool\u2019s output. Example: \u201cI am an experienced 5th-grade math teacher.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Be specific<\/strong>. Clearly define the task and what you want included. Example: \u201cUse UDL frameworks to design a 30-minute, hands-on activity to introduce converting fractions to decimals.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Simplify language<\/strong>. Avoid jargon and use everyday conversational language to state your request. Example: \u201cThis activity should correlate with Common Core Fifth Grade Number and Operations Fractions Standards and provide opportunities for all students to fully participate in the activity.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Structure the output<\/strong>. State what form you want the output to take (a table, a list, etc.) and include a rubric. Example: \u201cCreate a list of open-ended response questions to guide students during the activity.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Share feedback<\/strong>. Remember that this is a chat conversation. Continue to provide feedback and make adjustments until you generate the desired content. For example, you could ask, \u201cWhat misconceptions might my students have as they complete this activity?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

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    Here is the <\/a>response generated by ChatGPT<\/a> (reviewed here<\/a>) after entering the example prompt above. To create additional items, try using the same prompt in other chatbots, such as Claude (reviewed here<\/a>), Microsoft Copilot or Perplexity (reviewed here<\/a>). Although the prompts are the same, the outputs are different. Using an assortment of tools is an excellent way to generate several ideas and scenarios and find the \u201cjust right\u201d activity for your classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    C.R.E.A.T.E <\/a> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    This is another framework that includes guidelines for crafting effective prompts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n