I used AI for a number of things, did it help me? They used AI for a few things, did it help them?
For my second practicum I was sent to Vanderhoof’s NVSS, to teach grade 10 science. I had few resources prepped when I got there, however; I was able to lean on my expertise, and past resources from my time as a genetics lecturer at the University of Northern British Columbia. I had slides, questionnaires, and exams but obviously it would be cruel to drop second year university content onto grade 10 students. I turned to the AI for help.
My second year text had in it several interesting story pieces. Content on albinism in the Hopi tribes, the blond hair of the indigenes who inhabit the Solomon islands, and a brief summary on the Green Revolution. These would be perfect to gather interest from my students, and easy pieces that could be modified for reading comprehension… the problem is that they are in a book written for adults, when grade 10s in comparison to academics, read at a much lower level.
Here is how I used ChatGPT to ensure that my grade 10s could read them. I would start by writing down my learning objectives; what are the key terms, and ideas I want my students to get. Then I relied on verified information from my academic texts to create a rough outline of the narrative that would connect the learning outcomes.
With my clear goals outlined, I would go to ChatGPT and inquire about it’s knowledge on the topic at hand. Using the information from the AI, and my verified resources, I would guide the AI through the creation of a 2 page document that included the key terms but specifically, I would ask the AI to create content that is at the reading level of a grade 10 student.
Once I had a nice essay, I would write questions that I’d like students to be able to answer. Get this. If you out into Chat, the questions and reading assignment, it will be able to tell you if the questions can all be answered using the document, and recommend which questions need more information, or which sections of the word document to enhance.
A few rounds of edits later, you’ve got yourself a beautiful document, written for a specific audience, and at least some feedback on it’s potential for completion. 10/10 I would recommend this strategy.
