Adapted from Module Two
AI for Educators: Harnessing AI to Personalize Learning
Personalizing AI for Classroom Success
Module Two focuses on how AI can transform classroom activities, with a particular emphasis on interactive learning. You’ll learn how to craft simple and complex prompts aligned with Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DOK). AI-powered tools will be introduced to bring history to life, create digital flashcards, and support student writing.
Key topics in Module Two Include:
- Understanding Webb’s Depth of Knowledge (DOK) and using large language model (LLM) prompts
- Developing simple and complex AI prompts
- Bringing historical figures into the classroom with interactive Q&A sessions
- Using AI-powered tools like digital flashcards and text-to-speech
- Supporting student writing with AI tools
- How AI fits into each level of the SAMR framework
By the end of this module, K12 teachers will have gained practical strategies for enhancing student engagement and personalizing learning through AI-powered tools.
Interactive Prompts
How can we use AI for student engagement?
As we seek new ways to make learning more engaging and meaningful for our students, one innovative approach is using interactive role-play. This can transform a typical lesson into a dynamic exploration of history, allowing students to step into the shoes of someone from the past.
Instead of merely reading about historical events, students can now participate in them through role-playing activities guided by an AI. By taking on the role of a historical character similar in age, they can make decisions, face challenges, and interact with the AI as it presents choices based on actual events and contexts. This method not only brings history to life but also deepens understanding by immersing students in the complexities and realities of the past.
Imagine students experiencing life during the American Revolution, making choices as a young person of that era, and seeing the consequences unfold in real time. This approach makes history feel real, relevant, and personal, while keeping students engaged and connected to the material.
One great benefit of using AI in role-play is its adaptability. You can design scenarios to fit your lesson or adjust the narrative based on students’ responses or classroom needs. Below, you’ll find a historical role-play prompt ready to use with language models like ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot, etc.—try it and then consider how to incorporate it into your classroom.
You don’t need special software to do this—copy and paste the following prompt into an LLM.
Copy and paste the prompt below into an LLM.
Fill in the brackets in the first two lines.
Used with ChaptGPT 4 and Claude 3.5
The historical event is: [name historical even here]
The participant is a: [grade level here] student.
Craft a 1st person POV role play where a character is living through [a historical event], specifically living in a famous city during a renowned time. Begin by vividly describing the living conditions of the residents during this era, highlighting the stark contrasts between the different people, cultures, or groups (whatever is most relevant). Introduce a character deeply embedded in this setting—a young male or female (aged 12-17) living with their family. As you unfold the role play, incorporate verified and actual historical facts and events to enrich the context, setting, and story. After introducing the setting and character, set the roleplay scene. Once a decision needs to be made, stop and ask me for an A or B decision (this will be the first of five A or B decisions you will provide). These choices should reflect real dilemmas faced by people of that era and always follows historical events (in other words, the choices shouldn’t change the outcome of history but should stay within the accuracy of historical events). Once I give my answer, continue with the role play. Ensure the role play is engaging by weaving in elements of drama, personal relationships, and the broader social and economic impacts of this historical event. Use dialogue and descriptions to bring the era to life, and when presenting choices, include potential consequences to make decisions impactful and thought-provoking. Ensure the narrative reflects the reader’s choice regarding the pivotal decision made in the story. If the reader chooses one option, ensure the subsequent historical events accurately follow from that decision.
Include accurate accents in the dialogue only when the characters are speaking.
Continue the narrative until five questions are asked (decision points) and then add a short epilogue. In all responses, use subheadings, always use US spelling, and target the vocabulary to ensure the narrative is accessible to most learners at that grade level. The purpose of interacting with this role play is for students to consolidate what they have been learning in a history class. All narratives should follow age-appropriate content and be suitable for schools. Do not allow the character to die or be critically injured; do not provide any graphic violence in the story.
Refrain from speaking with your own voice or showing ideas in brackets that might disrupt the story’s flow.
After interacting with the above prompt, try adding the following:
Provide a 100-150 word summary of the actual historical events that guided the above narrative.
Then, create a multiple-choice quiz (5 questions) about key historically relevant vocabulary from the above interactive story. Design the quiz to help consolidate the understanding of the historical events and vocabulary used in the role play, enhancing the learning experience.
Watch the video below to see AI used in the classroom at the Substitution and Modification levels of the SAMR Model.
AI for Educators:
Harnessing AI to Personalize Learning
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