One teacher to another: your first week with AI

If you have been putting this off because the subject looks enormous, here is a plan that ends in five days.

One task a day, twenty minutes. No paid account and no technical background.

Monday: one lesson#

Prepare tomorrow's lesson with a tool, using the full prompt in lesson planning in twenty minutes.

Today's goal is not a better lesson. It is knowing what the output looks like and where it disappoints. You will find it optimistic on timing and Western in its examples. Those are useful observations rather than faults.

Tuesday: ten questions#

Take a lesson you have taught and say: "generate ten questions, three easy, four medium, three hard, no answers".

Then review and delete the poor ones. That review is the real training: after three attempts you will know exactly what to ask for and what to expect.

Wednesday: one text, three levels#

Take a paragraph from the curriculum and say: "rewrite this at three reading levels: two years below grade, at grade, and one year above".

This is the task teachers most often describe as changing their week, because every real classroom holds at least three levels and preparing for them by hand was impossible.

Thursday: your policy on one page#

Write three paragraphs: what is allowed, what is not, how it is declared.

Use the tool to phrase it, but the decisions are yours. The framework is in are your students cheating?

Friday: count#

Two questions only: how many hours did you save this week, and where did they go?

If they went into extra administration, the week failed however much it saved. The only measure is whether your time with students increased.

After the week#

If it worked you will know what you want next without being told. If it did not, you spent a hundred minutes and gained an opinion based on experience rather than impression, which is worth it on its own.

What I recommend afterwards: repeat Monday and Wednesday for two more weeks before adding anything new. Mastery is in repetition, not expansion.

In closing#

The subject looks enormous because it is presented as enormous. In practice it is five tasks, a hundred minutes, and one decision about your policy.

Try this today: do Monday. Whatever day you are reading this.

Common questions#

Do I need a paid subscription as a teacher?

Not for this plan. Free versions cover all five tasks, and the decision to pay comes after you know what you actually use.

How much time does this week take?

Twenty minutes a day, a hundred minutes in total. One task per day is deliberate, because rapid expansion is why most teachers stop.

Should I try several tools?

No. One tool for five days beats five tools for one day each, because hopping between them prevents any mastery.

Which task do teachers say changed their week?

Rewriting a text at three reading levels. Every real classroom holds at least three, and preparing for them by hand was close to impossible.