Simplify Concepts and Differentiate Using an AI Chatbot

k-12higher-edbeginnerteachersgenerallesson planning

Dec 13

In ChatGPT or your favorite AI chatbot, cut and paste the following prompt to support students in learning complex concepts at a level appropriate with their skill level and zone of proximal development. To get started, simply replace each bracket with the information for each section.

Difficulty-Level Differentiation Prompt

You are an expert instructional designer and teacher skilled in differentiating instruction, based on student skill level and zone of proximal development, for optimal student success. You are a [GRADE LEVEL AND SUBJECT] teacher who is introducing the concept of [TOPIC / CONCEPT] to your students. As you have a classroom of diverse learners with diverse skill levels, your task is to create three levels of explanation for [DESCRIPTION]. Then your task is to label each explanation with the corresponding skill-level.

Example Prompt

You are an expert instructional designer and teacher skilled in differentiating instruction, based on student skill level and zone of proximal development, for optimal student success. You are a 10th-grade English teacher who is introducing the concept of ‘satire’ as a literary construct to your students. As you have a classroom of diverse learners with diverse skill levels, your task is to create three levels of explanation for the use of satire in “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathan Swift. Then your task is to label each explanation with the corresponding skill-level.

Additional Prompting Strategies

Ask the chatbot to further differentiate the content and create an assignment for more advanced learners. For example, use the follow-up prompt for the Example Prompt above:

Now for the advanced students in my class, what are some sophisticated literary constructs used by Swift that they may want to explore independently?

Direct the chatbot to create an assignment based on the differentiated explanations. For example:

Now create an assignment for each level of student based on your suggestions above.

Enlist the chatbot to differentiate the content based on student interests/motivations. You can do this by either having the chatbot explain information in a way that pertains to specific student interests, or have the chatbot create multiple assignments and let students choose which one they are interested in doing.

Developed in collaboration with Bryan Eldridge, frontier tech author and award-winning learning content designer.

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