10 Time-Saving Ways Educators are Using Artificial Intelligence in the Classroom

Classroom teachers are on a never-ending journey for ways to save time, increase productivity, and improve work-life balance. Since artificial intelligence entered the scene more prominently, people’s opinions have differed dramatically. Is it okay to use AI as a teacher?

Whether you’re completely settled into routines that have enhanced the way you teach or on the fence about whether or not you want to do more than dip your toes in, this post is FULL of voices from the classroom. Dive into a variety of ways classroom teachers are using artificial intelligence in the classroom (with success and integrity) to reach their goals.

1. Differentiate Lessons Based On Learning Preference

Gina Manfra, Middle School ELA

AI is truly a time saver for teachers who want to create differentiated lessons specific to the needs of the learners in their classrooms. One of my favorite ways to differentiate a lesson is by tailoring the activities based on my students’ learning preferences (Think: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic, for example).

At the beginning of the school year, I like to give my students an opportunity to tell me more about themselves as both a person and a learner. This is usually done as a personality assessment where the answers allow students to identify their learning preferences. I then take this data (minus any personal information) and insert it into ChatGPT along with a description of the lesson I am envisioning and information about how I would like to differentiate the lesson.

Here is an example prompt I’ve used: 

One lesson I am designing is teaching theme to my 7th graders using The Outsiders. Can you differentiate this lesson based on the learning preferences of my students? I have 5 kinesthetic learners, 6 visual learners, 4 auditory learners, and 4 reading/writing learners.

This is also a helpful way to create a Choice Board assignment where students can select from a menu of project ideas based on learning preferences. I like using Chat GPT to help me create a Choice Board to give students the power of how they learn. This is especially useful when reviewing a topic like vocabulary where it can get monotonous for students.

My prompt sounds like this: 

I am looking to create a choice board to allow students to practice key vocabulary words. Can you please help me create 8 different choices that meet a variety of learning preferences: kinesthetic, visual, auditory, and reading/writing? I would like each choice to have a separate rubric that evaluates student work out of 20 points.

This is also a helpful prompt to revise when looking to create learning stations: I am looking to create learning stations to evaluate my argument writing unit for my 6th graders. Can you please help me create 6 different options that meet a variety of learning preferences: kinesthetic, visual, auditory, and reading/writing. I would like each activity to last about 15 minutes.

Pro Tip!

Use ChatGPT To help you create the initial personality quiz for students to identify their primary learning preferences!

2. Organize Group Work and Seating Charts

Sofi Ahlberg, Middle School ELA

I use ChatGPT to help me quickly group students for group work, small group targeted instruction, or intentional seating charts. I begin by plugging in my class list (first names only, or you could use numbers to further protect privacy). It’s important to note which students cannot be in a group together and who needs to sit somewhere specific, due to balancing personalities or accommodations.

For intentional groupings, I assign students a color based on their ability levels and ask GenAI to give me homogeneous groups or mixed groups. I sometimes ask it to give me two boys and two girls per group to support Kagan strategies. The results are not always perfect, but they give me a starting point and keep things fresh for my students without adding to my mental load and endless to-do list.

Pro Tip!

GenAI often needs specific reminders not to repeat students and to meet your other criteria.

Here are some examples of effective prompts I’ve used:

A: Create random groups of 3, no more than 6 groups total. Do not repeat students. Groups can be smaller than 3 if there are not enough kids: [insert class list] Don’t put X student with Y student or Z student. Don’t put A student with B student.

B: I have 6 groups of 4 desks; 2 groups at the front, 2 in the middle, and 2 in the back of the room. Create a seating chart for the following students: [insert class list]. Put X student, Y student, and Z student at separate tables. Put A student and B student at separate front tables. Try to put two boys and two girls together whenever possible. Do not repeat students.

3. Communicate Professionally and Efficiently

Allison Fenton, 11th grade ELA

I’ve spent many a planning period crafting a single email, especially when it comes to contacting parents. Positive communication home is easy, but when I’m having difficulty with a student, it can be a challenge to balance a helpful tone and the need to communicate my concerns clearly. AI has saved me a great deal of time when it comes to drafting these emails. Instead of agonizing over a sentence regarding a student’s incomplete work, I can provide artificial intelligence with a list of my concerns, along with the tone I want to convey, and work from the resulting draft.

I often determine that the word choice or the tone of the AI-generated draft needs a slight adjustment, but, usually, with this foundation, I’m able to quickly make these changes on my own. When I really get blocked, AI can be that helpful colleague who I ask for feedback. I may identify the sentence I’m struggling with and ask it for several versions that convey the same idea. As someone who can be obsessive over language, AI helps me get past the time-consuming labor of drafting so I can focus on the more important and nuanced craft of effective communication.

Here is an example of an effective prompt I’ve used:

Draft an email (approximately 200-300 words) to the parent of an 11th grade student who is in danger of failing English for the year. Include concerns about inconsistent attendance and refusal to complete work in class. Maintain a professional and helpful tone. 

Personalize: Generally, and especially in the interest of student privacy, it’s best to ask AI to draft these emails for a generic “student.” In my revision, I’ll personalize the message with the student’s name and any other important identifying information. 

Length: I have a tendency to be wordy in my communication; I know many parents are busy and may not have a ton of time to check email, so I try to keep my emails short. One of the best features of AI is that you can ask it to draft a message of a very specific length. Usually, a paragraph is sufficient.

Pro Tip!

This tool also works for emailing administration, especially when trying to hold an important boundary without sounding confrontational or uncooperative!

4. Generate Descriptive Feedback Faster

Elizabeth Reneau, 9th grade ELA

When it comes to using artificial intelligence in the classroom, I want to share a specific AI tool I’ve used and loved!

Last year, I discovered Magic School, an AI tool created specifically for teachers. The program has many functions; however, my favorite is the tool for giving feedback on student writing. It breaks down student work into areas of strength and areas for growth, and the feedback it generates is specific. Plus, it gives you the option to input the grade level, the assignment description, and the focus of the feedback with your rubric.

I first tried out Magic School’s writing feedback tool with a personal narrative assignment where students had to compare their life journey to that of Odysseus during our unit on The Odyssey. I copied and pasted the student samples, selected 9th grade, and inputted my specific rubric, which included categories such as writing technique and organization, grammar usage and spelling, content, and accuracy of their knowledge of The Odyssey. That last point was especially helpful, as it could catch whether their quotes were taken directly from the text and cited correctly.

The tool gave such thoughtful feedback! Some examples of feedback included praising their comparisons to Odysseus and suggesting ways to improve transitions or add more specific examples. It saved me hours of grading and helped me give each student meaningful, individualized feedback.

Pro Tip!

To generate more specific feedback that aligned with my assignment and rubric, I made sure to input my prompt and rubric directly word for word. The more specific you are, the better feedback you will receive. The areas of growth and the areas of improvement it suggested directly correlated to my prompt and rubric. Students were able to connect their strengths or weaknesses directly to the assignment description.

5. Increase Engagement with AI Scenarios

Morgan Zaborowski, Middle School ELA

We all love engaging students, especially from the get-go of introducing a new topic. However, when we spend so much time putting together the meat of the lesson, how can we also find time to create an engaging hook?

One way artificial intelligence in the classroom can be helpful is by pairing ChatGPT written scenarios and practice questions with introductory notes on a slide presentation. This also serves as a formative assessment that gives direction of where to go next with instruction.

For example, in 6th grade language arts, I teach the skill of making inferences. In the first part of the lesson, students will take notes about what an inference is, why we use them, how it helps us as readers, etc. Afterward, I display the AI-created scenarios and practice questions for students to complete an exit ticket of what they think is happening in the scenario.

One example might look like this: “Jordan rushes into class wearing one red sneaker and one blue sandal. He looks flustered and keeps checking his watch.” Students would then infer, “Why might Jordan be wearing two mismatched shoes?” or “What can we infer about Jordan’s morning?” It gets students thinking, allows them to discuss with classmates, and practice what they have just learned.

Using AI in this way allows me to control what students understand making inferences to be, but saves time on an activity that is not usually graded, yet also provides great practice for engaging with the material. It’s a win, win, win! Use this helpful tip for your next mini lesson or introductory lesson to set up a whole unit!

Pro Tips!

When typing my prompt into ChatGPT, I focus on grade level and the skill I am teaching. You can be specific about how long you want the scenario to be and how many questions you would like per scenario. 

Here’s an example of an effective prompt I’ve used: Create 5 real life scenarios and follow up questions for a 6th grade classroom to practice the skill of inferencing.

Example Scenario from AI: A backpack is left unattended in the school hallway, with a lunchbox peeking out. The classroom bell rings, and students hurry to their next class.

Follow-Up Questions:

• Why might someone leave their backpack unattended?
• What does the presence of a lunchbox suggest about the owner?
• What could be the owner’s next steps upon realizing their backpack is missing?

For fun and to spark more interest, if you want your scenarios to include specific characters, creatures, settings, and etcetera, you can ask it to include those things as well. 

Use key words and vocabulary from your unit if you would like specific verbiage to be used. 

Remember, you may want to reword some of the questions to fit your style of questioning and what your students may be used to.

6. Build Custom Chatbots for Fast Feedback

Sofi Ahlberg, 6-8th Grade ELA

To save time and my sanity, I use tools like MagicSchoolAI to create custom chatbots that will support students through challenging or intensive assignments. For example, my students worked with partners to research a historical event of their choice, then write a short narrative and nonfiction article about it. I created a custom chatbot to support them through each step of this project, ensuring I provided the bot with context, an objective, an agenda, and guidelines. It was like cloning myself, so each student received individual support without me running around the classroom. 

Most students were able to complete each step of the project by asking questions and seeking support from the chatbot. I provided a handout with “checkpoints” (see the example below) where students paused and had to check in with me so I could ensure they were on the right track. I was able to be available for a few students who still needed teacher support. My students enjoyed the project, and the chatbot naturally differentiated for the wide variety of ability levels in my classroom.

Pro Tips!

You can use GenAI to organize your ideas into a concise, AI-friendly prompt for the chatbot. Be sure to include parameters in your prompt to ensure the bot will guide students rather than doing the work for them. 

Here are example boundaries I included for my project: **Guidelines:** If students ask you for facts, don’t give them the answers. Prompt them to search external credible websites, not AI. Highlight the importance of teamwork and shared decision-making. Scaffold for students needing support. Offer opportunities for deeper exploration for advanced partners. Ensure regular teacher check-ins. If students get off task, respond positively and gently guide them back to the task.

7. Differentiate to Increase Access Points

Kerrianne Miranda, Middle School ELA

Artificial intelligence in the classroom can be a game changer in creating differentiated access points to instruction! When planning lessons based on skills like inference or context clues, as teachers, we are always looking to find examples of the skill to model and practice with for students of all levels.

I work in a city school district, and my students have a wide range of close reading skills. I have ENL students, students with 504s, and I have also been teaching a special education class. The standards do not change, but I need to find an accessibility point. A.I. helps with this.

I can take a skill-based passage and increase complexity with a few words, or decrease complexity. I can also quickly compile additional practice for small group instruction to remediate or enrich students.

Identifying words in context is a powerful skill with so many nuances within teaching it. I can teach types of clues, like a synonym clue or an example clue, and using AI, I can differentiate the vocabulary used to teach that skill to ensure all students are able to closely read by determining connotation. Then, I can elevate those models to challenge students who are ready to go beyond grade level.

Pro Tips!

Using your state standard as a guide point is always helpful to ensure you are creating models that are aligned to the curriculum you are using. I like to use grade levels in my prompt to AI as a concrete way to increase or lessen the complexity. 

Here’s an example of an effective prompt I’ve used:

Using the NYS standard R.4 for 8th grade, create examples for each part of the standard, including questioning prompts for students. Increase the complexity to a 10th-grade reading level or lower the complexity to a 5th-grade reading level. Then ask for more examples if needed. 

Connotative Meaning

🔼 10th Grade-Level Example

Text Excerpt (from an editorial): “The mayor’s plan, while ambitious, feels more like a bandage than a cure.”

Questioning Prompts for Students:

• What does the word “bandage” imply in this context?
• How does the connotation of “bandage” contrast with “cure”?
• What tone does the author create by using this metaphor?

🔽 5th Grade-Level Example

Text Excerpt: “The puppy crept into the room, nose down, tail tucked.”

Questioning Prompts for Students:

• What does “crept” suggest about how the puppy feels?
• How would the sentence change if it said “walked” instead of “crept”?
• What kind of mood does the author create with the words “nose down, tail tucked”?

If the example doesn’t work for you, just ask AI to revise it with your specific parameters, and voila, a perfect model or example! 

This works so well because teaching is always on a pendulum, swinging back and forth to increase or decrease complexity, and trying to provide ample learning opportunities. We often need to revisit standards or skills. Finding original examples or creating worksheets or digital documents can be time-consuming. Reteaching is often necessary, and being able to provide more models and examples for students to practice with during the lesson or for homework, or in a small group is invaluable to learning. 

8. Brainstorm Essential Questions for Units

Jeannine McDowell, 6th & 8th ELA

I teach in a district where the curriculum is determined for us, and there can be no deviation from the text set. How units are organized can sometimes feel disconnected and leave something to be desired when trying to cultivate readers with deeper understanding and purpose. I truly believe in the power an essential question brings to elevate a unit of study, guide meaningful discussions, prompt deeper analysis, and connect multiple texts and genres. But how does one find a connection between a splatter of texts with seemingly little to nothing in common? Enter AI! 

I use ChatGPT to generate Essential Questions that effectively connect texts within a unit. For example, our 8th grade curriculum includes a “horror” unit which includes typical titles like “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs and “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson along with “Sympathy” by Paul Laurence Dunbar and “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry. Like…huh? I prompt AI to create an overarching Essential Question connecting texts within a unit. In this particular case, AI offers: How do internal desires and external forces shape human behavior, and what are the consequences of the choices people make? Now we’re talking! The ChatGPT response also outlines how each text applies to the Essential Question and central themes connecting multiple texts.

Pro Tips!

Create or Elevate! I’ve also used ChatGPT to elevate Essential Questions already provided in our district frameworks to challenge students and encourage more divergent thinking. For example, 8th grade has an “identity” unit where the proposed Essential Question is: What makes you, you? To me, this is not going to maintain interest nor encourage deeper thinking during a 6-week study. I prompted ChatGPT to elevate this question and it suggested: Is identity something we create, inherit, or have imposed upon us? Definitely an improvement.

Bottom line: offer what you already have, and let AI bring it to the level you know will increase your students’ learning and engagement.

Prompts to Get Started:

• Create an overarching Essential Question for the texts [list texts in unit] revolving around the central theme(s) of [theme].
• Elevate the Essential Question [old EQ] to encourage more divergent thinking.
• Create an overarching essential question for a unit on [theme] with individual essential questions for each of these texts [list texts].

9. Efficiently Analyze Student Data

Sofi Ahlberg, 6-8th Grade ELA

A huge time saver when it comes to data-driven instruction is using GenAI to analyze student data and feedback so that I can make intentional improvements to my instruction based on many different data points. I’m a huge data nerd and I love my spreadsheets, but as a middle school teacher, juggling 100+ data points from many different collection methods is a lot to manage. I’ll export my gradebook for a unit to a spreadsheet and have GenAI analyze the data, by identifying the mean, median, and mode trends across formative and summative assessments. This method helps me recognize student growth on specific skills throughout the unit and determine potential factors that led individual students to earn outlying scores.

I also request qualitative feedback from my students through Google Forms after each unit. These forms ask questions that encourage students to reflect on their personal growth and provide feedback on their experience in the class. Form responses can be exported to a spreadsheet. While I do review each individual student’s responses, their feedback becomes far more actionable when I ask AI to organize it into overarching themes and practical next steps for me as a teacher.

Pro Tip!

Be sure to remove personally identifiable student information or use a GenAI platform that is encrypted and private to your school or district.

Quantitative Prompt Example: [Attach your spreadsheet.] Analyze the attached data using descriptive statistics to help me recognize upward trends, areas for improvement, and outlying scores. Then, based on your analysis, recommend actionable next steps to improve my instruction of these skills.

Qualitative Prompt Example: Draft an analysis using thematic coding for the following responses: [paste student responses from spreadsheet]. Then, based on the emerging themes, recommend actionable next steps I can take to improve my instruction for students.

10. Level Texts for Different Complexities

Melissa Kruse, Secondary Instructional Coach

One way I’ve saved time using artificial intelligence in the classroom is by using AI to level classic short stories for different reading abilities. For example, I can take a story like “The Gift of the Magi” and use AI to generate versions tailored to different grade levels. What used to take me hours now takes minutes. I make sure to request versions that keep the original dialogue and preserve the rich figurative language, so students still experience the heart of the story. This has made it so much easier to support all my learners while still teaching meaningful literature.

Pro Tip!

To retain the dialogue and rich figurative language of a classic short story while adjusting the reading level, I carefully craft a prompt that clearly communicates these priorities. 

Here’s an example of an effective prompt I’ve used:

“Please rewrite [story title] at a [desired grade level] reading level. Keep the original dialogue and preserve as much of the figurative language and tone as possible. Simplify vocabulary and sentence structure only where necessary for comprehension, but do not remove literary elements that contribute to the story’s voice, mood, or character development.”

Why this works:

This prompt sets boundaries for the AI — it emphasizes keeping key literary features intact while guiding changes only in support of accessibility. I can then tailor this further by specifying exact grade levels or target reading metrics like Lexile or Flesch-Kincaid scores.

AI is here to stay, and its use will only become more ubiquitous with time! I hope these 10 creative and ethical ways teachers are using artificial intelligence in the classroom to be more efficient and effective have provided you with some new ideas to play with on your own terms. If nothing else, I hope you walk away from this post feeling empowered. AI can be used with success and integrity to improve work-life balance.