Module 4 – Using Prebuilt Gems to Support Teaching, Learning and Assessment

[Pat Brennan]

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ASSIGNMENT

Write a forum post (150 words min) as a Reply to this post, reflecting on  one appropriate professional use of a prebuilt Gem and explain:

• The class level and curriculum context
• The limited task the Gem supported
• How you checked the output
• What you used, adapted or rejected
• One safeguarding or professional boundary
• Whether the Gem added value to your teaching, learning or assessment practice

Please also comment on at least one other participant’s post offering a supportive comment, question or suggestion.

Then, consider how Google Workspace and Prebuilt Gems could be used in School Self-Evaluation (SSE) at your school.

[Carol Smith]

I asked the Brainstorm Gem to help me with a practical idea to teach sixth class about surface area. The content returned was in line with the New Maths Curriculum, and was very useable in my classroom. The first suggestion was to use a cereal box, deconstruct it, and measure the sides. I really liked this idea, and as we had already explored shape nets, think this is a very practical exploration of surface area.

I rejected the second idea, covering a box using sticky notes, without allowing them to overlap and then calculate area using the measurement of the sticky notes. I feel that there are too many parts to this, and it may cause more confusion.

I did not enter any personal information about my class, or individual children, although I may ask for a similar simplified task to include children who struggle with maths concepts.

The Gem was valuable in giving me ideas on practical maths activities, as these are so important for children to engage in the new maths curriculum. The Gem suggested another activity which would help enhance the understanding of surface area and comparing it to volume which may be an interesting add on for more capable children.

I feel that these Gems are a valuable tool that will help in any classroom, once it is used responsibly and with professional judgement. SSE in schools may use these tools to suggest ways to improve pupil engagement, or enhance teaching and learning in specific areas.

[Nicola Healy]

I can see why you rejected the idea of covering the box with sticky notes.  This could become really messy, especially when students have spaces that don’t fit a complete sticky note, etc. and there could be a lot of paper and boxes everywhere but not much learning.

[Helen Ryan]

Hi Carol, thanks for your reply.
The use of the Brainstorm Gem to explore surface area for sixth class aligns with the hands-on, inquiry-based goals of the new PMC.

Your professional judgment in accepting the concrete cereal box net activity while rejecting the overlapping sticky notes idea is a perfect example of keeping a robust human-in-the-loop approach.

Not alone that but  your commitment to data privacy data boundaries by omitting identifying class details is spot on.

From an SSE perspective, leveraging Prebuilt Gems to brainstorm target interventions is a highly effective way to enhance pupil engagement and elevate classroom practice.

[Keara Sweeney]

Hi Carol,

using Gems for the New Maths Curriculum is a great idea.  It is meant to be practical, hands on activities and sometimes it is hard to keep coming with these ideas.  Using safe prompts, reviewing, adapting and using professional judgement, a wide variety of suggestions are available to suit a variety of pupils.

I would agree with your decision to discard the sticky note activity, learning would be lost here.

I have definitly changed how I use prompts after this module.

[Tim Behan]

Hi Carol, I really like your idea of using gems to help generate ideas for teaching maths to 6th class. I also teach 6th class and it can sometimes be tricky to come up with fun and engaging activities for certain topics. I think this is a great resource to help generate ideas to make topics which can sometimes be very pen and paper focused more engaging and fun.

[Deirdre Ui Bhroin]

I think you were right to reject the sticky note idea, I would have too! The notes would have to be cut and I agree that it would cause more confusion than anything. It can be hard to come up with new ideas and Gem seems like it can really help here, alongside our own experience and professional judgement.

[Nicola Healy]

I used the Brainstorm idea to generate ideas for lesson starters to introduce the topic of community for a Third Class Geography lesson.

I liked the idea of the Zoom In Zoom Out Village Detective as I think it would hook the children and get them engaged and interested, which is what I want for a lesson starter.

I rejected the soundscape idea and the design an icon for the village idea – as I think we would have to have done some work on our local community to generate clever relevant icons.

I didn’t mention children’s names or exactly where our village is but kept it general in that we were close to both rural and urban areas.

I think the brainstorming Gem would add to the teaching and learning in my classroom as it helps me to think of interesting and engaging lesson starters and moves the learning away from the ideas suggested in the text book only.  Then the text books can be used for some of the lesson but not necessarily for the whole lesson and we can focus on the skills needed to be a geographer.

[Carol Smith]

I like the idea that children get to be detectives while exploring their own communities, this is a sure way to engage children in any task!

Designing a village icon would be tricky, it might be more suited if you wanted to advertise your village as a tourist destination.

The brainstorm gem is a great way of getting starter ideas for lessons.

[Helen Ryan]

Hi Nicola,

Thank you for your engagement with Module 4 and for your reflection.
This is a wonderful example of using a prebuilt Gem effectively. Targeting a third class geography lesson on community is a great curriculum context and using it for the limited task of brainstorming hooks like the “Village Detective” idea works perfectly.
Keeping your prompt general without specific location details or student names shows an excellent understanding of data safeguarding boundaries and aligns with AI Guidance. Moving away from total reliance on the textbook to focus on active geography skills really adds value to the learner experience.

[Sarah Bredin]

I really liked your idea of using the Zoom In Zoom Out Village Detective as a lesson starter. I agree that it would be a great way to capture the children’s attention and get them thinking before introducing the topic.
I think that one of the biggest benefits of using the Brainstormer Gem is it provides lots of ideas but we can use our professional judgement to choose the ones that best meet our class needs. I also agree that it encourages us to move beyond the textbook and think of more engaging ways to introduce new topics. The textbook is good for facts and information but activities like these can help develop children’s curiosity and encourage them to ask questions, think critically and become more active participants in their own learning.

[Sarah Bredin]

I asked the Brainstormer Gem to help me plan a 5th Class History lesson to support our work on The Great Famine while linking with the novel Under the Hawthorn Tree. I wanted to find an activity that would encourage pupils to think about what life was like for children during this period.
One suggestion was for pupils to create a newspaper front page reporting on events during the Famine. I adapted the activity by asking pupils to work in pairs so they could discuss ideas and support one another before creating their final newspaper. It also suggested including a checklist of key features, such as a headline, illustration, caption and eyewitness account which I think are great to help pupils produce a well-structured piece of work.
Another suggestion was to create a timeline using information generated by the Gem. I decided not to use this as timelines can be used for a number of topics and I wanted pupils to get use of their knowledge based on the novel also.
I checked the information provided by the Gem against reliable sources and made sure the language and activities were suitable for 5th Class pupils. I did not enter any pupil names, school details or personal information.
The Gem was a useful planning tool because it generated ideas quickly and helped me think of different ways to approach a topic that I have previously taught. I still needed to review, adapt and decide which activity best suited my class and the lesson objectives.

[Helen Ryan]

Hi Sarah, thanks for your engagement in Module 4.
Using the Brainstormer Gem to bridge historical exploration of the Great Famine with the novel <i data-path-to-node=”1,0″ data-index-in-node=”162″>Under the Hawthorn Tree</i> is great. Your decision to adapt the newspaper front page into a collaborative paired task, complete with a structured feature checklist, provides fantastic scaffolding for fifth class.
Verifying the historical accuracy against reliable sources and maintaining strict data privacy boundaries demonstrate professional practice. This perfectly illustrates how AI tools serve as valuable planning tool that still rely entirely on teacher judgment to refine lessons and elevate pupil learning experiences.

[Alan O’Connor]

I like how you left out the timeline activity. That would probably be an activity you would’ve thought of on your own. The other suggestions seemed really useful. Using the gem to give you ideas for a novel study would help break away from the common activities of comprehension quizzes/chapter reviews etc. The newspaper activity would help keep the children interested and also support recount and report writing alongside the narrative of the novel.

[Victoria Murphy]

This is an interesting example. I think I can echo the appeal of Using Gemini and Gems in relation to generating ideas quickly. If the use goes no further than that it has been a useful tool.

[Keara Sweeney]

<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>I first tried ‘The Chess Champ’ as we start to teach chess in 3rd class.  However, it told me that it was unavailable. </span>

<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>So I picked the Brainstorming Gem and asked the following…</span>

<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Can I have an idea to introduce the topic of planting sunflowers for a 3rd class Primary school, can I have an explanation for science and an alternative explanation with simpler language and images. Can I have ideas for review and assessment please? </span>

<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>I liked the ‘Mystery Seed’ Game as an introduction, I felt they would get the most learning from this, as opposed to ‘The Time-Lapse Show’.  This I would omit.</span>

<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>It gave me 2 very nice pieces of text with images for differentiation for pupils with Literacy difficulties without naming them or adding any medical or diagnostic details. The language was also appropriate and the tone nice for both. </span>

<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>As for review, it offered 3 suggestions from creative writing, maths integration or Drama Role Play.  Very inclusive options for everyone in the class. </span>

<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>The ideas definitely added value to the lesson, I don’t think I would have come up with the variety of ideas myself!</span>

[Cathal Scarry]

Hi Keara,

I completely agree with your approach, switching to the Brainstormer Gem was a clever pivot! I spend a lot of time working with withdrawal groups in SET. I have to be specific and targeted in my lessons. It is very time constrained. Having an AI tool generate differentiated starting points makes planning targeted interventions so much easier.

[Alan O’Connor]

I chose to use the Story Book gem to assist with an SPHE lesson on bullying for 3rd class. I asked Gemini to create a social story with the intention of outlining the three main types of bullying: verbal, physical and emotional bullying. The story book output that I got was really well crafted and looked very impressive at first glance. I read through it and noticed that the language was quite complex for 3rd class children and also took into consideration that I have children with EAL in my class also.

I asked Gemini to adapt it for children who do not have English as their first language and for those who may require less mature vocabulary. I ensured that I didn’t include any specific pupil names or needs and kept the adaptations very general. Although the updated output was more suitable, I felt the story and pictures were not very diverse. I think when I said the story was for an Irish primary school, it created a story that had very stereotypical Irish names and themes. It would not be time efficient to adapt this story and I would perhaps be better off researching stories in different SPHE programs to use with my class. I would use the images and idea of a ‘toolkit of power’ to deal with bullying that the output suggested. I would use this to support teaching the topic as opposed to reading it with the class.

I do like the feature though and could see it being useful for more lighter topics in SPHE like healthy eating or promoting teamwork. I would still need to read through the stories and take parts out that were not relevant or appropriate for my own class. I would use this gem again but I would input more prompts for key messages and events I want the story to contain.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Alan,

Thank you for this post and for sharing this activity. I think it shows a really sensible and practical use of AI tools to give us ideas towards making a task more accessible for children learning English as an additional language. This is something that might be tricky for many of us. and having such valuable suggestions from an AI tool can really enrich the learning of all children in the class. Your interpretation of how AI can help us is also very refreshing – understanding that a lot of the ideas may not be suitable is so important, as we use the knowledge we have of the children we teach and of teaching itself to tailor this to enhance the learning experiences of all is how we should all view the use of AI for teachers.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Alan,

Thank you for this post and for sharing this activity. I think it shows a really sensible and practical use of AI tools to give us ideas towards making a task more accessible for children learning English as an additional language. This is something that might be tricky for many of us. and having such valuable suggestions from an AI tool can really enrich the learning of all children in the class. Your interpretation of how AI can help us is also very refreshing – understanding that a lot of the ideas may not be suitable is so important, as we use the knowledge we have of the children we teach and of teaching itself to tailor this to enhance the learning experiences of all is how we should all view the use of AI for teachers.

[Sinead Boylan]

That was a great idea to try it for a social story for a SPHE lesson.  I must have a play around with this element too. Maybe for next time you could use different language in your prompt, such as “modern, multicutural classroom with diverse names”.  It might give a better output and be more appropiate for your class.

[Eva Ryan]

I totally agree with you on this—it’s so easy to waste ages re-prompting the AI when grabbing an actual SPHE book off the shelf is just way faster! I’ve noticed the exact same thing when you mention an Irish primary context; it always seems to default to funny stereotypes rather than what our classrooms actually look like today. Love that you still salvaged the “toolkit of power” idea though, that sounds like a brilliant visual for 3rd class to hold onto. Definitely agree it’s probably much better suited to lighter topics like healthy eating or teamwork where you don’t have to be quite as delicate with the wording!

[Keara Sweeney]

I first tried ‘The Chess Champ’ as we start to teach chess in 3rd class. However, it told me that it was unavailable.

So I picked the Brainstorming Gem and asked the following…
Can I have an idea to introduce the topic of planting sunflowers for a 3rd class Primary school, can I have an explanation for science and an alternative explanation with simpler language and images. Can I have ideas for review and assessment please?
I liked the ‘Mystery Seed’ Game as an introduction, I felt they would get the most learning from this, as opposed to ‘The Time-Lapse Show’. This I would omit.

It gave me 2 very nice pieces of text with images for differentiation for pupils with Literacy difficulties without naming them or adding any medical or diagnostic details. The language was also appropriate and the tone nice for both.

As for review, it offered 3 suggestions from creative writing, maths integration or Drama Role Play. Very inclusive options for everyone in the class.

The ideas definitely added value to the lesson, I don’t think I would have come up with the variety of ideas myself!

[Paul Munroe]

This example shows the tool being used in a very realistic way, Keara. You tried one option, and it didn’t work, so you moved on and found something useful anyway. That’s probably what using these ai tools will be like in real life too.

[Sinead Boylan]

I used the Brainstorm Gem for a 3rd Class Science unit on Magnetism. I used the Gem to draft a quick, five question formative assessment quiz to check students’ understanding of magnetic attraction, repulsion, and non-magnetic materials midway through the topic.
To verify the output, I carefully reviewed every question against the 3rd Class Science curriculum learning outcomes, checking that the language was accessible for 9 and 10 year olds and that concepts like magnetic poles were explained accurately.
I used three of the simple multiple-choice questions directly. I adapted one scenario-based question about testing objects around the classroom to use everyday items that my students recognised (like brass paper fasteners and plastic rulers). Finally, I rejected a question that introduced electromagnetic fields, as that content was well beyond the required depth for 3rd class.
In terms of safeguarding and professional boundaries, I maintained strict data privacy by never including any student names, assessment results, or identifying specific school information into the tool (I have mentioned that it is a DEIS 2 and north Dublin school).
Ultimately, the Gem added great value to my assessment practice. It served as an efficient brainstorming partner, saving me preparation time while allowing me to easily create age-appropriate diagnostic questions.

[Paul Munroe]

This is a good example, Sinead, of using AI without just accepting everything it gives you. I like that you used the tool for something quite focused, a short formative quiz, rather than trying to get it to create a whole unit. The way you checked the questions afterwards is really important. It’s easy for AI to throw in something that sounds impressive but isn’t actually suitable for the class level, like the electromagnetic fields question you mentioned. That was a good call to leave it out. I also liked that you adapted one of the questions to include objects the children would actually recognise. That’s the kind of teacher judgement AI can’t really replace. The quiz becomes much more useful when it connects to the real classroom and the materials pupils have handled themselves.

[Dee Duignan]

You used your own professional judgement checking the curriculum and thinking about where your own class was at instead of what ai gave you. You rejected the part that your class wouldn’t be able to access which helps the lesson run much more smoothly. The gem looks like it will be really beneficial for assessment activities.

[Angela McGahern]

Hi Sinead, I like this magentism lesson.  The five question formative assessment quiz to check students’ understanding of magnetic attraction, repulsion, and non-magnetic materials midway through the topic is very inclusive but yet informs the teacher of their learning. The quiz became more relevant when it connected to the classroom and the materials pupils handled. The strict data privacy by not including any student names, assessment results, or identifying specific school information shows excellent safeguarding and professional boundaries.

[Angela McGahern]

I used the Brainstorm idea to generate ideas for lesson starters to introduce the topic of respiration for a fifth Class Science lesson. I selected the Pulse Check which involved the students sit perfectly still for 30 seconds and count their breaths. However, I rejected the Mirror Fog Experiment involving handing out small handheld mirrors or let students breathe closely onto a classroom window activity as I felt it was an irrelevant Hook. I also felt this was a fun activity but it had no actual link to the learning objective. I checked the information provided by the Gem against educational sources and ensured the language and activities were suitable for 5th Class pupils. AI tools serve as valuable planning tool but they still rely entirely on teacher judgment to refine lessons and elevate pupil learning experiences. I then evaluated children’s responses as they recorded their breath rates . I didn’t mention children’s identity, race or medical history but kept it to Irish 5th class pupils.
Brainstorming Gem added value to learning by acting as a custom AI teaching partner that speeds up lesson design, sparks student creativity and diversifies assessment tasks. It saves teacher preparation time and targets individual needs without doing the critical thinking for the student. Text books could accompany some lessons if requested but it is not necessary for the lesson.

[Paul Munroe]

I like how you used the ai tool here, Angela, but still kept your own judgment at the centre of it. The “Pulse Check” is a good starter for respiration because it links straight into the children’s own bodies and gives them something simple to notice before getting into the science. Checking the information yourself and adjusting it for 5th class is an important step too. AI still needs the teacher to decide what is useful, accurate, and suitable for the class.

[Sandra Dunne]

This is such a fantastic example of using a Gem for focused, high-impact lesson design!

Your application of teacher judgment here is spot on. Filtering out the mirror fogging activity because it didn’t directly align with your core learning objective highlights exactly why AI is a partner in planning rather than a replacement for professional insight. It’s so easy for activities to be “fun,” but keeping the focus sharp on the actual Science concepts makes all the difference.

Using the Pulse Check as a quiet, active starter sounds like a brilliant way to build immediate self-awareness and practical data collection into a respiration lesson. Plus, your careful attention to safeguarding and keeping pupil data completely anonymous shows a really strong grasp of digital safety standards.

Out of curiosity, did the pupils find any unexpected patterns in their breath counts during the Pulse Check, or did it lead into a nice discussion on how our bodies adapt during physical activity vs. rest?

Great work using the tool to save prep time while keeping high pedagogical standards at the centre!

[Tim Behan]

I used the brainstorm gem to generate practical ideas for assisting with the teaching of percentages to 6^th class in line with the new maths curriculum. The gem provided three suggested hands on activities, I rejected two of the activities as I thought they might be too complicated in terms of working out percentages, one such activity was to organise an event and to determine percentages of seating which I felt was a bit too broad and would need more clearly defined parameters. The suggested idea I chose was to work in groups to take on the role of match analysts and analyse the data from a recent match to work out percentages such as shots converted etc. I adapted the idea by simplifying and clearly specifying the data to be used to allow the children to work out the percentages at their level. As a safeguarding measure, I made sure not to include any student data or personal information. I really like this idea and think it would be a fun and engaging way to develop the class understanding of the topic. The brainstorm gem is very useful for generating ideas to help enhance teaching of various topics.

[Paul Munroe]

This is a great use of the Brainstorm Gem Tim. Percentages can be a tricky topic for 6th class, so linking it to match analysis is a clever way to make it feel a bit more real for them. The group work element would work well too, especially if the children enjoy sport or data. Children who don’t normally get excited about maths might be more motivated and eager if they feel like they’re taking on the role of sports analysts.

[Dee Duignan]

Love this idea, I have always struggled teaching percentages and trying to make it meaningful and transferrable, I will definitely be trying this out!

[Deirdre Ui Bhroin]

I currently don’t have access to Gems within my Google workspace but this is how I envisage using it, based on the content in this module. My class is mixed Autism class and for the purpose of this assessment, I am aiming it at Rang 2, English reading lesson, with a focus on developing vocabulary. The learning objective would be for pupils to identify key vocabulary from a familiar story and use simple sentences to describe characters using visual supports and oral language.

The Gem would be used for a limited task; to generate differentiated vocabulary lists, picture supported discussion prompts, and simple comprehension questions. I would check the outputs against the lesson objective, to see if they match my pupils’ individual communication and learning needs. I would also ensure the language was age appropriate and accessible. I would use the vocabulary prompts, adapt the comprehension questions by adding visuals and AAC supports where needed, and reject any suggestions that were too language heavy or unsuitable for my pupils.

A key professional boundary would be ensuring that no pupil names, personal information, or assessment data were entered into the Gem.

I think that the Gem could be very helpful in reducing planning time, while supporting differentiation. I am looking forward to having it enabled and seeing how it can enhance my teaching and pupil’s learning!

[Kevin Byrne]

Hi Deirdre,

I’m starting to think they might help SSE, at least in small ways. The pre‑built AI Gems won’t magically fix SSE, but they could take the edge off some of the routine bits — quick evidence capture, tidy summaries, or even simple staff check‑ins. If they lighten the load even a little, that’s worth exploring.

[Niall Hickey]

I really like your example of how you could use the Brainstorm Gem with your Rang 2 class. Using it to create differentiated vocabulary lists and picture-supported prompts could be a great way of supporting pupils with different communication and learning needs. I also think it is important that you highlighted the need to check and adapt the Gem’s suggestions rather than using them without reviewing them.
Your point about keeping pupil information private is particularly important when using AI in an educational setting. I can see how a Gem could save time when planning while still allowing the teacher to use their professional judgement to make sure activities are appropriate for individual pupils.

[Robbie McHugh]

I dont have access to gems either but I am going to try to figure out how to access it through our admin permissions in work. As far as using it I would be comfortable having a go myself but I see it as a more advanced tool that I definitely need to practice on before encouraging other staff to do so.
I like how you have adapted th instructions to suit your own class as I see this as one of the more powerful ways to use Ai.

[Dee Duignan]

<p data-path-to-node=”3,0,0″>Class Level: 3rd Class</p>
<p data-path-to-node=”3,0,0″>SESE History <i data-path-to-node=”3,1,0″ data-index-in-node=”35″>Strand:</i> Early Peoples and Ancient Societies- <i data-path-to-node=”3,1,0″ data-index-in-node=”80″>The Vikings</i></p>
<p data-path-to-node=”3,1,1,0,0″>I used the gems to create lesson starters focused specifically on “The Big Dig” and archaeological methods used to discover Viking Dublin.</p>
<p data-path-to-node=”3,1,1,0,0″>Gem gave me the following lesson ideas</p>

<li data-path-to-node=”3,1,1,0,0″>mystery box where the students can dig up some picture of artefacts
<li data-path-to-node=”3,1,1,0,0″>trash or treasure- revealing items bit by bit on the whiteboard and asking questions
<li data-path-to-node=”3,1,1,0,0″>100 year layer challenge- placing items in the right layer of soil
<li data-path-to-node=”3,1,1,0,0″>True or false Quick-fire 2-minute Stand Up / Sit Down game to bust myths before starting the dig topic.

<p data-path-to-node=”3,1,1,0,0″>I looked at the ideas and how they aligned with the curriculum and if they were pitched at the right age level and for the needs of my class. I also wanted to make sure the starters romoted active inquiry and critical thinking rather than passive listening.</p>
<p data-path-to-node=”3,1,1,0,0″>I used the quick fire true or false idea and Shoe-Box Dig ideas directly, as they offer clear, tactile, and visual hooks for 3rd Class pupils. I adapted the trash or treasure to be like a lesson starter I did with 5th class- the celts previously. The activity was viking or not. I would show them a picture of an artefact and they would have tpo decide if it was a viking artefact or not and each child would vote by holding up  green for yes or red for not.</p>
<p data-path-to-node=”3,1,1,0,0″>I rejected the <i data-path-to-node=”12,1,0″ data-index-in-node=”22″>100-Year Layer Challenge</i> of placing things in the right layer of soil as I think my pupils would find this less interesting than the other tasks,</p>
<p data-path-to-node=”15,0,0″>I ensured no personal pupil data, school names, or confidential information were shared. I maintained my professional teacher judgement by not accepting ai activities as they are suggested.</p>
<p data-path-to-node=”15,0,0″>I think the gem activities added great benefits to teaching, learning and assessment. It saved a lot of prep time by quickly creating engaging lesson hooks. <b>I feel the childen’s learning and engagement would be e</b>nhanced inquiry, tactile tasks, and myth-busting questions from the start of the lesson. Formative assessment could be aided by assessing prior knowledge with the true or false round.</p>

[Dee Duignan]

<p data-path-to-node=”2″><b data-path-to-node=”2″ data-index-in-node=”0″>Class Level:</b> 3rd Class</p>
<p data-path-to-node=”3″><b data-path-to-node=”3″ data-index-in-node=”0″>SESE History Strand:</b> Early Peoples and Ancient Societies – <i data-path-to-node=”3″ data-index-in-node=”59″>The Vikings</i></p>
<p data-path-to-node=”4″>I used the gems to create lesson starters focused specifically on “The Big Dig” and archaeological methods used to discover Viking Dublin.</p>
<p data-path-to-node=”5″>Gem gave me the following lesson ideas:</p>

<ul data-path-to-node=”6″>

• <p data-path-to-node=”6,0,0″>Mystery box where the students can dig up some pictures of artefacts</p>
• <p data-path-to-node=”6,1,0″>Trash or treasure – revealing items bit by bit on the whiteboard and asking questions</p>
• <p data-path-to-node=”6,2,0″>100-year layer challenge – placing items in the right layer of soil</p>
• <p data-path-to-node=”6,3,0″>True or false quick-fire 2-minute Stand Up / Sit Down game to bust myths before starting the dig topic</p>

<p data-path-to-node=”7″>I looked at the ideas and how they aligned with the curriculum and if they were pitched at the right age level and for the needs of my class. I also wanted to make sure the starters promoted active inquiry and critical thinking rather than passive listening.</p>
<p data-path-to-node=”8″>I used the quick fire true or false idea and Shoe-Box Dig ideas directly, as they offer clear, tactile, and visual hooks for 3rd Class pupils. I adapted the trash or treasure to be like a lesson starter I did with 5th Class (the Celts) previously. The activity was “Viking or Not”. I would show them a picture of an artefact and they would have to decide if it was a Viking artefact or not, and each child would vote by holding up green for yes or red for no.</p>
<p data-path-to-node=”9″>I rejected the <i data-path-to-node=”9″ data-index-in-node=”15″>100-Year Layer Challenge</i> of placing things in the right layer of soil as I think my pupils would find this less interesting than the other tasks.</p>
<p data-path-to-node=”10″>I ensured no personal pupil data, school names, or confidential information were shared. I maintained my professional teacher judgement by not accepting AI activities exactly as they are suggested.</p>
<p data-path-to-node=”11″>I think the Gem activities added great benefits to teaching, learning, and assessment. It saved a lot of prep time by quickly creating engaging lesson hooks. I feel the children’s learning and engagement would be enhanced through inquiry, tactile tasks, and myth-busting questions from the start of the lesson. Formative assessment could be aided by assessing prior knowledge with the true or false round.</p>

[Victoria Murphy]

This Module introduced the use of Gems as a support tool for teachers – again with teacher making the final decision in relation to the use of content. Unfortunately I do not have Gems access on my Gemini tool so I was unable to create any queries myself. However I engaged with the examples in the tutorial.

The use of a Gem adds value in that it provides a focus from step 1 – whether that be brainstorming or other. But the foremost focus needs still to be in relation to the aspect of practice that you are trying to support, always starting with the intended learning. The teacher still needs to be mindful of accuracy, tone and language, age suitability, classroom aligned, bias and representation.

The use of an existing Gem saves perhaps one step in the process. 1 Select a Gem. 2 Enter a focus prompt. 3 Review the output. 4 Make a professional decision. Teacher needs to be mindful not to describe a pupil but to describe the support needed.

I think the real benefit of the Gem feature will be in the development of a school or class based Gem that aligns with particular curriculum or specification and maybe a three step process can be achieved. But I can see the potential for this.

SSE practice can also benefit from brainstorming ideas in relation to pupil engagement or pedagogy.

[Kevin Mullins]

I really appreciate your honesty about not having direct access to Gems yet, but your reflection on the tutorial examples is absolutely spot on! You highlighted a crucial point: whether we use a standard prompt or a prebuilt Gem, the absolute baseline must always be our intended learning and our own professional judgment regarding accuracy, tone, and age suitability.

Your breakdown of the four-step process is a great way to look at it. I completely agree with your safeguarding boundary about describing the support needed rather than describing a specific pupil—that is an essential rule for data privacy. Your idea about the real benefit being school-wide, custom-built Gems aligned directly to our curriculum is brilliant and would save so much time. When it comes to using it for SSE brainstorming on pedagogy or pupil engagement, what specific focus area in your school do you think a Gem would be most helpful for tackling first?

[Kevin Byrne]

First thought on the pre built gems was that they were not too far removed from the general AI interface. I found that the more I interacted with the Gem it coalesced more and more into straightforward AI but just offered options or a quiz at the end. Weirdly I would answer “dunno” to its quiz questions and would be congratulated with getting the answer correct!

Having used AI extensively to help repair technology in our school I am constantly aware of the tone and how misleading it can be. Confidence flows like a broad river through sometimes ridiculously wrong answers. For example I asked re overtaking in a new electric car and it assured me that 3 seconds of a gap is enough time. I decided not to test that one out live and rejected it!

AI can be a fantastic tool when used correctly and fact checked assiduously. Idea generation (as I see in our forum replies) is always excellent. I asked for an 8 lesson plan for 5th class students to introduce the topic of climate change, considering some students may have EAL and MGLDs, based in an Irish Primary School Context, with an assessment section that is based on UDL.

The lessons were very broad and needed to be adapted and focused. eg
Lesson 6: Climate Heroes Unit 1 – Renewable Energy Powers Up
LI: We are learning how wind, water, and sun help clean our air.
Starter Activity 1 (Tactile/Model): Pinwheel Blow Test – Blowing on mini paper wind turbines to generate mechanical motion.
Starter Activity 2 (Spot the Difference): Clean vs. Smoky Cities – Comparing two vibrant photos with zero text needed.
Main Focus: Building simple wind turbine models in small collaborative groups.

There were often enough content for several lessons. The LIs made sense but I would check them against the curriculum and might use a different AI engine (Copilot) to do this.

Short answer:
This Learning Intention aligns with Primary SESE (Science), Junior Cycle Science, Junior Cycle CSPE, and L1LP/L2LP Communication & Understanding in an Irish special‑school context.
For me I would use these tools to help plan (plans, lessons, redraft, etc) by using the idea generating skills while depending on my professional knowledge to reject, adapt, assess as needed. I would keep the prompts anonymous at all times by generalising.

[Laura Wickham]

I love the idea of using AI to check the curriculum. I thought about this during this model and wondered is it like an adaptation really? Could you after the intial prompt, prompt a fact check or upload school plan to see if it aligns. The real take for me from this module about fact checking or verification was the example of dyslexic friendly font- this is something I would never usually question in AI but I completely appreciate how important something like this would be!

[Niall Hickey]

I used the Brainstorm Gem with upper primary classes to help generate ideas for pupil activities. I kept the task quite limited by asking the Gem to suggest possible activities around a particular topic rather than asking it to plan an entire lesson or make decisions about learning outcomes. I found this useful for generating a range of ideas quickly, particularly when I wanted to provide pupils with different ways of engaging with a topic.

I checked the suggestions myself before using them with the class. I considered whether the activities were appropriate for the pupils’ age and ability, whether they linked to the curriculum and whether they were practical to carry out in the classroom. I adapted some of the suggestions to suit my pupils and rejected any that were unsuitable or did not add value.

A key professional boundary for me was not entering any personal or identifiable pupil information into the Gem. I also treated the suggestions as ideas rather than automatically accepting them as accurate or appropriate.
Overall, I think the Brainstorm Gem added value by saving time and helping me think of activities that I may not have considered. However, teacher judgement remained essential in selecting and adapting the ideas.

• This reply was modified 2 months, 4 weeks ago by Niall Hickey.

[Robbie McHugh]

I don’t have gems working but would ask the Brainstorm Gem to help me with a practical ways to teach fraction to fourth class. I would be sure to make as specific a prompt as possible: Using the new primary maths curriculum help me plan a practical activity for fourth class students. The children would need to revise simple fractions before moving on. Make the activities for mixed ability students and use paired work where possible.

The suggested activities were very useful: The main activity was this hands-on task, pairs construct physical fraction strips to discover equivalent fractions through folding, measuring, and matching.
This was an excellent idea because it paired the students while making the activity active which in my class would be very useful especially as a lot of the children need movement to help them.

I did change/adapt one activity Build & Prove “Each pair gets a set of fraction strips or cubes/counters. Call out a target simple fraction -Partner a build it while partner b records it. I felt this activity would not work as well in my classroom due to time constraint, it just wouldn’t be practical to swap around and repeat the activity in one lesson.

I kept the prompt broad and included “mixed ability” in the prompt to help with differentiation.

Gems can definitely help in the classroom but like most ai tools it needs to be edited and checked before output to students.

[Orla Holm]

Using the brainstorm gem to suggest activities would be an ideal use of the gem I believe.

[Dee Duignan]

Class level – 3rd class
SESE History- early people at ancient societies “The Vikings”
I use Gem to create lesson starters focused specifically on the big dig and archaeological methods used to discover Viking Dublin.
Gem gave me the following lesson ideas
• Mystery Box- Students can dig up some picture of artefacts with soil
• Trash or Treasure -revealing items bit by bit on the whiteboard and asking questions
• Hundred Year Layer Challenge- placing items in the right layer of soil
• True or False- quick fire two minute stand-up sit down game to assess before starting the dig topic
I looked at the ideas and how they aligned with the curriculum and if they are pitched at the right age level and for the needs of my class. I also wanted to make sure the starters promoted active learning and critical thinking rather than passive listening.
I used the quick fire true or false idea and shoebox mystery box ideas as they were suggested as they offer clear tactile and visual hooks for Class pupils
I adapted the trash or treasure to be like a lesson starter I did with fifth class previously when studying The Celts. The activity was a “Viking or not Viking”. I would show a picture of an artefact and the children would have to decide if it was a Viking artefact or not. Each child would vote by holding up Green for yes or red for no.
I rejected the hundred year challenge of placing things in the right layer as I think my pupils will find this less interesting than the other tasks and could lead to behavioural challenges
I ensured no personal pupil data, school names or confidential information were shared. I maintained my professional teacher judgement by not accepting AI activities as they are suggested. I think the Gem activities added great benefits to teaching learning and assessment. It saved a lot of prep time by quickly creating engaging lesson hooks I feel the children’s learning and engagement will be enhanced by enquiry based, sensory tasks and myth busting questions from the start of the lesson. Formative assessment could be aided by assessing prior knowledge with the true or false round.

[Maria Santos Blanco]

I really like how you adapted the Gem’s suggestions based on what you know works with your class. The “Viking or not Viking” activity sounds like a fun and engaging way to assess prior knowledge. Do you think you would use the Mystery Box activity again for other history topics?

[Sean Geraghty]

I really liked your use of the Brainstorming Gem to generate active lesson starters for teaching the Vikings in 3rd Class. In particular, I thought the “Viking or not Viking” activity was a very effective adaptation. Using the green and red cards gives every pupil an opportunity to participate and make a decision rather than relying on the same pupils to answer questions. It would also provide the teacher with a quick form of formative assessment to identify the children’s prior knowledge and any misconceptions before beginning the lesson.

One area that could possibly be developed further is the Mystery Box activity. After pupils uncover the pictures of artefacts, they could work in pairs or small groups to discuss what they think each object was used for and what it tells us about Viking life. This could encourage even more enquiry-based learning and historical thinking rather than simply identifying the artefacts.

I also agree with your decision to reject an AI-generated activity when you felt it might not suit your particular class. This highlights the importance of professional teacher judgement when using AI. The Gem can provide useful ideas and save planning time, but ultimately the teacher knows the pupils and can decide which activities will best support their learning and engagement.

[Lorna Hehir]

I really like how you have highlighted the importance of teacher judgement when using AI. I agree that AI can provide useful ideas, but the teacher knows the pupils and their individual needs best. Your suggestion of developing the Mystery Box activity through pair work or group discussion is also a great way to encourage active participation. One practical suggestion might be to use a simple exit ticket at the end of the lesson where pupils record one new fact they learned and one question they still have. This could help you assess understanding and inform future planning.

[Tommy Hayes]

I think using Gems for specific history topics or subjects is a great idea.  I presume that it will adapt to your needs and become more accurate in knowing what your particular requirements are.  It is a great addition and refinement in the use of Gemini.  I plan to create them for all curricular subjects and to vet some of my online planning to see if I can add value to them.  Your example of ‘Viking or not’ highlights to me how Gemini can add value to teaching.

[Maria Santos Blanco]

For this module, I used a prebuilt Gem to support my planning for an Autumn lesson with Junior Infants. I asked the Gem to suggest some short, practical activities to help children recognise autumn colours and vocabulary. One suggestion I found useful was a leaf-sorting activity where pupils sort leaves according to colour and size. I felt this was appropriate for my class because it was visual, hands-on and could be adapted for different abilities.I reviewed the suggestions carefully before deciding what I would use. Some of the activities were too complicated or required too much language, so I simplified them and added more visual and sensory support. I would always make the final decision about whether an activity is suitable for my pupils. A professional boundary I would maintain is not sharing any personal or identifiable information about pupils with the Gem. Overall, I found the Gem useful as a starting point for generating ideas, but teacher judgement is still essential.

• This reply was modified 2 months, 3 weeks ago by Maria Santos Blanco.

[Orla Holm]

• The class level and curriculum context

Class leave would be 3rd/4th autism classroom. Curriculum context would be technology/SPHE/general behaviour.

• The limited task the Gem supported

I used the storybook gem to attempt to create a social story for a child that finds it difficult to concentrate on anything in a room in which there is some kind of technology. The child struggles to focus on own task when there is a whiteboard, laptop, cd player in the background.

• How you checked the output

I checked the output by creating the storybook and evaluating it using my pwn professional judgement.

• What you used, adapted or rejected

I am conflicted with the result, as the gem suggests it created a storybook rather than a one page social story. I asked it to review the creation to one page but it was a limitation of the gem that it made it into a storybook. Now, admittedly the story book was very clear and covered everything exactly as I had asked it to do albeit in an undesired format. As I was going through the process I had to wonder if in the context of a child who is easily distracted by technology, the answer could be found in technology.

• One safeguarding or professional boundary

I did not input the details of the child or the needs of the child.

• Whether the Gem added value to your teaching, learning or assessment practice

I could definitely see how this Gem would add value to my teaching, the learning of the children and potentially to assessment practice. I suppose that the storybook gem wouldn’t really be one to use with assessment but it could certainly be used with reflection in mind.

[Eva Ryan]

Carrying on with my 6th class podcasting unit, I decided to give the prebuilt Brainstorming Gem a go to pull together a quick list of topic ideas and hooks for the pupils to choose from.
I kept its role pretty limited—just asked for engaging, age-appropriate topics for a 2-minute recording. When I went through the output, I kept a lot of the suggestions like sports debates, book reviews, and school life, and tweaked a few so they fit our local community a bit better. I threw out a good chunk of ideas that were either way too broad for a short audio clip or just felt too American for an Irish classroom context. On the safeguarding side, I kept it strictly on my end for prep—no pupil names, personal data, or student work ever went near the tool. Overall, it definitely adds value to my practice. Having a solid list of realistic topics ready to pop onto the pupil-facing slides saved me staring at a blank page, which meant I could spend my time getting the scaffolded templates and exit ticket sorted instead. For SSE, Google Workspace handles data collection, but Gems could save a mountain of admin time. They’d be brilliant for pulling key themes from survey comments, drafting SSP targets, and writing parent-friendly updates—provided all feedback is fully anonymised first for data privacy.

[Laura Wickham]

I used the storybook gem to help create a social story for our students’ first day of school in our new autism class. I tried to be as specific as possible with the prompt listing four learning activities the children will engage in e.g. colour sorting, playing with dinosaurs, outdoor activity and listening to story. I initially entered the teacher and SNAs names but then realised later in the module not to use identifiable prompts (safeguarding boundary). I would adapt this to the class teacher and special needs assistants.
The social story was very impressive, laid out like an actual story with text and pictures, page turning and also an audio option. It was so interesting to see the bias straight away in terms of ethnicity and gender of the characters in the story. This is something I would adapt for my school setting. There were also good ideas in the story of how to illustrate sequence- “Now it is time to go outside”, “It is storytime….”, “The school day is finished” etc. This tool can definitely add value to my teaching by enabling students to anticipate the routine of their first day through reading the story with their parents. I think there is huge scope for using tools like this to support the wellbeing curriculum.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Laura,

Thank you for your contribution here and for sharing your process around creating a social story for your return to school. This is such a practical use of AI tools and demonstrates a clear way of reducing the administrative burden on teachers. Designing this with Slides from scratch would take a significant amount of time – however, getting the outline completed based on clear prompts makes this so much less time-consuming on us. It is then a quick job to make small edits and include specifics, such as teacher names, school crests, images of specific children, etc.

[Sean Geraghty]

For this module, I used the prebuilt Brainstorming Gem to support my planning for a 4th Class History lesson on the Normans. The lesson focused on who the Normans were, their arrival in Ireland and the influence they had on Ireland, including the development of castles and towns.

I used the Brainstorming Gem for the limited task of generating ideas for activities that could make the topic more interesting and engaging for the pupils. It provided a range of suggestions that gave me a useful starting point for planning the lesson. I checked each suggestion to make sure it was historically accurate, appropriate for 4th Class and linked to the learning objectives. I used some of the ideas, adapted others to better suit the needs and abilities of my class, and rejected any that I felt were too complicated or not relevant to the lesson.

One important professional boundary is that I would never include pupils’ names or any personal or sensitive information when using the Gem. I would also never rely solely on the information generated without checking its accuracy against trusted resources.

Overall, I found that the Brainstorming Gem added value to my planning. It helped me come up with different approaches to teaching the Normans and saved some planning time. However, I still feel that the teacher’s knowledge of the curriculum and, most importantly, the pupils in the class is needed to decide which ideas will actually work in practice.

• This reply was modified 2 months, 2 weeks ago by Sean Geraghty.

[Tommy Hayes]

I created a gem called 5th Class Primary Maths to align with new primary curriculum goals and streamline my lesson planning. The specific task was generating strategies to teach multiplication tables to incoming 5th-class pupils, accounting for diverse learning styles.

The initial output offered solid, scaffolded ideas, but I wanted deeper differentiation. I prompt-engineered it further to focus on ‘low floor, high ceiling’ tasks. From the refined response, I adapted the target board games and missing factor puzzles for my stations, while rejecting a few overly abstract theoretical activities.

To review the output, I cross-referenced the suggested strategies against the Primary Mathematics Curriculum learning outcomes and checked the mathematical logic for appropriateness. Regarding safeguarding, I maintained strict professional boundaries by ensuring no individual student data or identifiable information was entered into the Gem.

Ultimately, this Gem adds genuine value to my teaching practice. It acts as an instant sounding board for active learning methodologies, saving me from digging through old chat histories while ensuring my instruction remains fresh, inclusive, and curriculum-aligned.

 

• This reply was modified 2 months, 2 weeks ago by Tommy Hayes.
• This reply was modified 2 months, 2 weeks ago by Tommy Hayes.

[Cathal Scarry]

I work with a 4th Class Special Education Team (SET) withdrawal group focusing on small-group literacy support (specifically targeting reading comprehension and vocabulary development). I used the Brainstormer Gem for the limited task of generating interactive, low-stakes game ideas to introduce and reinforce new target vocabulary words before diving into a shared text.
I adopted a “Vocabulary Charades & Context Clues” activity, which suited my group’s kinaesthetic learning styles. However, I rejected a multi-step written matching game because the heavy decoding load would have frustrated two of my pupils and detracted from the core learning goal. The Whiteboard Word-Trace Relay. It is based around 8 Dolch words. It gives both pupils on a team an active, simultaneous role—one getting up for physical movement, the other getting hands-on practice with word formation keeping the game fast, fun, and super low-stress.

To maintain strict data privacy, I ensured no pupil names, specific learning needs, or IEP goals were entered into the prompt. I framed the prompt strictly around general 4th Class reading level adaptations.

The Gem added clear value by giving me quick, fresh ideas to scaffold learning. It allowed me to move away from static worksheets while relying on my professional judgment to choose what best supported my pupils.

In terms of School Self-Evaluation (SSE), Google Workspace and Prebuilt Gems can be brilliant for driving targeted literacy and numeracy interventions. We can then prompt Gems to brainstorm explicit whole-school or small-group teaching strategies aligned with our School Improvement Plan.

[Sandra Dunne]

Reflection Post: Using a Custom Idea-Generator Gem for Primary History

Class Level & Curriculum Context:

5th Class | SESE History (Strand: Early Peoples and Ancient Societies, Strand Unit: The Vikings / Working as a Historian).

Limited Task Supported:

I used a custom “Lesson Strategy Gem” for a narrow brainstorming task: generating three active, inquiry-based lesson starter hooks focused on everyday Viking trade, settlement, and navigation in Ireland (specifically looking at longphorts like Dublin/Waterford).

Output Check & Adaptation:

I evaluated the Gem’s draft against the primary history curriculum guidelines. The AI initially suggested a horned-helmet art activity and a glorified raid scenario. I rejected the horned helmets (mythology vs. evidence) and adapted the raid scenario into a balanced comparative diary entry—exploring both an Irish monk’s perspective and a Viking trader’s journey along Irish riverways. I retained a brilliant suggestion using map work to locate Viking settlements.

Safeguarding & Professional Boundaries:

I ensured zero Pupil Identifiable Information (PII) was used. The prompt focused strictly on general pedagogical ideas and curriculum outcomes.

Value Added:

The Gem saved valuable prep time by offering a fast foundation for active learning. However, professional teacher judgment remains essential to filter out historical myths and align activities with true historical enquiry.

Google Workspace & Gems for School Self-Evaluation (SSE)

Google Workspace and custom Gems can streamline the School Self-Evaluation (SSE) process across the six-step review cycle aligned with Looking at Our School:

Evidence Gathering (Google Forms & Sheets): Google Forms can collect anonymous baseline data from pupils, staff, and parents regarding digital learning, literacy, or well-being. Responses automatically populate Google Sheets, allowing SSE coordinators to analyze trends with clean charts.

Data Synthesis & SIP Drafting (Custom Gems): A dedicated “SSE Analysis Gem” can be created by inputting anonymized feedback summary points alongside Looking at Our School quality indicators. The Gem can assist in drafting clear targets, actions, and success criteria for the School Improvement Plan (SIP).

Collaborative Review (Google Docs & Drive): Staff can collaboratively refine the SIP in real-time, leaving comments and tracking changes on shared Google Docs, creating a live, transparent folder in Google Drive for all SSE documentation.

[Eoghan O’Neill]

Hi Sandra,

Thank you for your post here and for giving us all some very important tips when using AI. You have clearly been able to incorporate AI suggestions with your own content knowledge to select the bits that you feel are relevant. Knowing that some of the suggestions are veering away from the curriculum or factual information on a particular period is crucial. So much content available online is not accurate, and this is a good lesson for all adults/children around being selective with the information gathered and making informed decisions with it.

[Lorna Hehir]

In my EAL setting I used the Brainstormer gem to support planning for 1st/2nd class oral language lesson on ‘My Home’. I used the gem to generate simple and engaging activities to develop pupils vocabulary and oral language skills.
The Brainstormer suggested activities such as matching pictures and words, describing rooms in a house and using sentence starters such as “In my kitchen I can see…..” It also suggested a voice recording activity, where pupils can record themselves using the new vocabulary and sentence starters. This gives pupils an opportunity to practice speaking, listen back to their own sentences and also improve pronunciation.
I checked the suggestions to make sure they were suitable for the pupils age, language level and learning needs. I selected some ideas, simplified the language and added visual supports. I rejected suggestions that were too difficult for my group.
As a safeguard, I did not enter any pupil names, personal information or assessment data into the gem. Any voice recordings would be completed using the schools approved digital platform and not uploaded to the gem.
The Brainstormer gem added value by helping me generate a range of ideas quickly, while I remained responsible for selecting and adapting the activities to meet the needs of my EAL pupils.

[Kevin Mullins]

I used a prebuilt “Differentiated Content Creator” Gem to support a pre-teaching. approach for a 4th Class SESE (Geography & Science) unit on Irish Bogs and Peatlands. The limited task delegated to the Gem was drafting a simplified, repetitive five-sentence story template incorporating three target keywords (turf, bog, habitat) for a student with working memory challenges.

To check the output, I reviewed the text line-by-line against our curriculum goals to ensure the reading age was strictly accessible. I used the narrative structure and vocabulary repetition, but adapted the formatting to include clear visual layout placeholders and rejected a paragraph of generic background facts that would have caused cognitive overload. As a strict professional boundary, I never inputted personal student details, data, or names into the Gem, using a generic descriptor offline instead. The Gem added significant value to my practice by reducing text generation time, allowing me to shift my energy toward curating the critical multi-sensory components like the real sod of turf and video resources.

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