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Develop a lesson plan incorporating AI concepts and write about how you plan to use it and other AI tools in your teaching. Post a reflective piece (150 words min) to this Module forum as a Reply to this post.
There are two areas which I plan to implement quite quickly in September with my 1st class.
The first resource is Ari in Twinkl as I think this will be very helpful for creating individual learning outcomes/ smart goals for learners on the Continuum of Support. While it has not the option for the Irish curriculum as yet, this isn’t an issue in relation to creating an individual plan for children with complex needs. I also used Copilot to create a similar plan and both have their advantages with Twinkl possibly being more aesthetically pleasing and the layout of the plan was very user friendly.
The second resource which I was amazed by was Gamma. This resource is a game changer. In 1st class, we use a theme for each month and for the purpose of this lesson I will focus on the theme of Houses and Homes. Our school recently invested in a set of Be Bots which I think will be fantastic for 1st class to start with.
Using Gamma, I will create 3 different PowerPoint , one to be used each week.
PP1: Introduction to different types of houses in Ireland using key new language that I wish the children to use…semi-dethatched, end of terrace, mid terrace etc.
Activity 1: In small groups children will build a street with the varying types of houses, labeling them correctly. Each Be Bot has a number and a parking place outside each type of house. Children to code in correctly so that the correct Be Bot is parked in the right area.
At this point I will introduce Scratch Junior at a whole class level and we will make a short animation together about The Three Little Pigs.
PP2: Houses and Homes around the world.
Activity 2: In small groups children to use to create a short animation about the different houses using Scratch Junior. (I may get some older kids from our buddy class to support the children with this).
PP3: Homes and materials: How a block house/ concrete house is built….again with a focus on language such as concrete, foundations etc.(up to know I have found it very hard to find material around this particular topic that was age appropriate.Using Gamma, I have created the perfect resource in minutes).
Activity 3: Children to create an animation about The Three Little Pigs using Scratch Junior. The Pigs will be making apartments and igloos!
Note: I think the challenge here is to make elements of the above activity accessible to children with complex needs. I feel Gamma is very useful here as it allowed me to create a simplified version of the PowerPoints where I was introducing 2 new words with a matching picture. This resource can then be used repeatedly by the child on their own individual device. I need to do more research but it would be amazing if I could create a simple resource where I have a picture of a house and an apartment. The activity would say the word “house” and the child would then tap the appropriate picture. I think this would be fantastic and going back to the video I watched, would allow me to have ongoing , up to date information in relation to the child’s progress.
I would appreciate any advice on this.
Thank you
Having read the previous posts and engaging with the material in Module 4, the first resource I plan to implement is Khan Academy. Last year, I found teaching Maths in 1st class , a challenge. I struggled to meet each child where they were at and provide consistent differentiated tasks throughout the year so they could progress at their level. A class of 29 with two children with complex needs meant it was often more about management than teaching in small groups. There was a much needed literacy focus in 1st class and support provided by SEN team was focused on this area. Maths , I feel, is an area I want to focus on this year and to be able to manage this to a high level while been the only teacher in the room. I feel AI can really support me with this. I noted in a previous post that a teacher mentioned using Khan Academy in SEN and how beneficial it proved to be. I plan to use this with one group in each class , where the children would be working at their level on devices in the class. (I would do an assessment first) . I think this would really support continuous assessment and allow me to focus on small group teaching in my class. I plan to start with a more able group of children as this will be a learning curve for me and then move on to supporting children with complex needs. It would be amazing if a child could work independently in their class, sitting at the table with their friends, working at their level. Currently I create daily resources for children so they can access the curriculum but AI will speed up this process. I used Co-pilot to make a visual resource to match shapes with real life objects and it came back with a brilliant resources in seconds! Khan Academy , as suggested by a previous post, will also support IT skills for all children.
Part 1
I found this module really interesting and practical. The first tool I will be implementing is Microsoft Speaker Coach. I though this was really interesting and as someone who can finds public speaking quite daunting, I though this was a fantastic tool that I could use. Certainly when I am doing Zoom calls and Parent Teacher meetings through zoom which we still do when requested I think this tool will be an excellent starting point for me to improve upon my presentation skills.
Magic School is another excellent tool from a planning point of view. There is so much options on this App. I work a lot in the area of integration of children with significant Complex Needs in the mainstream classroom and I use social stories daily. I found this tool really helpful for generating social stories quite quickly and I will need to spend a bit of time working out how to import my own specific photos of the school etc. This will a massive time saver.
Part 2
Co Pilot Image Creator: I especially liked this one and I think this would be a great tool to use in 1st class to elicit and encourage descriptive writing. In 1st class, it would be great to start this as a whole class, language lesson and as the children’s ability to read and write progresses, this lesson could be used in the classroom.
Reading Coach: I will definitely use this on an individual basis for some children initially and I think this will really support differentiation. Also, it will support homework differentiation for children especially children who are achieving highly. Sometimes it is a challenge to meet the needs of these children and AI can help me to meet their needs more effectively.
I teach 1st class and we have a Literacy Power Hour every day where two SET’s come into the class and each child reads with a teacher on a one to one /small group basis. This way we can ensure each child is reading at their level and progressing throughout the year. The challenge I have always found, as a class teacher, is not always knowing where each child is at and the progress they are making as I don’t read daily with these children (they read with the other teachers). We use this method to support struggling readers and to provide early intervention to children who are showing signs of specific learning difficulties. I feel that I can use AI and CoPilot to create a tracking system and progress tool that all teachers could inform and that way it would be much easier to keep track of where each child is. I actually feel this could completely streamline the Power Hour system and make it run more smoothly. In relation to challenges and concerns..I found that video from China quite scary. Concentration and high grade attainment is a very simplistic approach to take and the goal should not be only to achieve high grades. We know, as teachers, the school experience is so much more than academic attainment. I think a teacher’s understanding of their pupils, the relationships in these children’s lives, the environment they live in, their individual learning styles informs the approach that you take when working with each child. The nuances, empathy and human interaction can’t be measured so easily and the sending of data to parents is pretty shocking. I got the impression that the parents received the data for the entire class and this seems inappropriate on all levels. AI is very exciting and could really elevate teaching and learning but this video , for me, served as a word of caution.
Reflect on the potential classroom use of AI tools and how this can impact on future teaching, learning and assessment.
Having reviewed the first Module of this course, it is clear that there are endless possibilities for using AI in the classroom from differentiation to planning to lesson content creation.
I am teaching 1st class in September so I have a few ideas how using AI will impact my teaching and the learning experiences of the pupils.
- Using CoPilot (or similiar) to create more visually appealing lesson plans. This will support all learners and it is simply much quicker than the traditional PowerPoint that I would have been using. The time saving element is pretty impressive.
- Thematic Planning using AI…I did this using a specific topic (Space) with the Irish Curriculum for 1st class and the key words “learning experiences” & “cross-curricular” and it produced very specific ideas which were really good and the children would enjoy.
- Differentiating reading material on a specific topic would be hugely important in 1st class where readers are ranging from highly skilled readers to readers still at the basic phonic level.
- As an SET coordinator in the school, I definitely see the potential of using AI to compare our school’s specific needs with that of the entire country….comparing the different diagnosis levels in our school with the national average. I did this a few minutes ago and then checked the results and they were really accurate. It is very exciting and allows you to gain overviews in a much quicker manner.
- Teaching children to use AI is something I had not considered before and obviously, it makes so much sense. However, I am not sure yet if that is something that should be done in 1st class. So I will reflect more on that as I learn more throughout the course.