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I think you’ve summed up the reality in a lot of schools, Pauline. AI has great potential for differentiation, but for now it might be most useful behind the scenes with planning, making resources, and adapting work for different levels. Limited devices and dodgy Wi-Fi are real issues, so it makes sense to focus on what’s actually manageable in your own setting. You can still get plenty out of AI without ever having the pupils use it directly in the room.
I think the “mountain of prep” will sound familiar to every teacher, Aisling! Using Copilot or Gemini to adapt the same reading topic for different levels would be a huge help, especially when everyone can still work on similar content without anyone feeling left out. The Image Creator idea is a good one. Finding the right picture for oral language or creative writing can take far longer than it should, so being able to create something linked to the exact class topic would be very handy. You make an interesting point about assessment as well. If AI can produce written homework so easily, we may need to place more value on what children can explain, discuss or demonstrate in class. Presentations, projects, and simply asking pupils how they reached an answer could tell us much more.
I agree that literacy is the starting point for so much other learning, particularly in a special education setting, Emma. If a child finds it hard to understand the instructions, it can be difficult for them to get going with the actual task. Visual prompts can make a big difference here. Having the steps in front of the child means they don’t have to keep asking what comes next, and over time that can help build independence. I like your idea of showing an example of previous work too. Sometimes seeing what a finished task might look like is much clearer than a long verbal explanation. It would also be useful for EAL pupils and, really, for many children in the class.
This is a lovely way of tapping into a pupil’s interests, Máire. If she’s a Taylor Swift fan, she’s far more likely to want to read the text and stick with the questions, especially if comprehension is something she usually finds hard going. Blooket is a nice choice. It takes away that feeling of it being just another worksheet and gives her a different way to show what she’s understood. Breaking the text into smaller chunks and giving her the bit of extra time should take the pressure out of it as well.
Thanks for your post, Aine. It’s lovely that he trusted you enough to share those parts of his life with you, but also quite telling that he only felt comfortable doing so privately. I think you’re right that children need to see a much wider range of interests and personalities presented as normal. Drawing, sewing, football, dolls, or particular colours shouldn’t have to belong to one group of children. The point about classroom books and displays is a good one too. We probably don’t always notice the messages they send until we deliberately stop and look. A simple review of the books, posters, and language used around the school could be a good place to start.
I like the point you’ve made, Niamh, about looking at what is already available before going out and buying something new. Immersive Reader has so many useful features built into it, and it works really well in SET, where every child may need something slightly different. Your point about the device itself is important too. Sometimes it’s not the equipment or application that needs to be swapped but the way the child uses the equipment. A different mouse, keyboard, switch or touchscreen could be the small change that allows them to take part more independently.
This really makes you think about the little things we do without even noticing, Eimear. Asking boys to lift something or handing the football to them first might seem harmless, but as you said, those messages build up over time. The activity with the six characters is a great one. The fact that nearly every child followed the same pattern says a lot about the ideas they have already picked up. It would be interesting to repeat it after exploring a few different role models and see if their drawings change. I liked your point about asking questions rather than simply telling children they are wrong. A discussion about why they chose a man or woman for each job could really get them thinking about where those ideas came from.
I agree, there were so many tools in this module, Deirble, that it was hard to know where to start. Image Creator stood out for me too. It’s great for getting children talking, building up their vocabulary, and showing them how changing a few words in the prompt gives you a completely different result. Gamma sounds like it worked a treat for you. Anyone who’s spent an age nudging text boxes around or fighting with fonts in a presentation will know exactly the time it’d save. Being able to start from a half-decent layout and put your energy into the actual content instead is a big plus. Your point about a whole-school approach is a good one as well. A few agreed guidelines would help staff feel more confident about the technology, while still leaving teachers free to adapt them to suit their own class. Maybe sharing the one useful tool or example at each staff meeting would be a simple way to get that going without landing everyone with too much at once.
I like how you’ve picked up that development education is far broader than any one topic, Michelle. It’s really about helping children understand other people, question a bit of what they see and hear, and cop on to the fact that their own choices can have an impact. Real-life stories and current events will work well for it, especially with topics like migration, equality, and sustainability. They can be big, heavy issues, but a story often brings them down to a level children can relate to and actually talk about. And I’d agree it has to go beyond the one classroom. Looking at inclusion, well-being, and sustainability through the SSE could be a handy way of seeing what the school is already doing well and where there’s room to build on it.
This is a great example of why we still need to check anything AI creates before bringing it into the classroom, Susan. AI can often make errors, as you found out with your poster activity. I like that you spotted the errors and could see exactly what needed changing. It shows that AI can give us a useful starting point and save time, but it doesn’t always understand the finer details of what we’re trying to teach. The lesson itself sounds like you would have plenty to work with.
As a frequent user of Immersive Reader I also love the picture dictionary, Margaret. It’s a brilliant feature, especially when you think of the time it can take to make similar resources yourself using Widgit. I can see it being really useful for EAL pupils too, as the picture gives them another way into the meaning of the word. Dictate could be a game changer for some children as well. A pupil might have loads of ideas but struggle to get them onto the page because of spelling or handwriting. Being able to say the sentence first could take away some of that frustration. SharePoint is probably one that takes a bit more exploring, but having resources organised in one place and available at different levels would be very handy.
It sounds like an exciting year ahead with the new Chromebooks Sarah. I like that you’re thinking about how they’ll actually improve learning, rather than simply introducing new devices. Getting comfortable with Google Classroom, Drive, Docs, Slides and Forms will be a good starting point. Once pupils and staff get used to where everything is and how work is shared, I’d say it will make collaboration much easier. I also like that you’ve described the digital plan as realistic and manageable. With any new technology, starting small is probably the best approach. Building your own confidence first will put you in a good position to share ideas with colleagues as the year goes on.
A hospital school is such a unique setting, Eileen, for using AI. I can see how it would be a huge help when you’re supporting students across subjects and levels that may not be your own area. I liked that you asked Copilot to link the Renaissance assessment back to the Irish curriculum and exam guidelines. That’s really important in your setting, because the student still needs that connection with their home school and their ongoing coursework. I know what you mean about the resources sometimes looking a bit clinical. It might be worth asking CoPilot to make the layout more student-friendly or visually simple, especially for a young person who may already be tired or under pressure in hospital. Your SSE point around balancing academic work and well-being is very relevant. In a hospital school, that balance must be so important. AI could be useful for helping track what has been covered but also for making sure there is space for rest, reflection, and emotional support.
This is a great example of using AI, Sinead. The number bonds lesson would be really suitable for senior infants, especially with counters and ten frames. The treasure hunt idea is lovely too, and the children will really enjoy that while still practising the maths.
I liked that you went back and asked Teach to make the lesson more playful. That is the kind of prompt that can make a big difference, especially with younger classes where the activity needs to feel hands-on and fun. The poster mistake with the ten frames is such a good reminder, though. 12 boxes instead of ten definitely wouldn’t work! It shows why we still have to check everything carefully before using it.
This is a useful way to think about Google Forms, Michael. A lot of us probably see it first as a survey tool, so it’s nice to look at how it can be used more directly in lessons too. I like your point about UDL and inclusion. Forms can make it easier for pupils to show what they know without everyone having to respond in the exact same way. The pupil voice element is a great idea. Even one question like “What helped you today?” or “What are you still unsure about?” could give the teacher really useful information for the next lesson.
