Overall, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) proved to be a useful planning tool, but it definitely requires strong direction to ensure outputs are pedagogically sound and appropriate for specific learners.

This was my first time using a generative AI tool to co-design a lesson plan, and although the overall experience was positive, it wasn’t without its challenges. My initial prompt wasn’t clear enough. I asked for a specific activity but didn’t specify that I wanted a worksheet, so the AI generated an entirely new lesson plan instead, including an activity. Interestingly, I ended up preferring the second plan, so I asked Claude to combine elements of both versions to create not only a new lesson plan but also a worksheet. This worked really well once I clarified my expectations and was specific about the desired end product.

One thing that quickly became clear is how important it is to be extremely specific and concise when creating prompts. I made sure to consider the year level, curriculum outcome, mode of assessment, differentiation, and types of activities I wanted Claude to include in the lesson plan. I had to be incredibly precise when refining the previously generated work. Without those specfics details in my prompts, the AI tended to fill in the gaps with generic ideas, which weren’t always relevant. The clearer I became, the better the responses were.

I was surprised by how quickly the AI generated well structured content, including success criteria, differentiation strategies (once prompted), and engaging activities. I was happy with the final output, though it took some refining to align with what I had in mind. The worksheet it produced was particularly helpful, especially in collaboration with the lesson plan.

The AI-generated lesson plan’s biggest strengths were its structure, adaptability, and alignment with best practices such as worked examples and collaborative learning. However, one weakness was that the initial content was too broad until I grounded it in a specific curriculum descriptor.

Overall, GenAI proved to be a useful planning tool, but it definitely requires strong direction to ensure outputs are pedagogically sound and appropriate for specific learners.