I am a high school English teacher. I use an online form to collect students' homework paragraphs in a Google Sheet. I used an LLM to write a script that sends the responses (not the students' names or identifying information of any kind) to ChatGPT for proofreading using a custom prompt that:
1. Highlights spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors.
2. Adds a numbered list of each error with the correction and a URL to a reputable website where students can read more about the error and how to fix it.
3. Adds a checklist to aid formative assessment, saving me from writing the same comments repeatedly.
The script then exports each proofread response to a Google Doc for printing. I then provide handwritten feedback on the content of each response. I have not actually used this workflow in class yet. I created it as a proof of concept over the school holidays.
I have also used ChatGPT to create custom GPTs and projects to speed up the creation of teaching resources. The outputs are not perfect, but they save me a lot of time.
Thank you. It was mostly trial and error, especially when writing prompts and instructions. I also used ChatGPT to help flesh out instructions. I would tell the model what I wanted to achieve. Then, at the end of the prompt--this is a crucial step--I would instruct it to ask me clarifying questions before proceeding. The more specific you can be, the better because the model won't have to guess as much. I would then keep instructing it to ask me clarifying questions until it told me it understood my needs.
For example, here are the instructions for a project I created in ChatGPT:
Purpose: The project analyses novel extracts to produce structured literary analysis and student activities in the format specified in the "Steps" files. Outputs will be detailed, formal, and aligned with Standard Australian English. Outputs will match the steps outlined in the "Steps" files and occur in the same order.
Content Integration: The model should draw on the "Knowledge" files for foundational information (e.g., language features, values, and attitudes). The model should also be familiar with the generic features of the following genres: dystopia, social realism, hero's journey and coming of age/Bildungsroman.
The "Steps" files guide the structure and format of the output, ensuring consistency and alignment with provided examples. Your output must be structured like the contents of each "Steps" file and occur in the same order (each "Steps" file has a number indicating at which step it should occur).
Workflow: Analyse the extract one step at a time, completing all steps (Steps 1 through to 4) for one text before moving to the next. Always attempt all steps and generate placeholders if insufficient material exists for a step. Here are the steps in order as outlined in the "Steps" files:
Step 1: Identify the narrative conventions. Organise your response in a two-column table just like the sample in "Step 1 - Identify Narrative Conventions.docx."
Step 2: Identify 8-10 unique language features and examples. Organise your response in a two-column table just like the sample in "Step 2 - Identify Language Features and Examples.docx."
Step 3: Analyse the extract. Organise your response just like the sample in "Step 3 - Analyse the Extract.docx."
Step 4: When writing a sample paragraph, adhere to the scaffold and level of detail demonstrated in "Step 4 - Write a Sample Paragraph.docx." Ensure the paragraph:
Clearly identifies the text, author, and context in the opening sentence.
Links the analysis to a specific genre convention or literary device in a way that aligns with the text’s themes and ideas.
Explores the main theme in depth, providing clear and focused explanations of its significance within the text.
Includes at least two examples from the text, fully analyzing each with explicit reference to techniques, quotes, connotations, and effects.
Concludes by connecting the analysis to broader values, attitudes, and the author’s purpose in crafting the text.
Avoid general or vague statements by focusing on specific language features, structural elements, and genre conventions. Draw explicit connections between the text’s details and its overarching ideas, ensuring analysis remains purposeful and grounded.
Tailor the paragraph to maintain a formal and academic tone, using precise and context-appropriate vocabulary.
Structure the paragraph so it mirrors the specific scaffold provided in "Step 4 - Write a Sample Paragraph.docx," including all key elements and logical flow. Ensure each paragraph reaches a comparable level of complexity and word count to the example in the sample document. Aim for at least 400 words.
Genre Identification: Focus on the most dominant genre (hero’s journey, dystopian fiction, coming of age, or social realism). Refer to the hero’s journey only if requested or if the text belongs to that genre.
Output Specifications: Maintain a formal, academic tone, consistent with the example outputs. Include filled-in templates for student activities, with answers integrated directly into the templates. Always analyse themes, values, and attitudes as part of the output.
Adaptability: Adjust for non-standard text structures by attempting to fit them into the existing framework. For long texts, analyse smaller sections (e.g., chapter-by-chapter or paragraph-by-paragraph).
In the Project Files section, I stored detailed examples of the kinds of outputs I wanted. It doesn't work perfectly, especially when writing a detailed analytical paragraph.
AI has huge implications for the creative industries that are not being addressed. I recently listened to a speech by Joanna Harris where she said illustrators are already losing work. AI is entirely derived as you say. The danger is that I the rush to profits creativity will be sacrificed and many who produce creative work put out of work.
Hi Greg--two things. First, I think there needs to be an awareness of the cost of using AI---it is a massive energy consumer and is actually setting back climate change reduction efforts--here's a gift link from a Washington Post piece from November on this: https://wapo.st/3WlGAIP
Regarding AI use--other than the image generation (each AI image = the amount of energy to fully charge a smart phone), I can see some of the things you suggest. However, it's not ready for prime time in terms of generating reliable info--it often gets things wrong, makes up its own citations, or even provides misinformation.
See here for two recent pieces by college profs on the problems of AI in the classroom:
I thought I’d seen that image of the head full of wheels somewhere . . . I checked my copy of Wheels in the Head by Joel Spring, 1994, and the cover image was not too dissimilar from your AI assisted one. Amazon books would show the cover.
In his book, Spring writes about Max Stirner, a German educator in 1840s. Stirner says that government education implants ideas that serve state interests, not that of the individual. “The major problem of modern society, Stirner believes, is the existence of vast numbers of educated people as opposed to free people. ‘Man,’ Stirner warns, ‘your head is haunted; you have wheels in your head!” pg 44
“Stirner believes that the only way to counteract domination by wheels in the head is for people to gain knowledge and beliefs through individual will, as opposed to acquiring knowledge and beliefs through schooling.” P 46
Sorry for going on and on, but I went searching for more info on Stirner and found this AI ❇️
Overview online: “Max Stirner believed that self-ownership is a fundamental part of human existence, and that people should strive to assert and preserve their ownness”.
I’m probably off topic but glad to read your latest post for my own self education about AI and the UK plan to "turbocharge" their education system and your probing of brain functioning. Hope you have a great presentation.
"The lyrics are banal and the music is generic and derivative."
It's destined to be a No. 1 hit!!
I am a high school English teacher. I use an online form to collect students' homework paragraphs in a Google Sheet. I used an LLM to write a script that sends the responses (not the students' names or identifying information of any kind) to ChatGPT for proofreading using a custom prompt that:
1. Highlights spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors.
2. Adds a numbered list of each error with the correction and a URL to a reputable website where students can read more about the error and how to fix it.
3. Adds a checklist to aid formative assessment, saving me from writing the same comments repeatedly.
The script then exports each proofread response to a Google Doc for printing. I then provide handwritten feedback on the content of each response. I have not actually used this workflow in class yet. I created it as a proof of concept over the school holidays.
I have also used ChatGPT to create custom GPTs and projects to speed up the creation of teaching resources. The outputs are not perfect, but they save me a lot of time.
Nice work Peter, any resources that you used to get yourself started with these projects?
Thank you. It was mostly trial and error, especially when writing prompts and instructions. I also used ChatGPT to help flesh out instructions. I would tell the model what I wanted to achieve. Then, at the end of the prompt--this is a crucial step--I would instruct it to ask me clarifying questions before proceeding. The more specific you can be, the better because the model won't have to guess as much. I would then keep instructing it to ask me clarifying questions until it told me it understood my needs.
For example, here are the instructions for a project I created in ChatGPT:
Purpose: The project analyses novel extracts to produce structured literary analysis and student activities in the format specified in the "Steps" files. Outputs will be detailed, formal, and aligned with Standard Australian English. Outputs will match the steps outlined in the "Steps" files and occur in the same order.
Content Integration: The model should draw on the "Knowledge" files for foundational information (e.g., language features, values, and attitudes). The model should also be familiar with the generic features of the following genres: dystopia, social realism, hero's journey and coming of age/Bildungsroman.
The "Steps" files guide the structure and format of the output, ensuring consistency and alignment with provided examples. Your output must be structured like the contents of each "Steps" file and occur in the same order (each "Steps" file has a number indicating at which step it should occur).
Workflow: Analyse the extract one step at a time, completing all steps (Steps 1 through to 4) for one text before moving to the next. Always attempt all steps and generate placeholders if insufficient material exists for a step. Here are the steps in order as outlined in the "Steps" files:
Step 1: Identify the narrative conventions. Organise your response in a two-column table just like the sample in "Step 1 - Identify Narrative Conventions.docx."
Step 2: Identify 8-10 unique language features and examples. Organise your response in a two-column table just like the sample in "Step 2 - Identify Language Features and Examples.docx."
Step 3: Analyse the extract. Organise your response just like the sample in "Step 3 - Analyse the Extract.docx."
Step 4: When writing a sample paragraph, adhere to the scaffold and level of detail demonstrated in "Step 4 - Write a Sample Paragraph.docx." Ensure the paragraph:
Clearly identifies the text, author, and context in the opening sentence.
Links the analysis to a specific genre convention or literary device in a way that aligns with the text’s themes and ideas.
Explores the main theme in depth, providing clear and focused explanations of its significance within the text.
Includes at least two examples from the text, fully analyzing each with explicit reference to techniques, quotes, connotations, and effects.
Concludes by connecting the analysis to broader values, attitudes, and the author’s purpose in crafting the text.
Avoid general or vague statements by focusing on specific language features, structural elements, and genre conventions. Draw explicit connections between the text’s details and its overarching ideas, ensuring analysis remains purposeful and grounded.
Tailor the paragraph to maintain a formal and academic tone, using precise and context-appropriate vocabulary.
Structure the paragraph so it mirrors the specific scaffold provided in "Step 4 - Write a Sample Paragraph.docx," including all key elements and logical flow. Ensure each paragraph reaches a comparable level of complexity and word count to the example in the sample document. Aim for at least 400 words.
Genre Identification: Focus on the most dominant genre (hero’s journey, dystopian fiction, coming of age, or social realism). Refer to the hero’s journey only if requested or if the text belongs to that genre.
Output Specifications: Maintain a formal, academic tone, consistent with the example outputs. Include filled-in templates for student activities, with answers integrated directly into the templates. Always analyse themes, values, and attitudes as part of the output.
Adaptability: Adjust for non-standard text structures by attempting to fit them into the existing framework. For long texts, analyse smaller sections (e.g., chapter-by-chapter or paragraph-by-paragraph).
In the Project Files section, I stored detailed examples of the kinds of outputs I wanted. It doesn't work perfectly, especially when writing a detailed analytical paragraph.
🤩
AI has huge implications for the creative industries that are not being addressed. I recently listened to a speech by Joanna Harris where she said illustrators are already losing work. AI is entirely derived as you say. The danger is that I the rush to profits creativity will be sacrificed and many who produce creative work put out of work.
Hi Greg--two things. First, I think there needs to be an awareness of the cost of using AI---it is a massive energy consumer and is actually setting back climate change reduction efforts--here's a gift link from a Washington Post piece from November on this: https://wapo.st/3WlGAIP
Regarding AI use--other than the image generation (each AI image = the amount of energy to fully charge a smart phone), I can see some of the things you suggest. However, it's not ready for prime time in terms of generating reliable info--it often gets things wrong, makes up its own citations, or even provides misinformation.
See here for two recent pieces by college profs on the problems of AI in the classroom:
https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/2025/01/14/crisis-trust-classroom-opinion
https://chuckpearson.wordpress.com/2025/01/13/the-ethical-case-for-resisting-ai/
As we're already facing a tidal wave of ed tech hype with AI, it's worth asking whether the good things it can do outweigh the bad of its use...
I thought I’d seen that image of the head full of wheels somewhere . . . I checked my copy of Wheels in the Head by Joel Spring, 1994, and the cover image was not too dissimilar from your AI assisted one. Amazon books would show the cover.
In his book, Spring writes about Max Stirner, a German educator in 1840s. Stirner says that government education implants ideas that serve state interests, not that of the individual. “The major problem of modern society, Stirner believes, is the existence of vast numbers of educated people as opposed to free people. ‘Man,’ Stirner warns, ‘your head is haunted; you have wheels in your head!” pg 44
“Stirner believes that the only way to counteract domination by wheels in the head is for people to gain knowledge and beliefs through individual will, as opposed to acquiring knowledge and beliefs through schooling.” P 46
Sorry for going on and on, but I went searching for more info on Stirner and found this AI ❇️
Overview online: “Max Stirner believed that self-ownership is a fundamental part of human existence, and that people should strive to assert and preserve their ownness”.
I’m probably off topic but glad to read your latest post for my own self education about AI and the UK plan to "turbocharge" their education system and your probing of brain functioning. Hope you have a great presentation.