The rise of generative AI has left many teachers wondering how it can fit into their classrooms.
You may be curious, cautious, or even overwhelmed by AI’s potential. But the truth is, you don’t need to be an expert or spend hours learning about it to see results. In fact, you can transform your work with just a few simple steps—and you can do it all in less than a day.
Here’s a straightforward guide to help you get started with AI in the classroom. Let’s look at four practical ways to improve your teaching, save time, and inspire students.
1. Uncover AI’s Hidden Time-Saving Tricks for Teachers
AI can be a powerful time-saver, but only if you know where to look.
One of the best-kept secrets of generative AI tools like ChatGPT or Google’s Bard is their ability to handle small, repetitive tasks. Think of the little things you do every day: writing emails, creating announcements, or drafting reminders for parents. You can use AI to quickly generate these communications with just a few prompts.
For example, try this: open an AI tool and type in, “Write a friendly reminder email to parents about an upcoming field trip, including key details about the schedule and required items.” Within seconds, you’ll have a polished message ready to go.
This isn’t just about emails. Need a quick list of resources on a topic? Ask the AI to compile it. Want a few discussion prompts for tomorrow’s lesson? AI can generate those, too.
Spend just 15 minutes trying out some of these small tasks, and you’ll see how AI can immediately take a load off your plate.
2. Replace Routine Tasks with AI in 15 Minutes
Grading, lesson planning, and resource gathering can be time-consuming—especially when done manually.
In this step, we’re going to focus on grading and feedback. AI can be a huge help here, especially for providing formative feedback or grading simpler assignments.
Let’s say you have a set of short-answer quizzes or discussion posts. You can copy and paste student responses into an AI tool and prompt it with something like, “Provide constructive feedback on this student’s response to [prompt].” The AI will analyze the text and give feedback you can edit or personalize as needed.
This process won’t replace your insights as a teacher, but it can streamline your work and give you a starting point. Plus, it’s incredibly useful for lower-stakes assignments, where detailed grading isn’t always feasible.
With 15 minutes of experimenting, you’ll get the hang of it—and free up time to focus on higher-impact activities.
3. Master the Art of AI-Assisted Lesson Planning
Imagine having a teaching assistant who can help you brainstorm, structure lessons, or even create step-by-step instructions for activities. That’s what AI can do.
To start, think of a topic you’re teaching soon. Maybe it’s a science lesson on ecosystems or a history unit on ancient civilizations. Go to your AI tool and type something like, “Create a lesson plan outline for teaching [topic] to [grade level] students.”
Within moments, the AI will provide an outline that includes learning objectives, suggested activities, and ideas for student engagement. You can refine and adapt it based on your needs, but the heavy lifting is done.
This approach isn’t just a time-saver—it’s a great way to bring fresh ideas into your classroom. AI can suggest activities you might not have thought of, or ways to integrate technology into your lesson.
With just a few minutes, you can go from staring at a blank page to having a detailed plan ready to implement.
4. Use AI to Make Grading Surprisingly Effortless
Grading is a necessary part of teaching, but it doesn’t have to be as labor-intensive as we’ve made it.
AI can help here by streamlining the process, particularly with rubrics. If you already have a rubric for an assignment, try inputting a few student submissions into an AI tool along with the rubric criteria.
For instance, prompt the AI with something like, “Grade this essay according to the following rubric: clarity, structure, grammar, and argument strength.” The AI will give you a preliminary assessment, which you can then adjust as needed.
This is especially helpful for assignments with straightforward criteria, like spelling and grammar or basic factual accuracy. By automating part of the process, you’re left with more time to focus on the more nuanced aspects of student work, like creativity and critical thinking.
Try it with one set of assignments, and see how much time you can save.
5. Inspire Students Using AI-Powered Interactive Ideas
Finally, consider how AI can be used not just by you, but with your students.
Introducing AI as a collaborative tool can add an exciting layer of interaction to your classroom. Instead of seeing AI as something students use passively, think about how they can actively engage with it.
For example, you could have students use AI to brainstorm ideas for a project, gather information, or even create their own quiz questions. Encourage them to ask, “How can I use AI to learn more about this topic?” This gives students a sense of ownership and shows them AI isn’t just a source of answers, but a tool for inquiry.
This approach challenges the idea that AI is merely a shortcut. Instead, students will see it as a resource they can actively control and direct.
In less than a day, you can introduce AI in a way that turns students from passive users into active learners.
Final Thoughts
Implementing AI in your classroom doesn’t have to be overwhelming or time-consuming. With just a few simple steps, you can leverage it as a tool to make your workload easier and help students engage more deeply.
Start with small, manageable tasks. Get comfortable using AI for emails, lesson planning, and grading. Experiment with it as a tool to inspire students, and don’t be afraid to let them explore its possibilities.
The key is to make AI work for you—not the other way around. By taking it one step at a time, you’ll see the impact in your day-to-day routine and, more importantly, in your students’ engagement and learning.