Thinking Like an Instructional Designer: Leveraging AI Enhancements for Targeted Learning Experiences
The recent AI enhancements from tech giants OpenAI, Google, and Microsoft are putting powerful personalized learning tools in the hands of educators. GPT-4o essentially turns ChatGPT into a virtual assistant with enhanced voice features and even emotion perception, while Google introduced LearnLM to create engaging, personalized learning experiences, highlighted by its Learning Coach Gem chatbot. Microsoft unveiled Copilot+ PCs, complete with conversational enhancements and a deal to make Khanmigo free for teachers. These AI tools are poised to unlock personalized learning experiences at an unprecedented scale, but are teachers ready?
GPT4o provides a powerful infrastructure for personalized tutoring, but instructional design remains at the heart of a good lesson. It's why I'm skeptical that GPT-4o poses an immediate threat to well-designed personalized learning programs like Duolingo – the world's most popular learning app. Duolingo's success is built on a solid foundation of engaging instructional design, not just chatbot interactions. Its bite-sized learning chunks, gamified lessons, adaptive "Birdbrain" AI system, hilarious Stories, and addictive streak mechanics keep users like me coming back day after day. This underscores the crucial role of instructional design in creating engaging and effective learning experiences, even when leveraging advanced AI technologies.
So, if teachers are to use ChatGPT, Khanmigo, and other personalized learning offerings effectively with students, we must first think like instructional designers whose aim is to create engaging and powerful learning experiences.
For one, teachers need to identify and harness ChatGPT's strengths - generating examples, simplifying explanations, creating interactive practice, providing analogies, and showing step-by-step processes. By leveraging these strengths, teachers can create more targeted, efficient, and effective personalized learning experiences for their students.
Teachers also need to identify "targets of difficulty" - challenging and crucial curriculum topics where AI can help. A target of difficulty is the intersection of three conditions: topics challenging to teach, crucial for students to understand, and where AI can be beneficial. These targets serve as great starting points for teachers considering technology to create enhanced learning opportunities.
For me, professionally and personally, the Spanish subjunctive is a target of difficulty. The subjunctive mood has no equivalent in the English language and it's used constantly. You have to learn it, but you'll never fully understand it. It's also full of rules and variations, which twist your mind and crush your soul. And if today the subjunctive doesn't make you want to give up on the Spanish language, tomorrow it might. [tears flowing]
Once a target of difficulty has been identified, teachers can use the following strategies to plan and optimize a personalized learning environment using AI tools:
Focus on Individual Needs: Use AI to identify each student's strengths, weaknesses, and preferences. Tailor instruction to meet these individual needs. Since I struggle with the Spanish subjunctive, I set up a personalized learning environment to address that individual need. I like to both read and listen to explanations and exercises in Spanish, so I will do both.
Set Clear Goals: Help students set achievable learning goals and use AI to track their progress toward these goals. I begin by focusing on the present tense of the subjunctive mood and incorporate only common, regular verbs. ChatGPT (and other AI) will provide me with both written and verbal exercises and quizzes. Once I feel I've mastered common, regular verbs I will proceed to irregular verbs.
Be Flexible: Allow students to progress at their own pace and choose different pathways to reach their learning goals. I incorporate a mix of ChatGPT explanations, examples, exercises, quiz games, and visuals. At times I'll begin with a quiz to identify lapses in my knowledge and understanding. If there are many, I'll turn to explanations and exercises.
Adapt to Needs: Make sure to use AI tools that adjust the difficulty and type of content based on student performance and engagement. If ChatGPT provides me with examples or exercises that I find too challenging, I will ask it to provide examples at a lower level. More specifically, I'll ask it to create examples and explanations at either a B2 of BI level.
Vary Resources: Incorporate learning resources such as videos, articles, and visuals that cater to individual student needs. I ask ChatGPT to provide me with multimodal resources. It recommends a video explaining the basics of the subjunctive mood and Quizlet flashcards with audio features.
Incorporate Gamified Elements: Rewards, levels, and other gamified elements in the learning experience often increase motivation and engagement. For this I turn to Duolingo. I am loath to miss a day and endanger my streak. I even played on my wedding day [sheepish smile].
Monitor and Adjust: Regularly monitor student progress and adjust learning plans as needed to ensure continuous improvement. Conversation is an excellent barometer is how often and effectively I use the Spanish subjunctive in. I can identity the situations and verb conjugations that cause me the most difficulty.
By carefully planning and structuring a lesson around a target of difficulty, teachers can harness the power of AI tools like ChatGPT to create engaging, personalized learning experiences that effectively address students' individual needs and challenges. Here is a sample lesson plan for the Spanish subjunctive using ChatGPT:
Lesson Plan for Subjunctive Present with Regular AR, ER, and IR Verbs
Goal: Improve understanding and use of the Spanish subjunctive.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand rules and contexts for using the subjunctive.
- Correctly use the subjunctive in speaking and writing.
- Recognize the subjunctive in various contexts.
- Build confidence in conversational Spanish.
Understand basic rules and triggers.
Activities:
- Read an overview of the subjunctive mood. Note: In a verbal conversation with ChatGPT, I would not ask it to provide an overview of the subjunctive mood. ChatGPT would provide too much information to listen to and process in real time. Instead, I ask it for a written overview.
Recognize the subjunctive in sentences.
Activities:
- Practice identifying subjunctive forms in sentences.
- ChatGPT: Provide 20 examples of subjunctive present, explain conjugation.
Ask ChatGPT to verbally explain the rules of the subjunctive present in simple terms using common AR verbs as examples: Hablar (to speak/talk), Llamar (to call/name), Mirar (to look), Escuchar (to listen/hear), Cambiar (to change). Note: In this instance I am asking ChatGPT something very specific about the subjunctive mood and limited to only select AR verbs. I want to hear each example, so I ask it to speak to me.
Recognize the subjunctive in paragraphs.
Activities:
- Practice identifying subjunctive forms in paragraphs.
- ChatGPT: Write three paragraphs/dialogues using the subjunctive, explain usage.
Ask ChatGPT to provide 20 examples of use of the subjunctive present, four examples each of the AR verbs listed above. Ask ChatGPT to provide the examples one at a time and explain why the respective verbs are conjugated into the subjunctive mood and how each is conjugated. Note: ChatGPT is very effective in generating examples, but it needs guidance on organization and process. I would then do the same for common ER and IR verbs.
Visual aid.
- Ask ChatGPT to generate a conjugation table for common AR, ER, IR verbs.
Verbal Dialogue.
Activities:
- Practice completing sentences with subjunctive using ChatGPT.
- ChatGPT: Ask 10 questions requiring subjunctive, provide feedback.
Ask ChatGPT: "Ask me 10 questions, one at a time, which require me to use one of the AR,ER, or IT verbs we have introduced. After each of my responses, explain to me if I have conjugated the verb correctly and, if not, identify the error and how it could be corrected."
ChatGPT: Hoy vamos a practicar el subjuntivo en un diálogo. Completa las frases con el verbo en subjuntivo. ¿Estás lista?
Student: Sí, estoy lista.
ChatGPT: Perfecto. Completa la frase: "Es importante que tú ____ (estudiar) todos los días."
Multimodal Supplementary Resources.
- ChatGPT: Suggest videos and recordings for speaking and listening practice.
Mastery.
- ChatGPT: Review lists of subjunctive triggers and take interactive quizzes.
Examples:
- Wishes: Espero que, ojalá que
- Emotions: Me alegra que, temo que
- Impersonal Expressions: Es importante que, es necesario que
- Recommendations: Te aconsejo que, sugiero que
- Doubt/Denial: Dudo que, no creo que
Tips for prompting:
- Ask specific questions for better AI chatbot responses.
- Interrupt if necessary and ask for step-by-step explanations.
- Check understanding before moving on.
- Request additional multimodal resources from ChatGPT.
Keep in mind that AI-powered personalization must be approached with care. It has the potential to amplify biases and inequities if not implemented responsibly. Teachers need support in designing effective learning experiences around AI, interpreting data, and fostering uniquely human skills.
If we are going to leverage personalized learning tools effectively, it requires more than just access to technology. It necessitates an emphasis on purposeful instructional design and an understanding of how AI is shifting how we think about teaching and learning in the age of AI. As educators, it is our responsibility to embrace these changes and adapt our teaching practices to best serve our students in this new era of AI-powered learning. Are we ready to take on this challenge?
AI Tools and News
EDUAIDE AND MAGICSCHOOL: COMPARE TWO TOP AI TOOLS FOR TEACHERS - TCEA
Anthropic just released a Claude 3 AI prompt library — here's the best ones to try now - Tom’s Guide
AI Literacy: Bridging the AI Literacy Gap in Education - Office of EdTech
Say What You See - Google tool to help AI prompting
5 AI-Powered Educational Games Your K5 Students Will Love - S. Neendoor
GPT-4o vs. GPT-4 vs. Gemini 1.5 ⭐ — Performance Analysis - Lars Wik
Could AI Give Civics Education a Boost? - EdSurge