5 Building Blocks of a Perfect Prompt
Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Microsoft Co-pilot etc, offer teachers many opportunities to enhance teaching and learning experiences. However, leveraging these tools effectively begins with mastering the art of prompt writing.
Imagine you are designing a test paper for your students. Each question you craft needs to be unambiguous, clear, and aimed at assessing specific knowledge or skills. If the questions are well-framed and unambiguous, the students’ answers will be accurate and insightful. Similarly, when writing prompts for AI, precision is key. Just as those well-crafted test questions help you evaluate your students effectively, precise and unambiguous prompts guide AI to produce relevant and useful responses. Think of the AI as a diligent student, ready to give its best answers when asked the right questions. The better you frame your prompts, the better the AI performs.
To harness AI to its fullest potential, teachers should first hone the skill to craft a perfect prompt. To create impactful prompts, Google’s generative AI initiatives suggest remembering the acronym
PARTS: Persona, Aim, Recipients, Theme, and Structure.
The Five Building Blocks of a Perfect Prompt
1. Persona: Identify Your Role Setting the context for your request is crucial. By clearly defining your role, you give the AI a specific perspective from which to generate responses.
Examples:
· I am an Academic Head at a CBSE school identifying resource gaps.
· I am a Computer Science teacher designing learning activities with AI integration.
2. Aim: State Your Objective Be explicit about what you want the AI to do. Start with a verb or command and provide context for the task at hand.
Examples:
· Brainstorm ideas for [enter context].
· Create an assessment on the impact of demonetisation on the economy of India.
3. Recipients: Specify the Audience Detailing the intended audience helps tailor the output to meet their specific needs and comprehension levels.
Examples:
· The audience is the school management committee of a Kendriya Vidyalaya.
· The audience is 10th-grade students preparing for their board exams.
4. Theme: Describe the Style, Tone, and Parameters Clarify the desired style, tone, and any other parameters that should guide the AI’s response.
Examples:
· Use a formal tone suitable for a school report.
· Write no more than 100 words.
5. Structure: Note the Desired Format of the Output Specify how you want the information to be presented, whether it’s through bullet points, metaphors, analogies, sketches, graphs, quizzes, games, or codes.
Examples:
· Use bullet points to outline key points.
· Create an interactive quiz for students.
Prompt Template to Use:
I am a [Enter your persona]. [State your aim and recipients]. [Describe the theme and structure].
Example: I am a middle school history teacher. Design an engaging classroom activity for 8th-grade students about creating a collaborative digital timeline on India’s struggle for independence. The activity should incorporate storytelling and technology. The time allotment is 3–4 class periods (60 minutes each). Format this as an outline.
Using generative AI is a step towards innovative teaching, transforming the teaching and learning process. By crafting precise and clear prompts, teachers can unlock generative AI’s full potential, providing students with enriched and engaging learning experiences. Whether it’s brainstorming new ideas, planning lessons, creating assessments/HW, or designing classroom activities, mastering prompt writing is the key to making AI an invaluable ally in teaching.
In the age of AI, mastering prompt writing is essential for teachers. By utilizing the five building blocks of prompt writing, teachers can seamlessly integrate AI into their teaching, creating a dynamic and interactive learning environment. This coschooling empowers students to reach their highest potential.
So, embrace the future of education with confidence with AI as an assistant in shaping the minds of the next generation…
Reference: Google-generative-ai-for educators
Gayethri Mote is a Teacher Educator and an expert on Learning Skills at Coschool. To learn more, visit www.coschool.ai
