Your first three conversations with AI.

Exercise 1 · Factual Question

Ask AI something you already know the answer to.

~8 min · Builds trust and healthy skepticism

Fastest way to learn a new tool: ask it a question you can already check.

I teach [SUBJECT] to [GRADE] students. In two short paragraphs, explain [A TOPIC YOU'VE TAUGHT MANY TIMES] the way I would explain it to my class. Keep the vocabulary at a [GRADE]-appropriate level.

Example: 5th-grade science, water cycle.

Read the response like a student paper:

• Factually correct?
• Right vocabulary for the grade?
• What would you change before using it?

What to notice — AI produces a competent first draft on topics you know well; it doesn't know which details matter for your students. That gap is where your professional judgment lives.

Exercise 2 · Classroom Scenario

Ask AI for advice on a real teaching situation.

~10 min · Thinking partner, not answer machine

Most of teaching isn't "what is the water cycle?" It's "how do I handle this student, this parent, this Tuesday?"

I'm a [GRADE] teacher. A student — I'll call them Alex — [WHAT'S HAPPENING · HOW LONG · WHAT YOU'VE TRIED].

Don't solve it. Help me think about it. Give me:
1. Two possible explanations for what may really be going on.
2. Two small steps this week that would give me more information.
3. One question to answer before doing anything bigger.

Scenarios: a strong student who stopped turning work in; a parent who emails but never comes to conferences; a class that went flat.

Then try a follow-up in plain English: "Say more about the second explanation."

What to notice — Two-sentence setups produce generic advice; five-sentence setups produce something worth thinking about. You get better answers by asking better questions.