AI Prompt Engineering for Educators
Summary:
Consider prompting with the role you’d like AI to play, task you want the AI to accomplish, and format of the desired product.
Don’t be afraid to disagree and iterate!
In my work with educators who are just beginning their discovery journey with AI, I’ve noticed that — if one doesn’t know how to prompt a large language model — using such a tool often leads to frustration. My goal in this post is to provide you with a couple “short and sweet” models for prompting AI.
RTF Model (Role, Task, Format)
One model that I find really useful for prompting beginners is from A Time to Lead: A Faithful Approach to Artificial Intelligence in Christian Education by Paul Matthews (2024). The RTF Method is comprised of these three elements:
Role >> Tell the AI who you want it to impersonate, even if it’s your own role. How do you want the AI to behave?
Task >> Tell the AI what you want it to do, including all necessary details.
Format >> Tell the AI exactly how to format its response.
An example, for a teacher who seeks to differentiate instruction, might be:
Role: “You are a middle school math teacher.”
Task: “Explain how to solve multi-step equations to a group of 7th-grade students at different levels of proficiency.”
Format: “Provide one explanation for students struggling with the basics, one for students who are on grade level, and one for advanced students, using real-world examples and tips for each group.”
Although the following video is directed toward students, it gives a great overview of this model:
Five “S” Model
Another model that is more broken-down, but equally effective, is from AI for Education. The Five “S” Model is comprised of these five elements:
Set the Scene >> Provide context. This is similar to the Role element in the RTF Model.
Specific >> Clearly define the task and provide details on what you need included in the output. This is similar to the Task element in the RTF Model.
Simplify your Language >> Avoid unnecessary jargon.
Structure the Output >> Tell how you want the output to be formatted and / or to what audience the output is intended. This is similar to the Format element in the RTF Model.
Share Feedback >> Tell the AI where it might have gone astray and / or what needs to be revised.
An example, for a school leader who seeks to create an instructional resource for his or her English department, might be:
Set the Scene: "You are an English curriculum coordinator with expertise in 9th grade instruction."
Specific: "Create a 3-week argumentative writing unit guide including pre-writing strategies, writing process steps, peer review, and assessment rubrics."
Simplify your Language: "Use clear, jargon-free language that any English teacher can easily follow and implement."
Structure the Output: "Format as a handbook with sections: Unit Overview, Daily Lessons, Student Handouts, Rubrics, and Extensions."
Share Feedback: (may vary, based on initial output)
Regardless of which model you use, don’t be afraid to disagree and iterate! This is where the Five “S” Model comes in handy, because its “Share Feedback” step directly addresses the process of iterating.
Finally — if you’re a teacher who’s new to AI — you might be seeking some great starter use cases. At our PreK-12 Christian school, we have offered our teachers the following video, with the goal of inspiring them toward using ChatGPT to streamline their professional workflow:
Even if you are not in a Christian context, I hope you found inspiration in some of the use cases provided in the video!