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How to write a prompt

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What you will learn: in this lesson plan we will give you tips on how to best provide information to your AI assistant Maia, for the best possible results.
Duration: 15 minutes.

Please note that this is a beta functionality. This means that this functionality is still under development. Do you have feedback or comments? Let us know via the chat in the bottom right corner of your screen. We'd love to hear from you!

What is a prompt?

Artificial Intelligence starts working for you when you clearly indicate what it should do. In computer language, it is called a prompt: the information you provide AI to make it do what you want. You can compare it to entering the right search terms in a search engine like Google. The more specific you are, the better the search results.

How do you write an effective prompt to create a lesson?

Here are some basic guidelines to follow for writing a good prompt that can be used to create a complete lesson basis with educational value:

  • Be clear: Your prompt should be concise and clear. Avoid using complex language or ambiguous phrasing. This will help Maia better understand what you're asking.
  • Be specific: Provide as much context as possible for your prompt. If you're asking a question, be specific about what you're looking for. If you're asking for advice or suggestions, provide as much detail as possible about your situation.
  • Be open-ended: Avoid yes/no questions or prompts that are too specific. Maia works best when it has some flexibility in how it can respond.
  • Use proper grammar and spelling: Maia will better understand your prompt if it is written clearly and without errors.
  • Consider the topic: Maia has a wide range of knowledge, but it's important to consider the topic you're asking about. If your prompt is too far outside of Maia's areas of expertise, it may not be able to provide a useful response.

Example 1
‘Provide an explanation of the exam question: “Why did King William II decide to change the Constitution in 1848?”’

Example 2
'Provide examples that demonstrate the application of the Pythagorean theorem in everyday life.'

the prep method

Dan Fitzpatrick, the bestselling author of 'The AI Classroom' and an award-winning digital learning strategist, developed an interesting method for teachers called PREP.

The PREP method aims to get quality responses from ChatGPT and AI language models, by making sure you include the following detailed information in your prompt:

P for Prompt it, for example:
Create a lesson
👉 There is no need to indicate this to Maia: it is automatic

R for Give it a role, for example:
I am an expert in writing quality lessons that engage my students and support their learning
 👉 There is no need to indicate this to Maia: it is automatic

E for Give it explicit instructions, for example:
  • Base the lesson on the following learning objective: … 
  • Write 2/3/4 paragraphs based on the above mentioned learning objectives (use short sentences full of meaning and key learning content).
  • Include a multiple-choice hinge question after each explanation slide.
  • Add a list of subject-specific terminology with its definition at the beginning (or end) of the lesson.
  • Write a set of questions using Bloom's taxonomy.
  • Prepare a lesson based on my learning objective, and make sure it follows Rosenshine's Principles of Instruction.
  • Create a digital group task based on the content.
  • Make sure this lesson encourages students to think critically.
  • Create a lesson that activates and engages students also digitally.
  • Ensure that it activates students' metacognitive skills… and so on…

P for Give clear parameters, for example:
It is for a UK year 11 class. The reading age is 14/15 years old.
👉This doesn't always work with a 100% score, and for this reason we have decided not to embed this function in Maia (yet). However, you could try to indicate this information in the prompt, being as specific as possible, and see what happens.

Most people ask AI (mostly ChatGPT) a question and then move on. That's a pity because the secret to this technology is discourse and interaction. If you keep moving deeper, also the lesson suggestions will evolve in quality. Maia operates in a similar way. While it's not possible to engage in a dialogue with her, you can keep learning from the prompts you enter, and improving them until you achieve 'the ultimate prompt'.

tips

We would like to add a couple of tips based on our experience creating lessons:

Tip 1
Create an entire lesson just by identifying and writing down your learning objective. Alternatively you could copy the learning objective indicated in your syllabus. 
Example: 'By the end of this lesson, you will be able to recognise the main Gods from Greek mythology and explain their characteristics.'

Tip 2
Create a clear, specific, complete prompt that is 2 to 3 sentences long.
Example: 'A lesson for the subject geography, on the topic of climate change. By the end of the lesson, students should have learned what they can do to combat climate change. There should be a homework assignment at the end of the lesson.'

download the maia manual

🧑‍🎓 (2/3) LEARN MORE: GO TO NEXT LESSON OF MODULE 6

You have now learnt how to write a prompt, and what the PREP method is. In the next lesson plan, you will learn how to create a (formative) assessment with the help of Maia.

👉 Go directly to the next lesson: Creating a (formative) test using Maia.