Hot Take Tuesday. Can I actually use AI in my lesson? Part 1 (4 part series)

Hot take Week - part 2 or 4, can I use AI in My Primary Lesson

Today’s post came from what appears a central paradox in the Ai in Education space.

The breathtaking relevance of Ai, but at the same time it’s seemingly periphery, unsophisticated and ‘bling’ type novelty applications?

I wanted to find out if this was actually the case?

Is it only good for the odd gamification, or tech bling enhancement novelty.

Can it really add to deep mastery, and enhance the lesson content to a new level entirely?

And the big picture…is this the best we can do for our kids given what’s happening in the world?

In this short series a real Syllabus Lesson is tested tested for AI enhancements, rated by a real human teacher (me) for each stage of the lesson 1, English 3–6 Multi-age – Year B Unit 8 - Genre – An Illustrated Treasury of Grimm's Fairy Tales.

Below is the complete lesson plan with the

1.     Original syllabus activity,

2.     How AI might enhance the lesson,

3.     Whether it will engage the students,

4.     Expose them to something they may need or use,,.

5.     And whether a teacher is actually likely to be able to achieve it successfully!

I give each aspect a score.

The result?

Predictably, the most impactful aspects are the hardest to set up, but once done once, can be adapted to so many lessons it’s mind-blowing.

In retrospect, the middle way seems best, with tech that can be moderately time consuming to set up, but with a big impact, such as a Collaborative Digital Workspace

Today we start with the Pre-lesson setup. I have added the word doc at the end in case you need links to resources.

Pre-Lesson Setup

Original Activity	Most Impactful AI Enhancement	Engagement or Exposure factor	Score/10
Place Resource 1 – fairy tale riddles around the classroom. Optional: generate each riddle as a QR code.	Interactive Digital Riddle Quest: Transform static riddles into an engaging digital treasure hunt using Google Forms with branching logic. Students scan QR codes that lead to adaptive riddles where each response determines the difficulty of the next challenge. Incorrect answers trigger helpful hints rather than penalties, encouraging persistence. Step-by-step guide on creating Google Forms with branching.	Engagement Factor: Compared to printed out riddles in classroom, this would engage the students. Exposure Factor: Appears to be tech bling rather than tech thing. Teacher difficulty? Possibly not worth the set up unless plug and play	6 3 2
Source a variety of fairy tale texts (both print and digital) for students to review.	Personalized Digital Library: Create a class Padlet wall with embedded fairy tales in multiple formats (text, audio, illustrated) tagged by reading level, cultural origin, and theme. AI-powered text-to-speech using Natural Reader (free version) provides accessibility options, while Rewordify offers real-time text simplification for struggling readers. Step-by-step guide for setting up Padlet.	Engagement Factor: This takes the activity to a new level and definitely adds learning. Exposure Factor: Accessibility feature is next level Teacher difficulty? Collaboration software easy to set up and run.	7 5 7
Students work in pairs or small groups to read and solve Resource 1 – fairy tale riddles.	Collaborative Digital Workspace: Utilize Google Jamboard for pair problem-solving with built-in voice recording capabilities. Students document their thinking process in real time, creating visual maps of their reasoning. Step-by-step guide for using Jamboard.	Engagement Factor: This is awesome and how a class like this can really sing Exposure Factor: Students using AI to collaborate real time. Stunning,   Teacher difficulty? Collaboration software easy to set up and run.	9 8 8
Students record their answers.	Multi-Modal Response System: Implement Flipgrid to allow students to explain their thinking verbally, visually demonstrate their solutions, or use text responses. Step-by-step guide.	Engagement Factor: Interesting but presentation to class might be easier and   Exposure Factor: More a new way to slice bread Teacher difficulty? This would be hard to keep on track unless very experienced.	4 3 3
Share student responses and display Resource 2 – riddle answers.	Interactive Answer Showcase: Use Mentimeter to create a dynamic reveal of solutions where students' answers appear in real time. Correct solutions trigger animated celebrations. Step-by-step guide.	Engagement Factor: The speed at which the class can interact and collaborate is stunning.   Exposure Factor: Again, might be another way to slice bread Teacher difficulty? Once understood, could be used for so many lessons.	6 4 8
Discuss how students applied their background knowledge and used key vocabulary to solve the riddles.	Real-Time Word Cloud Analysis: Employ Mentimeter’s word cloud generator to visualize key vocabulary students used during problem-solving. Step-by-step guide.	Engagement Factor: This takes the activity to a new level and definitely adds learning. Exposure Factor: Accessibility feature is next level Teacher difficulty? Collaboration software easy to set up and run.	7 5 7

Can I actually use AI in my lesson_ Part 1 (4 part series).docx

Download DOCX • 18KB

Below is an example of how you could structure a Google Form with branching and adaptive riddles for a primary class studying Grimm’s Fairy Tales. The key ideas are:

1. Each riddle is in its own Form section (or page).

2. Correct answers branch to the next riddle (potentially of higher difficulty).

3. Incorrect answers branch to a “Hint” section, which then leads students back to try again or moves them to an easier riddle—depending on how you’d like to adapt the difficulty.

4. Hints encourage students to persist, rather than penalising.

1. Set Up Your Form

1. Create a new Google Form:

   • Title it something like “Grimm’s Fairy Tales Riddle Challenge.”

   • Add an optional description or welcome message (e.g., “Welcome to our Grimm’s Fairy Tales Riddle Challenge! Solve the riddles, and don’t worry—if you get stuck, hints are here to help!”).

2. Use Sections for Branching:

   • In Google Forms, click the Add section button (the icon that looks like two horizontal lines).

   • Each major step (riddle or hint) should be in its own section.

2. Intro Section

• Section Title: Introduction

• Section Content:

  
  

  “Welcome, students! We’ll explore riddles based on Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Each correct answer leads to the next challenge. If you get stuck, we’ll provide a hint to help you keep going!”

• At the bottom of this introduction section, under After section [Intro], choose Go to section [Riddle 1].

3. Riddle 1 Section

In a tower tall, I dwell so high,

My hair so long, it touches the sky.

Who am I, so fair and kind?

In a braid of gold, my secret you'll find.

Answer: Rapunzel

Setting Up Branching

• Click the More (⋮) menu in the bottom-right of the question and select Go to section based on answer (or you can use the section branching at the bottom of the section).

• If Answer is correct (i.e., “Rapunzel”), send them to Riddle 2 (or a “Next Difficulty” section).

• If Answer is incorrect, send them to a Hint 1 section.

4. Hint 1 Section

• Section Title: Hint 1

• Section Content: Provide a clue to help them figure out “Rapunzel.” For example:

  
  

  “Hint: This character is known for letting down her hair so others can climb up.”

• At the bottom of this section, choose Go to section → Riddle 1 to let them try again.

  • Alternatively, you could direct them to a slightly easier or simpler version of the riddle if you want to adapt the difficulty downward.

•