Creating authentic PBL experiences…

...using Gen-AI.

Hello all. Welcome to the 126th edition of TEPS Weekly! 

In a recent teacher training session, we discussed different pedagogical approaches – direct instruction (DI), inquiry-based learning (IBL) and project-based learning (PBL). When we started talking about PBL, teachers had a lot of questions. PBL is students learning by doing a project. The project is based on a real-world (authentic) problem. It is student-centred and encourages students to ask questions, explore and find answers on their own. Everyone agreed that PBL is useful. 

But the main worry was: “How do I actually do this in my classroom?” – and this is something we hear from many teachers. Teachers shared concerns about coming up with project ideas, planning the lessons, managing students and doing assessments. PBL felt like a lot of extra work. 

So, how can we make PBL easier for teachers to plan and implement in the classroom? 

Imagine that you had a smart assistant to help you – wouldn’t it be easier? If your answer is yes, then this is where Generative AI (Gen-AI) can help you.

Gen-AI is a type of artificial intelligence that creates new content, including text, images, audio, video and so on, based on patterns learned from existing data. ChatGPT, Gemini, NotebookLM and Claude are some of the popular Gen-AI tools. Since such tools are trained on lots of information, they can give useful answers quickly according to our instructions. 

So, let’s look at how Gen-AI can help teachers plan, teach and assess PBL more easily and effectively in the classroom.

Phase 1: Brainstorming PBL Ideas

“I would like to try PBL in my class, but I have no clue how to start.”

To start PBL, we need to think about some specific ideas. Gen-AI can support us in this thinking process. But the quality of help we get from Gen-AI depends a lot on how we ask. Whatever we type or say to AI is an instruction, and this is called a prompt.

For example, you want a PBL plan for your students in Grade 6 to teach NCERT Chapter 2- ‘Diversity in the Living World’. So, you give this prompt to Gen-AI: “Create a project-based learning activity for teaching ‘diversity in the living world’ based on the Grade 6 NCERT chapter of the same name.” 

Keep in mind that project-based Learning (PBL) requires students to solve real-world problems using critical thinking while you look at the response (click on the link here to see the Gen-AI response). Did you get what you expected?

Think through the questions:

This PBL plan may not work in every Grade 6 classroom as it is, because each classroom is different. Students have different learning levels and teachers have different amounts of time, resources and support. The plan needs to match your classroom’s context. Gen-AI will generate a generic plan when it doesn’t know enough details about your classroom, students or teaching needs.

So, how can we instruct Gen-AI in a way that gives us the response we expect?

For that, we have to help AI understand what we need. One good strategy is to start by prompting Gen-AI to ask you questions first.

Try this prompt and let's see what response we get: “Ask me 5 step-by-step questions to help create a project-based learning plan for Grade 6, NCERT Chapter 2 'Diversity in the Living World'. For each question, give some sample answers to guide my thinking. Pause after each question.”

Now, Gen-AI will ask you some helpful questions to plan your activity. You can answer them one by one. This kind of prompt slows down the process. This will help you think clearly and stay focused on what your students should learn, how they’ll learn it and what they should be able to do at the end. Once you’ve answered the questions, you can continue the conversation or ask AI for more ideas. This helps you co-create the plan, instead of getting a one-size-fits-all answer.

You can also ask Gen-AI to list out more PBL ideas for the same topic and choose the one that you feel best for your students’ needs. 

Phase 2: Project Design and Planning 

“I don’t know how to structure a project, what steps to follow and how long it should run.”

Once you have a project idea, the next challenge is structuring and planning it well. This is where Gen-AI can support your work again. You can prompt Gen-AI to break down your project into steps, week by week or day by day. You can ask for help in identifying what materials you might need, how to group students, what roles they can take and how to check progress along the way.

Here’s how you can guide Gen-AI to support your planning: 

Parameter	Prompt Sentence
Assign a role: Say who the Gen-AI tool should act like in its response.	“You are a teacher in a Grade 6 rural government school in Karnataka.”
Clearly state what you need: Specify what you want Gen-AI to do. Mention the intended learning outcome as well.	“Create a 2-week Project-Based Learning (PBL) plan based on NCERT Chapter 2: Diversity in the Living World. Through this PBL experience, students should be able to observe and identify different plants around them and group them based on features like stems, leaves, venation and roots.”
Give classroom context: Give relevant class details to help Gen-AI create a plan that fits your students.	“There are 35 students, with mixed learning levels. I have 5 periods of 40 minutes each week for 2 weeks.”
List what the plan must have: Specify the features of PBL that the plan should include.	“The PBL plan should include daily classroom activities and be easy for a teacher to implement. - It should present real-life problems or questions that are relatable to students. - It should require students to take charge of their learning by asking questions, exploring and making decisions. - It should accommodate students working in teams and learning from each other.  - It should include opportunities for students to design solutions and share their learning. - The final work should be shared with an audience beyond the classroom (e.g., parents, community, or online).”
Specify the format of the plan: Clearly say how you want the plan structured for easy use.	“Give a step-by-step, practical, 2-week PBL plan as a table that clearly outlines what the teacher should do at each stage to guide and support students.”

Read Gen-AI’s response (click on the link here) and see what fits your classroom. Use what works and change what doesn’t. Sometimes, even a good prompt doesn’t give the perfect answer right away. Don’t worry, you don’t have to start all over. Identify the part in the prompt that may fix the issue and rewrite it to get closer to what you want.

In the next edition, we’ll explore how AI can help implement PBL activities in the classroom (Phase 3) and assess student learning (Phase 4).

We have a short course and a deep dive course on how GenAI can be leveraged by teachers to not only create inclusive, varied lesson plans, but also give assignments & homework to students, which are GenAI-proof. If you need to brush up on what PBL is, we have you covered with our course on how to plan for and run PBL lessons.

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Edition: 4.33