Artificial Intelligence (AI) has recently become a buzzword in household conversation as human-computer interactions have become more efficient and personalized thanks to the emergence of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT, Bing, and Bard. One critical aspect of this type of AI is effective prompting.
What follows are seven principles for effective prompt-writing, followed by good and bad examples:
Be clear and specific. Clearly state your question or request to ensure that the AI understands what you're looking for. Providing context or background information can also help improve the quality of the response.
Good example: "What are some engaging activities I can use to teach middle school students about the water cycle?"
Poor example: "How do I teach the water cycle?"
Keep it concise. While it's essential to provide relevant information, avoid making your prompts overly lengthy or complex. A concise and focused question will generally yield better results.
Good example: "Suggest three strategies for improving reading comprehension in high school students."
Poor example: "I need help coming up with ideas for teaching reading comprehension to students because I've been struggling to find methods that work well, and I'm not sure what to do."
Define the format. If you have a specific format in mind for the answer, such as a list or a paragraph, mention it in your prompt. This will help guide the AI in providing a response that meets your expectations.
Good example: "Please provide a brief paragraph on the importance of teaching critical thinking skills in the classroom." or “Please act as a university literature professor and suggest several ways a student who loves to read can explore new genres of literature.
Poor example: "Why is it important to teach critical thinking skills?"
Request Step-by-Step or Point-by-Point Answers. For complex questions or topics, asking the AI to provide a step-by-step guide or a list of key points can help you get a more structured and comprehensive response.
Good example: "List the steps to create a lesson plan for teaching elementary students about photosynthesis.
Poor example: "How do I make a lesson plan for photosynthesis?
Be Explicit about the Perspective or Tone. If you want the AI to adopt a particular perspective or tone (e.g., formal, informal, humorous), mention it in your prompt to guide the response.
Good example: "Write a humorous and engaging introduction to a lesson on Shakespeare for high school students."
Poor example: "Write an introduction to a lesson on Shakespeare."
Limit Answer Length, if Necessary. If you need a concise response, you can specify a word or sentence limit in your prompt to encourage the AI to provide a brief and focused answer.
Good example: "In two sentences, explain the main goal of teaching phonics to young learners." or “Give me 10 examples of activities to teach phonic to young learners.”
Poor example: "What's the goal of teaching phonics?" or “How do I teach phonics?”
Iterate. Don't be afraid to rephrase or tweak your prompt if the AI doesn't provide the desired response on the first try. Experimenting with different approaches can help you discover the most effective way to communicate your query.
Poor initial prompt: "What's the best way to teach math?"
Improved prompt: "What are some effective methods for teaching algebra to high school students?"
Please see here for the above in a PDF handout.
High school college counselors play a crucial role in preparing students for higher education and career opportunities. As generative AI tools become more prevalent in various aspects of education and professional life, it is increasingly important for college counselors to teach students how to effectively use and communicate with these tools. As is the case with so much within the domain of college counseling, while it may be argued that teaching effective prompting may not clearly be the role of college counselors, it seems that, at the very least, it is probably our role to make sure this essential skill is being taught. We think that we bear some of the burden of teaching these skills!
That said, by incorporating the teaching of effective prompting techniques into our programs, college counselors can help students make better use of AI tools in their academic and professional lives. This skill will be particularly beneficial when it comes to research, collaborative projects, and the development of critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
Moreover, teaching students how to effectively prompt AI tools will also enable them to become more responsible users of these technologies. With the power of AI comes the responsibility to use it ethically and thoughtfully. By helping students develop their prompting skills, college counselors can promote a greater understanding of the potential benefits and pitfalls of AI use in various contexts.
As generative AI tools become more integrated into our daily lives, it is essential to understand and apply best practices for writing prompts to make the most of these technologies. High school college counselors have a unique opportunity to teach students the skills necessary to effectively communicate with AI, preparing them for success in higher education and beyond. By focusing on the principles highlighted above, students can effectively engage with AI tools and responsibly harness their power in their academic and professional pursuits.