Using a lesson plan generator found on magicschool.ai I created a lesson that would be used for teaching a second grade classroom about addition with regrouping. Students would have the prior background knowledge of adding two digit numbers without regrouping. The lesson can be found at:
https://app.magicschool.ai/tools/lesson-plan-generator?share=44bc0b90-5b9d-4821-bed2-c649b1dd119c
The lesson created with Magic Schools lesson plan generator did align with the standard I was hoping for, however the lesson itself lacks direction and opportunities for practice. The assessment listed is aligned with the standard, but again lacks content. There should be much more direction in the lesson and many more examples given. Teachers will also need to explain and demonstrate the why. This lesson plan tool is a great example of where to start. There is very little guided practice for students listed. (Frey & Fisher, 2013) Teachers should add in more examples as well as give the students an option to do a hands-on type of learning. I would add in virtual base ten blocks, retrieved from mathlearningcenter.org and give students the opportunity to use those as a way to practice the problems and how they are done. This hands-on model will give them the opportunity to understand why you regroup. Using technology would further enhance this lesson and engage students more. This would help it tie into what we’ve read thus far in the course-keeping students engaged and integrating technology. The lesson adhered to the prior knowledge aspects addressed in Chapter 5 of Gura (2020).
To analyze a second tool on the website I chose to use the presentation generator which creates slide shows (powerpoint style) for whatever you prompt it to. The slide show can be found at:
https://app.magicschool.ai/tools/presentation-generator?share=966e6e3d-281f-4864-9867-9d73217b7df9
While this was a useful tool in the aspect that it gave you a starting point I do not think that this would be something you could use straight from the generator to deliver a lesson or assess learning with your students. The best bet would be to use this as an outline for creating your own slideshow. It lacked color, animations and structure. It did a great job giving what you should put on the slide if you were using it as a baseline, but it is not something that could be used right away.
Overall, magicschool.ai has many tools and resources that can be used by teachers. While I think this is a great starter tool, my fear would be that teachers will use this to replace their own knowledge. I have recommended this website to fellow educators and have attended a few workshops sponsored by magicschool.ai that have taught me more about using this tool. I would and I will recommend this resource to colleagues as my district has chosen to purchase the paid subscription as a way to assist teachers and we will be giving a training at the beginning of the school year on how to best utilize this platform. My major concern for using this tool however, is that teachers may think it can replace them and a teacher has knowledge about the students that an AI tool does not have. I do think that this can be used to take a touch off of teachers' plates when it comes to that decision fatigue that is faced by educators, especially as they feel overwhelmed. With the rise of AI on the horizon I think that this can be a great approach for teachers and give them a chance to enhance lessons. The only other beneficial AI tools I have used in the classroom are ChatGPT and Perplexity. While these were helpful on a base level they did not go into as much as for an educator.
https://app.magicschool.ai/tools/lesson-plan-generator?share=44bc0b90-5b9d-4821-bed2-c649b1dd119c
The lesson created with Magic Schools lesson plan generator did align with the standard I was hoping for, however the lesson itself lacks direction and opportunities for practice. The assessment listed is aligned with the standard, but again lacks content. There should be much more direction in the lesson and many more examples given. Teachers will also need to explain and demonstrate the why. This lesson plan tool is a great example of where to start. There is very little guided practice for students listed. (Frey & Fisher, 2013) Teachers should add in more examples as well as give the students an option to do a hands-on type of learning. I would add in virtual base ten blocks, retrieved from mathlearningcenter.org and give students the opportunity to use those as a way to practice the problems and how they are done. This hands-on model will give them the opportunity to understand why you regroup. Using technology would further enhance this lesson and engage students more. This would help it tie into what we’ve read thus far in the course-keeping students engaged and integrating technology. The lesson adhered to the prior knowledge aspects addressed in Chapter 5 of Gura (2020).
To analyze a second tool on the website I chose to use the presentation generator which creates slide shows (powerpoint style) for whatever you prompt it to. The slide show can be found at:
https://app.magicschool.ai/tools/presentation-generator?share=966e6e3d-281f-4864-9867-9d73217b7df9
While this was a useful tool in the aspect that it gave you a starting point I do not think that this would be something you could use straight from the generator to deliver a lesson or assess learning with your students. The best bet would be to use this as an outline for creating your own slideshow. It lacked color, animations and structure. It did a great job giving what you should put on the slide if you were using it as a baseline, but it is not something that could be used right away.
Overall, magicschool.ai has many tools and resources that can be used by teachers. While I think this is a great starter tool, my fear would be that teachers will use this to replace their own knowledge. I have recommended this website to fellow educators and have attended a few workshops sponsored by magicschool.ai that have taught me more about using this tool. I would and I will recommend this resource to colleagues as my district has chosen to purchase the paid subscription as a way to assist teachers and we will be giving a training at the beginning of the school year on how to best utilize this platform. My major concern for using this tool however, is that teachers may think it can replace them and a teacher has knowledge about the students that an AI tool does not have. I do think that this can be used to take a touch off of teachers' plates when it comes to that decision fatigue that is faced by educators, especially as they feel overwhelmed. With the rise of AI on the horizon I think that this can be a great approach for teachers and give them a chance to enhance lessons. The only other beneficial AI tools I have used in the classroom are ChatGPT and Perplexity. While these were helpful on a base level they did not go into as much as for an educator.
References:
Frey, N., & Frey, D. (2013). Gradual Release of Responsibility Instructional Framework
[PDF]. In Formative Assessment and the Common Core Standards: English Language
Arts/Literacy, Module 3 – Reading 3. ASCD. Retrieved from https://pdo.ascd.org/lmscourses/pd13oc005/media/formativeassessmentandccswithelaliteracymod_3-reading3.pdf
Gura, M. (2020). Fostering Student Creativity. EdTech Digest the State of the Arts,
Creativity,and Technology 2020: A Guide for Educators and Parents. p. 7.
Gura (2020).pdf
Frey, N., & Frey, D. (2013). Gradual Release of Responsibility Instructional Framework
[PDF]. In Formative Assessment and the Common Core Standards: English Language
Arts/Literacy, Module 3 – Reading 3. ASCD. Retrieved from https://pdo.ascd.org/lmscourses/pd13oc005/media/formativeassessmentandccswithelaliteracymod_3-reading3.pdf
Gura, M. (2020). Fostering Student Creativity. EdTech Digest the State of the Arts,
Creativity,and Technology 2020: A Guide for Educators and Parents. p. 7.
Gura (2020).pdf
Hi Katrina,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you that the lesson generated with MagicSchool lacks both clear direction and sufficient opportunities for practice, especially when teaching a foundational concept like addition with regrouping to second graders. I remember teaching this exact concept when I taught second grade, and like you suggested, I used virtual base ten blocks as part of the practice. They were incredibly helpful in making the regrouping process more concrete and engaging for students.
I also recall incorporating live quizzes and polls where students submitted their answers to regrouping problems in real time. We would then review the problems together, break them down on the board, and analyze where misconceptions happened. That collaborative, tech-enhanced practice really boosted both understanding and participation.
As you said, MagicSchool is a great starting point, but it definitely requires teacher judgment and thoughtful adjustments to ensure real learning takes place. I appreciate how you emphasized the importance of modeling and hands-on practice; those are essential for students to truly grasp the “why” behind regrouping. Your suggestions are very practical and will surely benefit anyone planning to use that tool for early math instruction.
- Maria Watson
Katrina,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post...very thoughtful. I agree that it lacks guided practice. I played around with a couple of lessons and felt that they all lacked practice. I do think it's a great tool, especially for new teachers to get the hang of lesson planning and mapping out their week/month. However, you bring up a great point about it not replacing the knowledge we already possess. Thank you for the reminder!
Lindsay Glover
Great Blog post!
ReplyDelete