Prompt/Exercise Design Case Studies
Paraphrasing/Collocations/Brain Health/Describing People
Note: Find all the exercises and prompts at the end of the post.
Prompt Design Case Study 1: Customizing Content and Domain Expertise
Creating an Effective Paraphrasing Exercise
As teachers, we often find inspiration in the most unexpected moments. Recently, while having breakfast, I had a sudden realization: my report writing class needed a paraphrasing exercise, and I had just an hour to prepare it. Drawing from years of classroom experience, I quickly outlined the key elements for an effective exercise:
Contemporary Topics: Using up-to-date sentences to keep students engaged.
Brevity: Short sentences to avoid confusion and maintain student confidence.
Attribution: Quotations with proper attribution to authors.
Manageable Length: Six items, striking a balance between comprehensiveness and time constraints.
Clear Example: An illustrative example at the top of the page.
With these criteria in mind, I crafted the exercise in Claude, which proved successful in the classroom.
However, during the lesson, I recognized an opportunity for improvement:
Vocabulary Expansion: Including examples of alternative words for paraphrasing and reporting.
To ensure I could easily recreate and modify this exercise in the future, I decided to formalize the prompt for use with my AI assistant Claude by creating a Paraphrasing Project. I usually also create a GPT with the same prompt so I can compare their output in the future.
There is no doubt that the best lessons evolve through practice and reflection. These days this is called domain expertise. Domain expertise—the deep, nuanced understanding that comes from years of practice, reflection, and real-world application—is irreplaceable. It's what allows educators to discern the subtle differences between a theoretically sound lesson and one that truly resonates with students. This expertise enables teachers to:
Interpret AI-generated content through the lens of practical experience
Refine and adapt AI suggestions to fit specific classroom dynamics
Identify opportunities for improvement that an AI might miss
In essence, AI can give you a good starting point, but it's your professional experience and knowledge that truly make your lessons effective and meaningful for your students.
Prompt Design Case Study 2: Enhancing Educational Materials with Visual Design
The Impact of Appearance on Student Engagement
While it's challenging to quantify precisely, the visual appeal of educational materials undoubtedly influences student engagement. In the past, time and resource constraints often prevented teachers from focusing on the aesthetic aspects of their materials. However, with generative AI, we now have the opportunity to enhance the visual appeal of our exercises quickly and effectively.
Key Elements of Visual Design in Educational Materials
Color Usage:
Enhances attractiveness and "cool factor"
Improves mood and engagement
Adds emphasis and clarity to content
Enables color coding (e.g., positive vs. negative concepts)
Tables:
Improve organizational clarity
Make information easier to scan and comprehend
Examples of Visually Enhanced Exercises
Adjective Table