Using ChatGPT to generate a simple explanation for a complex topic

This week, we were told to explore different Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools. This allowed me to explore ChatGPT for the first time. I searched up concepts that I already know to see if the application produced any false or erroneous information. For this, I inputted kelp forests, because I recently learned the biology of these organisms, and their importance to the ecosystem in class. In addition, this concept is a topic of concern due to climate change, and I wanted to see if this tool could provide up-to-date information. To my surprise, it explained the concept very well and showed broad aspects of the topic. It produced text that was very similar to what I was taught in class.

A screenshot of the output retrieved from ChatPGT with the prompt “kelp forests”

What guidelines do you think should be in place to guide their use in an educational institution?

I think that these AI applications are a great tool for generating ideas about a certain topic, checking grammar and spelling, producing content in multiple different languages, creating a list of counter arguments, and more. However I think there should be a strict policy on when and how students can use these tools as there are some limitations to this technology. For this question, I explain how these tools should be used if a student performs research. I believe that students should not solely use AI for research, but they should fact-check the information generated by AI with peer-reviewed information found from a reliable source (e.g., Google Scholar). For example, if a student was writing a paper on a certain topic, they can use AI to find citations to relevant scholarly journals that can back up their work. The student would then go to Google Scholar or Web of Science to ensure that the citation is legitimate and is relevant to the topic. I think this would be a good way for students to utilize the tool and to generate ideas, but to train them to also use reliable sources of information that can fact-check the AI generated information.

Lesson Planning Template

This week, I decided to create a lesson planning template of the frog metamorphic life cycle, which aligns with the BC grade 2 curriculum. For this lesson plan, I integrated Merrill’s five principles of instructional design.

Lesson planning template for learning the metamorphic life cycle of a frog

Merrill’s First Principles in my lesson planning template

  • Learners are engaged in solving real-world problems
    • For this grade 2 science lesson, the real-world problem is: what is the metamorphic life cycle of a frog
    • At the start of the lesson, include a brief overview of the concept and provide a table of contents for what will be covered
  • Existing knowledge is activated as a foundation for new knowledge
    • Students can come up with ideas of what they already know about frogs and the idea of life cycles to bring up prior knowledge of this topic. This can be done by learners writing down a list of what they know about frogs and life cycles
    • Learners will then watch The Life Cycle of a Frog | Frog Life Cycle | Video for Kids
  • New knowledge is demonstrated to the learner
    • Teacher will provide leaners with a presentation on the frog life cycle, including details about the term that defines each life stage as well as the frog characteristics at each life stage. This presentation will include graphics of what the frog looks like at each stage, along with the corresponding term and description
    • Visiting the Swan Lake Christmas Hill Nature House will show learners what frogs look like in real life, and at different stages. In addition, the learners are asked to draw the frogs that they see at the nature house and to label the life stage that they are in. By visually observing the frogs, it can help the learner better understand the concepts of the frog life cycle.
  • New knowledge is applied by the learner
    • In a game format, learners are to march cards with life cycle terms with visuals of frogs during different life stages.
    • Learners will be given a word bank of key terms and are asked to fill in the blanks on a life cycle diagram with illustrations.
    • Learners are split into small groups and will be given a term from the life cycle and modeling clay and are asked to shape the clay into the shape of the assigned life stage. Afterwards, each group can explain why they shaped the clay into the way they did in order to accurately represent a certain life stage. This promotes a fun, hands on learning activity with groups.
  • New knowledge is integrated into the learner’s world
    • The learners should have the ability to apply the idea of a metamorphic life cycle to other organisms like the butterfly
    • Learners can apply the concept of a life cycle to their own lives by understanding that all living things have a life cycle

Where do you see constructive alignment and backward design used in this course or another course you are taking/have taken?

Constructive alignment is a theory that aligns learning outcomes, what and how information is taught, and what and how learners are assessed. When these three ideas are consistent and aligned, it is expected that both learners and teachers are receiving more expected results. Another component of this theory is constructivism, which argues that knowledge is built and not given, and that the student creates knowledge rather than the teacher transmitting it. One of my professors has been using constructive alignment throughout the entire course, in which he provides a roadmap of the content that will be covered, and indicates the important stages of the learning path at certain points in the lecture. He informs us on when important concepts should be understood and how these concepts will be applied in tests and assignments. He acts as a guide to improve the knowledge gained by the student in that he gives us ideas on how we can better understand a topic with similes and relatable examples. He also gives the students enough time to reflect on the topics to improve our knowledge on the underlying ideas.

Backward design is described as a way of instructional planning which begins with the end goal and continues backwards from there (Gonzalez, 2020). My ichthyology professor uses this technique for each section of the course that he teaches. For instance, at the beginning of a new section, he outlines concepts and ideas that the students will be able to understand by the end of the section. After that lecture, he explains the evaluation that we will eventually do, and afterwards the content of each lecture contains concepts that help prepare us for the assessment. I like this curriculum design as it keeps the end goal in mind and it helps me keep in mind the important concepts that should be known for evaluations throughout the section.

References

Gonzalez, J. (2020, June 21). Backward design: The basics. Cult of Pedagogy. https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/backward-design-basics/