AI as Ally, not Enemy: Focus on Curriculum Development

Image generated by Deep Dream AI in response to prompt “Students talking with robot”

When you hear about AI in the classroom, does it conjure up images of robots replacing teachers or students submitting AI-generated assignments? Such dystopian views of the future may not be completely unwarranted, but there can be a more utopian perspective as well. What if AI became your teaching ally rather than enemy? More specifically, what if we learned to use AI to help with that taxing task of curriculum development?

Anyone that has been teaching for a few years knows that a strong lesson plan is essential. It is best practice to do the hard planning work up front – creating learning activities, adding student choices in materials, building scaffolds, etc. But sometimes we fall short of designing standard-aligned lesson plans that are rigorous and engaging, and revisions are necessary. There are many tools that offer help as we create or hone lesson plans, not to mention our peers or professional learning communities; and now, with the explosion in the AI field, we can add AI to our toolbox.

Let’s experiment with how AI can support teachers with curriculum development.

But first, let’s make a few assumptions:

• You are strong in your content area.

• You are a consistent instructional planner.

• You know your students and the kinds of activities that spark their interest.

• You are looking for new ideas to freshen up your lesson plan.

For our experiment, let’s use New York State’s U.S. History & Government to help address an urgent curriculum development issue: preparing students for this new Regents exam on June 1, 2023.

Question for AI:

What are the content and skills described in the following standard?

New technologies and economic models created rapid industrial growth and transformed the United States. Students will examine the technological innovations that facilitated industrialization, considering energy sources, natural resources, transportation, and communication. Students will examine the growth of industries under the leadership of businessmen such as John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan, and Henry Ford and analyze their business practices and organizational structures. Students will evaluate the effectiveness of state and federal attempts to regulate business by examining the Supreme Court decision in Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific R.R. v. Illinois (1886), the Interstate Commerce Act (1887), the Sherman Antitrust Act (1890), and President Theodore Roosevelt’s trust-busting role as evidenced in Northern Securities Co. v. United States (1904).

Here is the response from AI:

The content and skills described in this standard are related to the study of the rapid industrialization that occurred in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This includes examining the technological innovations and advancements that facilitated industrial growth, such as new energy sources, natural resources, transportation, and communication technologies.

Students will also analyze the role of influential businessmen like John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan, and Henry Ford in leading the growth of major industries during this period. This includes evaluating their business practices and organizational structures, as well as their impact on the economy and society at large.

Additionally, students will explore the efforts made by state and federal governments to regulate business practices during this time period. This includes examining key Supreme Court decisions and acts of legislation, such as the Interstate Commerce Act and the Sherman Antitrust Act. Finally, students will analyze the role of President Theodore Roosevelt in enforcing antitrust laws and breaking up monopolies through trust-busting efforts.

Overall, the focus of this standard is on examining the key technological, economic, and political factors that contributed to the rapid industrialization of the United States during this time period and evaluating their impact on society and the economy. Students will develop skills in historical analysis, critical thinking, and evaluation of primary sources.

Now that we have established the content and skills, the next query for AI relates to how we teach this content and the skills.

Question for AI:

What would be an engaging lesson plan on the rapid industrialization of the United States using primary resources?

AI Response:

Lesson Plan Title: The Rapid Industrialization of the United States Using Primary Resources

Grade Level: High School (9th-12th grade)

Objectives:

• Students will analyze primary resources to understand the rapid industrialization of the United States in the late 19th century.

• Students will evaluate the impact of industrialization on various groups in the United States, including workers, women, and minorities.

• Students will apply their understanding of primary resources to create a presentation or written report on the topic.

Materials:

• Primary resources related to the rapid industrialization of the United States, such as photographs, political cartoons, newspaper articles, and speeches.

• Note-taking materials, such as pens and notebooks.

• Technology for creating presentations or written reports, such as computers, projectors, and word processing software.

Procedure:

Introduction (10 minutes):

• Begin by asking students what they know about the industrialization of the United States in the late 19th century. Write their responses on the board.

• Explain that they will be analyzing primary resources to gain a deeper understanding of this period in American history.

Activity 1: Analyzing Primary Resources (30 minutes):

• Divide students into small groups.

• Distribute primary resources related to the rapid industrialization of the United States to each group.

• Instruct students to analyze the resources and take notes on what they reveal about the period.

• Encourage students to consider the perspective of the author/creator of each resource and to think about how that perspective might affect the resource's message.

• After 30 minutes, ask each group to share their findings with the class.

Activity 2: Evaluating the Impact of Industrialization (30 minutes):

• Ask students to reflect on what they learned from analyzing the primary resources.

• Divide students into new groups and assign each group a specific group affected by industrialization (e.g., workers, women, minorities).

• Instruct students to use the primary resources to evaluate the impact of industrialization on their assigned group.

• Encourage students to consider both the positive and negative effects of industrialization on their assigned group.

• After 30 minutes, ask each group to share their findings with the class.

Activity 3: Creating Presentations or Written Reports (60 minutes):

• Ask students to use the primary resources and their notes to create a presentation or written report on the rapid industrialization of the United States.

• Instruct students to focus on the impact of industrialization on various groups in the United States.

• Provide time for students to work on their presentations or written reports.

• Ask students to present their work to the class.

Conclusion (10 minutes):

• Ask students to reflect on what they learned about the rapid industrialization of the United States.

• Discuss how the impact of industrialization is still felt in the United States today.

• Encourage students to continue to analyze primary resources to gain a deeper understanding of historical events.

What do you think? As a teacher that knows the content, looking at these three activities, I see a starting point of a lesson plan that I can tweak. For example, we know in U.S. Regents, we ask students to assess the validity and appropriateness of the audience. We can look at Activity 1 as a good base, and then add that level of discourse to the task (the second to last bullet) when we come back together as a class. Or, we can modify that activity to create a Socratic seminar, where students review primary source documents and use the process to talk about validity and perspective.

Again, we now have a fresh starting point with initial ideas and the option to adapt this AI-generated lesson to take it to the next level.

Read our next METIS Insights post to see how AI can help us ensure our lessons meet the needs of all students, including students with disabilities and English language learners, and other ways to tweak AI-generated lessons to level up your curriculum!

Interested in learning more about low-cost curriculum mapping solutions? Reach out to us at inquiry@metispartnersineducation.com.