Generative AI has opened up new ground for us as teachers and educators to experiment with fresh pedagogical approaches and rethink how we support learning. The potential for integrating AI into our daily teaching practice is, in my view, wide open, there’s no real ceiling to what’s possible.
In this post, I focus on ChatGPT. I chose it because it’s the tool that kicked off this whole generative AI wave. Since its first release in November 2022, it has stayed at the forefront of this space. That said, what I’m sharing here applies just as well to other leading AI chatbots like Gemini, Claude, Copilot, and Perplexity.
Now, if you’re a teacher thinking seriously about AI, you’re likely dealing with two main concerns: one is ethical, and the other is practical. I’ve already written about the ethical side in more detail. If you’re interested, take a look at my post on “Tips for Using AI Responsibly in the Classroom.”
This post is about the second part: practical classroom use. I’ll walk you through a set of simple, actionable ways to use ChatGPT to support your teaching, lighten your workload, and boost your productivity.
10 Simple Ways to Use ChatGPT as a Teacher
Here are some practical suggestions on how you can leverage the power of ChatGPT in your day to day teaching:
1. Create Class Newsletters
I think one of the quickest wins with ChatGPT is drafting class newsletters. You can provide a few bullet points—like upcoming events, classroom highlights, or reminders—and get a clean, parent-friendly message in seconds. This saves time and helps keep communication clear and consistent.
2. Design Classroom Games
If you’re ever stuck for an idea to review content or energize the room, ChatGPT can help brainstorm engaging games. You just give it your topic, and it will suggest quiz formats, interactive tasks, or even movement-based activities suited to your age group.
3. Plan Lessons
Lesson planning takes time, and sometimes inspiration runs low. You can use ChatGPT to outline a lesson structure around a topic, generate objectives, and even suggest assessments or formative checks.
4. Write Report Card Comments
Writing thoughtful report card comments for every student can be draining. What I find useful with ChatGPT is that it can take input like student performance and strengths, then generate concise, balanced comments. You can always tweak them to match your voice.
5. Generate Writing Prompts
Sometimes students just need a good question or scenario to spark their writing. You can ask ChatGPT to generate creative prompts for any grade level, genre, or theme. It’s helpful for journals, writing workshops, or when you’re building a bank of prompts in advance.
6. Create Rubrics
Rubric building becomes way less tedious with ChatGPT. You describe the task and criteria, and it generates a rubric with performance levels and descriptors. It’s editable and works well if you’re looking to save time without compromising clarity.
7. Draft Emails to Parents
Whether it’s about behavior, progress, or class updates, composing emails to parents takes a certain tone. ChatGPT can help you write messages that are respectful, clear, and match your communication style especially when you’re emotionally invested or pressed for time.
8. Differentiate Instructions
When you’re planning for a range of learners, ChatGPT can help tailor the same activity to different reading levels or learning needs. You can get simplified texts, scaffolded tasks, or enrichment suggestions based on your input. I find this particularly handy for mixed-ability groups.
9. Build Anchor Charts
Anchor charts are great for reinforcing key ideas, but designing them from scratch takes time. You can ask ChatGPT to summarize a topic into digestible chunks that work well as visuals. From there, you can format them in Canva or print them as classroom displays.
10. Create Icebreakers & SEL Prompts
For morning meetings or classroom discussions, you can use ChatGPT to generate open-ended questions that encourage students to reflect and share. I often request SEL prompts or fun icebreakers that build community while getting students talking in meaningful ways.
Final thoughts
As we’ve seen, ChatGPT can be a powerful support tool in your teaching toolkit. From lesson planning and report card writing to creating rubrics and designing classroom games, there are plenty of practical ways it can help you save time and focus more on what really matters, connecting with your students and supporting their learning.
