SchoolAI Spaces let teachers design guided AI activities for students and follow the session through Mission Control. A useful first activity has one learning goal, a short sequence, and a way to check what students can do independently. This guide follows current SchoolAI documentation and includes an original example to adapt; it does not report a classroom trial.
Check access and session limits first
SchoolAI’s current free-plan guide describes a Free trial allowance of five Space sessions per year. Running the same Space five times uses that allowance; it is not simply a limit on the number of Spaces you create. Check your account and the current pricing page before planning repeated use. School or district access can differ.
Use the school’s approved account and student-access process. Decide what information belongs in the activity and keep personal student details out of a reusable prompt. Confirm the current visibility settings before adding material that should not be shared with other educators.
1. Define a small learning goal
For a first activity, choose something you can observe in a short response. For example: “Students will distinguish an observation from an inference and support the distinction with evidence.” This is narrower and easier to assess than “students will improve critical thinking.”
Plan an equivalent paper activity for students who cannot access the Space. The learning goal should remain the same regardless of the delivery route.
2. Create the Space
SchoolAI’s Space creator guide describes starting from Create a Space, adding a title, AI instructions, outcomes, and student-facing information, then previewing before saving or launching. Use a title students understand, such as “Observation or inference?” Describe the task and the expected final response in plain language.
3. Adapt this activity prompt
Suggested AI instructions: “Guide students through distinguishing observations from inferences. Begin with this fictional scene: A classroom plant has dry soil, three drooping leaves, and a window nearby. Ask the student for one observation. Then ask for one possible inference and what evidence would help test it. Ask one question at a time. Do not treat a plausible explanation as proven. If the student gives a conclusion immediately, ask which part is directly visible and which part is interpretation. Keep the discussion on the scene. End by asking the student to write a new observation-and-inference pair independently. Do not request personal information or give a final grade.”
This prompt is a starting design, not a guarantee of model behaviour. The scene is deliberately simple so you can check the reasoning and revise the instructions before involving students.
4. Preview different student responses
- Give a clear observation and see whether the AI recognises it.
- Give an inference as though it were a fact: “The plant is dying because nobody watered it.”
- Ask for the final answer without doing the task.
- Give a confused or very short response.
- Try an unrelated question and check whether the activity returns to its purpose.
Record the response you expected, what happened, and the instruction you changed. Refresh or restart the preview after editing, following the current interface. Do not launch solely because the first cooperative example worked.
5. Launch through the approved student route
The getting-started guide describes sharing a launched Space through the available link, QR, or learning-platform route. Rostered launch options have additional plan and setup requirements. Check the student joining experience before the lesson rather than relying on the teacher preview alone.
Tell students what the activity is for, what they should submit, and when they should ask you for help. Make clear that a response from AI can be questioned and that participation is not the same as demonstrating the learning goal.
6. Monitor, then ask for independent evidence
Use Mission Control to inspect the session and individual work. Treat its signals as prompts for teacher attention, not a final diagnosis of a student’s understanding or feelings. Read the relevant interaction and speak with the student when something needs clarification.
Independent exit task: Give students a new short scene, such as “A bicycle is beside a puddle and its front tyre is wet.” Ask for one observation, one inference, and one piece of information needed to test the inference. Collect this response outside the AI conversation.
7. End the session deliberately
SchoolAI’s session instructions state that closing the browser does not end a Space. Use the session’s End control when the activity is finished. Review the student evidence and make a note of any prompt changes before reusing the activity.
What to keep from your first lesson
- The learning goal and final prompt version.
- A record of the preview checks and corrections.
- The independent task and what it showed.
- Any joining or accessibility problems to resolve.
- A decision about whether the Space added enough value to reuse.
A short, well-checked activity is a better starting point than an open-ended assistant with unclear expectations. Expand the task only after you understand how students respond and what evidence you can use for the next lesson.
Related guides and further reading
Explore more in AI Tools for Teachers.
