AI in the Classroom: Effective Prompts for Students and Teachers

In fall 2022, when generative AI began entering the mainstream, many schools’ initial reaction was to block student access to tools like ChatGPT. Educators were concerned that students would misuse the technology to cheat, bypassing the learning process and submitting AI-generated work as their own. But students, determined to find ways around the restrictions to experiment with the latest technology, used personal devices, or even went to nearby coffee shops, to connect to AI tools outside of school networks.  

The bigger issue, however, wasn’t just that students were finding ways to use AI—it was that many of them didn’t know how to use it ethically and effectively. Consequently, students often turned to it as a shortcut, expecting AI to quickly generate solutions or content. In my foreign language classes, I talked with students about why they wanted to use AI. They mostly revealed that it wasn’t because they were lazy or wanted to cheat, but because they felt overwhelmed by their coursework or lacked confidence in their ability to produce quality work. They often used AI to meet deadlines or because they believed their work wouldn't be sufficient.  

Rather than banning AI, schools should guide students on how to use AI to enhance their learning experiences—as a tool to assist with brainstorming, generating ideas, and clarifying concepts—not as a shortcut to bypass critical thinking and creativity. An important aspect of this is for students to learn how to craft effective prompts. Often, students provide vague instructions, resulting in unsatisfactory or irrelevant responses. This is where a framework for creating effective AI prompts can be helpful to yield better, more useful results. 

A Framework for Crafting Effective AI Prompts 

I first began developing the CLEAR framework in 2023. It stands for clarity, layout, examples, aim, and relevance. These five principles guide users in writing prompts that enable AI to understand requests clearly, ensuring optimal responses. 

1. Clarity: Be Specific 

For AI to generate useful content, it’s important to be as specific as possible. For example, instead of asking, “Tell me about Taylor Swift’s music,” which is too broad, try being more specific:What are the top three most-streamed songs by Taylor Swift in 2020?” This revised prompt provides clear direction, specifying both the artist and the year. It ensures that the response will be focused on Taylor Swift’s top songs from that particular year, rather than a general overview of her entire discography. 

Another example: If a student is looking for information on a topic, they should avoid asking a general question like, “What are the benefits of exercise?” Instead, they can refine the inquiry: “What are the top five benefits of regular cardiovascular exercise for heart health?” This version is clear, concise, and directs the AI to provide specific information. 

2. Layout: Name the Desired Format 

AI can generate text in various formats, including lists, paragraphs, tables, summaries, and dialogues, but it requires guidance to determine which format to use. For example, if a teacher wants AI to generate a list of vocabulary words in Spanish, they might say: “Create a table with the following Spanish words (listed here) and add corresponding emojis for each word to match their meaning.” This prompt specifies the content (Spanish vocabulary), the format (a table), and includes a unique request (matching emojis), making the result more visually engaging and useful for students. 

 
If a student is preparing for an essay and needs help organizing their thoughts, they can ask for a structured outline: “Create a five-paragraph essay outline on the impact of social media on teenagers, with an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.” This request gives the AI clear guidelines for how to structure the response. 

3. Examples: Give Clear Examples to Guide the Response 

Sometimes, AI needs guidance on the style, tone, or structure. Providing a sample or example helps it understand what kind of response to generate. For instance, if a person wanted the AI to write a poem in a specific style, they could provide an example: “Write a poem about love in the style of Pablo Neruda, with vivid imagery and romantic language.” This prompt is more effective than just asking for a poem about love. Specifying the style of a well-known poet helps the AI understand the tone and language the person is looking for, leading to a more fitting response. 

If a student wants AI to generate historical facts in a particular format, they should provide an example: “List three significant events in the history of Rome, similar to how you would list important moments in a timeline. For example, 'In 44 BCE, Julius Caesar was assassinated.'” The example demonstrates to the AI the format of a concise factual timeline and helps set clear expectations for the output. 

4. Aim: Clarify the Intended Outcome 

Defining the goal of the request helps the AI understand the purpose behind the task and produce a more relevant result. If a teacher needs a list of vocabulary for a Spanish language test, they should specify that in the prompt: “Generate a list of 10 commonly used Spanish words about traveling on an airplane. These words should be suitable for students preparing for an interpersonal speaking assessment.”  

If a student is asking AI to generate ideas for a writing assignment, they should make their aim clear: “Generate five creative writing prompts for a high school English class on the theme of identity, to be used in a one-week unit on personal narrative.” This ensures prompts are relevant to the classroom context and appropriate for the unit’s theme. 

5. Relevance: Provide Relevant Context and Details 

The more relevant the details a person provides, the better the AI’s output. If a student needs a story idea for a beginner-level Spanish class, they might say: “Write a short story in Spanish about a dog who gets lost in the woods and finds his way home. The story should be appropriate for novice-level students, using simple vocabulary, present tense, and short sentences.” This prompt includes the relevant context—the target language level, the type of story, and the desired vocabulary level—which will help the AI generate a response that is both educational and accessible to beginners. 

If a teacher asks AI to create a poem for a particular audience, they should be clear about who that audience is: “Write a poem about friendship for elementary school students, using simple language and a positive tone.” This provides both the context (audience) and tone (positive, simple), ensuring the AI produces an appropriate poem.

Helping Students Use AI Responsibly

By using the CLEAR framework, students can develop their ability to write prompts that generate more useful results. Teachers should also encourage students to refine and adjust prompts through multiple iterations to lead to more specific and appropriate outcomes.

AI isn’t a threat to education. Rather, it’s an opportunity to innovate, create, and enhance the learning experience. Through responsible use, students can make the most of AI, preparing themselves for a world where AI plays an increasingly central role in shaping our society. The CLEAR method is just the beginning, helping students learn how to use AI and how to think critically and ethically about the role it plays in their growth as students, and eventually, as professionals.

Author
Maureen Lamb

Maureen Lamb is a Latin teacher at Miss Porter’s School in Farmington, Connecticut.