AI Isn't Making Me a Faster Teacher. It's Making Me a Better One
- Tridib Misra
- Oct 8
- 4 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
When I first started using ChatGPT a few years ago, I approached it in the most obvious way: I asked it to make things for me. “Create a lesson on the present perfect tense.” It delivered — but the results were flat, mechanical, and uninspiring. The AI saved me time, yes, but the lessons weren’t what I’d call excellent. They lacked the spark that makes learning meaningful.
From Vending Machine to Collaborator
Everything shifted when I began using AI differently. A good way to look at it is not as a vending machine where you drop in a question and wait for an answer — but as a collaborator. A partner. There’s no single right way to use AI. Experiment. See what works for your goals and your context.
From General Outputs to Great Lessons
At first, my prompts were too broad. When I asked for a grammar lesson, I got a generic outline. But when I became more intentional — “Make it pairwork, add a game, use a story with this theme” — the results improved dramatically. I realized something crucial: the way you ask shapes the quality of the output.
And more importantly, the process pushed me to clarify what I actually wanted as a teacher. In asking better prompts — and sometimes letting AI ask me what I needed — my own objectives became sharper.
Cognitive Unload: The Real Gamechanger
I’ve had strong training as a teacher — a Master’s in Education, a CELTA, and years of professional development in assessment design, classroom management, and experiential learning. I already knew how to build a good lesson or craft a solid rubric. But doing it all manually took enormous time and mental energy.
That’s where AI transformed my practice. It lets me unload cognitive tasks that are essential but draining — so I can focus on the high-value parts of teaching: connecting ideas to the real world, differentiating for my students, and building relationships.
Case Use 1: Rubrics
Before AI, building rubrics was one of the most time-consuming parts of my job. Designing a presentation task meant spending hours deciding on criteria, point ranges, and level descriptors.
Now, I design the task in the chat itself. Because the AI knows the project, it can help me build a rubric that’s clear, detailed, and customized. I still guide it with my expertise, but I no longer have to reinvent the wheel. The result: a sharper rubric, produced faster — and perfectly tailored to the task.
Case Use 2: Feedback
Feedback has always been a passion of mine. From my NGO facilitation days to my ELT work at the British Council, I’ve believed feedback should be SMART: specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, timely. But giving it well used to be messy. My notes on essays or presentations were scattered, scribbled, and hard for students to use.
Now, I record my impressions freely, then feed them into AI. It organizes them into a clear, rubric-linked structure I can print or share directly. Students love it — it’s clear, actionable, and something they can act on immediately.
Beyond Saving Time
The easy story about AI is that it “saves time.” That’s true — but it undersells what’s really happening. For me, AI hasn’t just saved time. It’s made me a better teacher. Before AI, I was an above-average teacher with solid training and strong instincts. With AI, I’ve become sharper, more creative, and more focused on what matters most.
Why? Because I no longer waste hours rebuilding rubrics or structuring feedback. Instead, I spend that energy on the human side of teaching — connecting ideas, inspiring curiosity, and adapting for each student.
The Limits (and Power) of AI
Of course, AI isn’t perfect. It sometimes misses nuance, and its suggestions are only as strong as the prompts and judgment behind them. That’s why I treat its outputs as drafts, not decisions — always filtered through my professional expertise and understanding of my students. Used thoughtfully, AI doesn’t replace my judgment; it amplifies it.
A Call to Action
There’s a lot of talk about AI replacing jobs. Here’s my view: AI won’t replace teachers — but it will replace teachers who don’t use AI. The teachers who thrive will be those who embrace it — not as a shortcut, but as a collaborator. Those who use it to unload cognitive tasks so they can focus on the craft of teaching. Those who let it ask them the right questions — and in doing so, sharpen their own thinking. So, start small.
Next time you plan a lesson or assessment, don’t just ask AI to create it for you. Ask it to ask you the questions you should consider first. You may be surprised by how much clearer your own thinking becomes. AI doesn’t make us less human as teachers. It makes us more human — because it gives us back the time and mental space to do what only we can do: inspire, connect, and guide our students.
✅ Helpful Prompts to Get You Started
💡 Lesson Planning
“I want to design a lesson on [topic]. Ask me 10 questions I should answer before I start planning.”
🧾 Assessment Design
“I want to create an assessment on [topic]. What questions should I ask myself to make sure it’s fair, clear, and aligned with learning objectives?”
🎯 Rubric Creation
“Here’s the task [paste task]. Ask me what criteria and performance levels I should consider for a
rubric.”
🗣️ Feedback
“Here are my notes on a student’s essay [paste notes]. What questions should I consider to turn this into clear, structured, actionable feedback?”
🌍 Differentiation
“I want to adapt this lesson for different student levels. Ask me questions that will help me scaffold it for beginners, intermediate, and advanced learners.”
📚 Authentic Materials
“I want to use this authentic text [paste text]. What questions should I ask myself to design CLIL-style activities around it?”