If you work in the PBL space for any length of time you will hear a constant refrain, false to its core, difficult to silence. It is the pedagogical equivalent of an “ear worm.”
There is not a PBL workshop facilitator alive who hasn’t been told the following: “PBL is great and I would love to try it but there are so many standards I have to cover.” Just ask the experts at the New Tech High School Center for Excellence, who offer PBL training around the world.
While I was working at the Buck Institute for Education (PBLWorks) I thought we were able to eliminate that refrain when we published the PBL Handbook in 2003. The subtitle: “A Guide to Standards-Focused Project Based Learning.” Nope. Flash forward two decade to a seminar in Hangzhou, China. Several of the teachers came up to me and said: “PBL非常好，我很想尝试，但我需要覆盖太多的标准” I’m sure you can figure out what that translates to.
Generative AI may not be able to silence that refrain, but if you use this series of prompts you will be able to design lessons, units, projects, and assessments that are clearly and explicitly standards-based, customized for your state.
Preparing the AI to Work with Standards
Those of you who use any of the popular generative AI models (Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.) on a regular basis are discovering that the software is getting to know you, your style, and your teaching context. That said, it’s important to remind the software which standards you are teaching at the moment. Try this prompt first, replacing my teaching context with yours:
“Please read and analyze the section on Ancient China in the California History/Social Science Framework for sixth-grade.”
The reason you are doing this prompt first is that you want to ensure the generative AI is primed to serve your customized needs (grade level, subject area, topic, state, etc.). It will respond with a concise outline of the key elements of that section of your standards. This alone could serve as an effective pedagogic guide (a unit at a glance, so to speak), but I digress.
Giving the AI Explicit Instructions
In the second prompt we will put the AI to work. It is crucially important that you again provide details of your classroom context: length of class period, number of lessons needed, lesson elements you favor, extension activities, available classroom technology and equipment, assessment needs, homework, etc. Try this prompt next:
“Use your analysis of that section to create a 50-minute lesson plan that introduces my students to ancient China. I would like an engaging opening activity and a brief check for understanding at the end of the lesson. Make specific reference to the section(s) of the Framework you are using to create the lesson.”
If you want to see what the end result was for me, check out the prompts and the output (lessons and rubric) via this Google doc. If you are a visual learner you can visit my YouTube Channel and watch this episode of my 3-Minute AI Master series. And finally, to find these prompts and hundreds of others visit my free Prompt Library for Classroom Teachers.
Assessment Time
At the end of each unit or project my students would always complete a complex demonstration of understanding individually or in a group. The job of generating a standards-based rubric for such tasks is often a heavy lift for teachers. Try this third prompt:
“At the end of my unit on Ancient China I want the students to create 10-slide PowerPoint presentations on one topic from these standards on Ancient China. Create a four-column rubric I can use to assess those PowerPoint presentations. Ensure the content knowledge section of the rubric makes specific reference to the standards.”
You will of course ask me if generative AI can assess the PowerPoints (or essays, or presentations, or …) Yes, but that is a complex process that may require you to use additional software. We’ll save that task for later.
Time to Retire a Tired Refrain
In 2012, the noted scholar Yong Zhao released a book called World Class Learners. He examined various PBL models. At its core was a comparison between the standards-based model promoted by the Buck Institute and the more open-ended inquiry approach advocated by High Tech HS in San Diego. Zhao, one of the most well-known school reformers in the world, clearly states that PBL can be standards-based.
Prove him right by using these prompts to create standards-based lessons, units, projects, and assessments. AI can do the tedious task of curriculum mapping in a heart-beat. You will get back your Saturday mornings.
David Ross (@davidPBLross) is the retired CEO of the Partnership for 21st Century Learning and the former Senior Director of the Buck Institute for Education (now PBLWorks). David was an 11th grade American Studies (History and English 11) team teacher. David created curriculum design templates, exemplary projects, rubrics for critical thinking and collaboration, and project management techniques.
