Three Ways I'm Integrating ChatGPT Into Coaching
Including a consistent question I ask myself about the impact of this tool
In this article for Choice Literacy, I shared a lesson learned about technology from taking Millie, our golden retriever, to puppy school two years ago.
During practice time, I asked the trainer how to get our dog to release the ball. “She’s good at fetching and bringing it back, but she doesn’t want to let it go.” The trainer introduced a second squeaky ball. Millie immediately released the one she had in her mouth, prioritizing the new one.
This experience reminded me of my own struggle to let go of “toys” I own. I get comfortable with the tools, strategies, and routines that have worked for me in the past. Dropping them in favor of potentially better ones is risky.
One such tool that’s caught my attention is ChatGPT.
Next are a few ways I’ve been using this large language model in my role as a coach, followed by considerations with how it might change my work.
ChatGPT as a Copy Editor
Simply by feeding it my draft writings, ChatGPT has offered concise, helpful revisions, which have helped refine my work.
For example, I had it offer suggestions for a newsletter I wrote for my organization about coaching. It gave me a rating along with strengths and areas from improvement. I made some of the changes suggested. My writing was better.
How might AI change my work?
Any type of grammar/conventions application, i.e. Grammarly, seems redundant right now. I might lose some efficiency in having to upload my writing into ChatGPT, but it seems to offer the same support.
ChatGPT as a Research Assistant
Beyond just grammar and usage edits, ChatGPT has also shown promise in handling the heavy lifting of data analysis.
As an example, in my role as a systems coach, I help districts synthesize qualitative survey results. By inputting perceptual data into ChatGPT, we’ve been able to distill significant themes and actionable insights quickly.
How might AI change my work?
I can see hours of my time recovered. That means more time interacting with clients and supporting their efforts in continuous improvement.
ChatGPT as a Curriculum Developer
During an assessment workshop, a participant wondered aloud how they might use a standard to develop a performance task.
“Let’s ask AI and see what it comes up with.” I pasted the standard into ChatGPT’s textbox along with a prompt to generate authentic performance tasks aligned with Understanding by Design. It came up with several ideas, all viable for the grade level.
How might AI change my work?
I am released from feeling like I have to operate as a sole source of knowledge. I can demonstrate how to use these tools so teachers can coach themselves and improve their curriculum plans.
Conclusion: Benefits and Trade-offs
As much as I find AI tools like ChatGPT enhancing my productivity, they also invite a questions about our dependency on technology.
As I noted in my Choice Literacy article:
Regarding my own coaching practice, I find myself using paper less when documenting conversations with clients. Am I giving up too much of my attention? As an example, what nonverbals from clients am I missing when part of my focus is on a screen?
As well, by outsourcing the synthesis of the perceptual data, are we losing out on the opportunity to build our own insights into a school culture? ChatGPT could never know the full context of a learning community. And yet how accurate do we need these insights to be? How much time are we spending analyzing when we could be making systems changes now?
Embracing these tools requires a balanced, thoughtful approach. I need to weigh their benefits against what might be compromised, especially the human touch and depth of understanding in our work.
How are you using AI in your work? What benefits and/or potential trade-offs are your seeing?
Recommended Additional Reading
I wasn’t able to attend this ILA webinar on AI in literacy instruction, but a colleague did. She shared several resources, including this free digital book on how to use ChatGPT in classrooms today. The introduction offers a nice explainer of what AI is as well as specific tools under this umbrella, such as Large Language Models (LLM). The authors also make a clear statement about the importance of incorporating these technologies into classrooms.
It’s unreasonable to expect students to resist a tool that can do the exact assignment for them, especially when it’s free, easily accessible, and difficult for teachers to detect. Thus, we need to teach students different skills related to using artificial intelligence, rather than avoiding it.
- Kevin Yee, Kirby Whittington, Erin Doggette, and Laurie Uttich. "ChatGPT Assignments to Use in Your Classroom Today" (University of Central Florida, 2023)
In a recent post, Seth Godin shared that he prefers Claude over ChatGPT, “because it’s more effective and less arrogant”. I’ve also explored and like Pi on my iPhone; I find it to be more pleasant and conversational. Godin offers three suggestions for more effectively using any tool of this type:
Ask clearly bounded questions, where you can easily inspect the results.
Don’t let AI make decisions for you. Instead, challenge it to broaden your options.
Take advantage of the fact that it doesn’t have feelings, and use its honesty to get useful feedback.
Eight years ago, I wrote my first print book for ASCD: Five Myths About Classroom Technology: How do we integrate digital tools to truly enhance learning? It’s a short book; you could read it in an afternoon. A few of the tools are outdated, but the main premise is timeless: How do we become more intentional and thoughtful about incorporating technology into instruction?
Did you find this post useful? Let a colleague know what you learned and start a conversation.
Thanks Matt, Great advice, and if I need some support doing so I know where to find you.
Thanks for Sharing Matt. Like you I find myself looking for ways to incorporate AI, into my everyday activties. I have started with ChatGTP and recently have been trying Gemini. I have liked Gemini because it gives you mutiple drafts all at once.
I have similar experience that you have with using it as an editor as well as with creating examples within lesson planning. In an article on teaching Error Analysis, I had collected examples from teachers and used ChatGPT to create additional examples. I found that each example needed to adjusted but definitely good enough to for additional ideas.
As for limitations - I think you identified the key issue - does it take away from our learning process. The large push for creating AI Prompts and sharing them feels similar to going on TPT and buying someone elses ideas. I think the power of AI is in the critical thinking that occurs as you evaluate each answers. It is this evaluation that I worry that may not be utilize within the classroom and it will be used to just get an answer. Students need to learn how to use it as a tool, like you and I have used it.