AI 101
What it is, what it can do, how to use it, and which platform to choose.
How a Large Language Model Works
The AI tools you hear about — ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini — are built on Large Language Models (LLMs). Despite the name, they don't truly "understand" language. They are extremely powerful pattern-matching systems trained on vast quantities of text.
Think of it less like a knowledgeable colleague and more like an extraordinarily well-read autocomplete. It has seen so much human writing that it has learned, with remarkable precision, how language tends to flow — which ideas follow which, how arguments are structured, how different styles feel.
This makes LLMs genuinely useful for many teaching tasks. It also means they have hard limits: they cannot reason from first principles, they do not update their knowledge in real time, and they can state falsehoods with total confidence.
How it works — step by step
Training on Text
An LLM is trained on billions of pages of text — books, websites, articles, code. It learns statistical patterns: which words and ideas tend to follow others.
Tokens, Not Words
AI doesn't read words the way we do. It breaks language into "tokens" (roughly syllables or short word-chunks) and processes them as numbers.
Next-Token Prediction
Given a sequence of tokens, the model picks the statistically most likely next token — over and over — until it has produced a full response.
No Memory or Understanding
Each conversation starts fresh. The model has no beliefs, emotions, or awareness. It pattern-matches from training data — very powerfully, but nothing more.
The basic loop
The text you type in
Predicts the most likely next tokens
Generated one token at a time
AIdoesn'tthink.Itpredicts.
Capabilities for Educators
AI is most useful as a first-draft engine and a time-saving layer — not as a final authority.
Lesson Planning
Draft full lesson plans, learning objectives, and scaffolded activities in seconds from a brief description of your unit.
Differentiation
Rewrite the same passage at multiple reading levels, or generate tiered questions for different learner groups.
Feedback Drafts
Generate first-draft comments on student work that you personalise and refine — cutting feedback time in half.
Assessment Design
Create quiz questions, rubrics, exit tickets, and discussion prompts aligned to specific standards or objectives.
Research Synthesis
Summarise long documents, distil key arguments from texts, and surface connections across multiple sources.
Admin & Communication
Draft parent emails, meeting agendas, policy summaries, and reports — then edit to match your voice.
What AI Cannot Do
Understanding the boundaries of AI is just as important as knowing its strengths. These are not bugs to be fixed — they are fundamental properties of how LLMs work.
Verify its own facts — AI confidently produces errors ("hallucinations")
Replace teacher judgment about individual students
Understand context it was not given in the prompt
Think critically or reason from first principles
Access the internet in real-time (unless the platform has search tools)
Maintain memory between separate conversations
Thebestuseskeeptheteacherincontrol.
The RTCF Framework
A prompt is just an instruction. The quality of the output depends almost entirely on the quality of what you give the model to work with.
Role
Tell the AI who it should act as.
"You are an experienced 8th-grade English teacher."
Task
State exactly what you want it to do.
"Write a 5-question reading comprehension quiz."
Context
Provide the relevant details it needs.
"The text is a 600-word excerpt about the water cycle for 6th graders."
Format
Specify the output structure.
"Use multiple-choice format, one correct answer per question, no answer key."
Weak vs. Strong Prompts
Weak — Lesson Planning
Write a lesson on photosynthesis.
Strong — Lesson Planning
You are a high school biology teacher. Write a 45-minute lesson plan on photosynthesis for 10th graders. Include a warm-up activity, direct instruction notes, a group activity, and an exit ticket. Align objectives to NGSS standard HS-LS1-5.
Weak — Feedback
Give feedback on this essay.
Strong — Feedback
You are a writing coach. Read the student essay below and provide three specific, encouraging pieces of feedback. Focus on argument structure and evidence use, not grammar. Write directly to the student in a supportive tone. [paste essay here]
Weak — Differentiation
Simplify this text.
Strong — Differentiation
Rewrite the following paragraph at a 4th-grade reading level. Keep all key vocabulary terms but define them in parentheses the first time they appear. Preserve the original meaning. [paste paragraph here]
Prompt Templates
Copy, adapt, and use these templates for common teacher tasks. Every bracketed placeholder is a cue to add your specific details.
Abetterpromptisabetterquestion.
Choosing the Right Tool
There is no single best platform. The right choice depends on what you already use, what your school provides, and what the task requires.
ChatGPT
OpenAI
Strengths
- Versatile across all tasks
- Huge plugin ecosystem
- Voice & image input
- Custom GPTs for specific workflows
Claude
Anthropic
Strengths
- Best for long documents (200K token context)
- Nuanced, precise writing
- Strong at following complex instructions
- Safety-focused design
Gemini
Strengths
- Native Google Workspace integration
- Real-time web access
- Multimodal (text, image, audio, video)
- Google Classroom compatibility
Copilot
Microsoft
Strengths
- Built into Microsoft 365
- Works inside Word, PowerPoint, Teams, Outlook
- Strong for structured documents
- Education licensing available
Perplexity
Perplexity AI
Strengths
- Real-time web search with inline citations
- Every answer is sourced
- Good for research overview
- Follow-up conversation style
A note on choosing
If your school uses Google Workspace, start with Gemini — it lives inside your existing tools. If your school uses Microsoft 365, start with Copilot. For personal or exploratory use, ChatGPT has the largest community and most tutorials. For tasks involving long documents or complex writing, Claude is often the strongest performer.
Want to Go Deeper?
Helicon offers professional development and coaching for educators looking to integrate AI with confidence. Get in touch to learn more.