Use generative AI to enhance your lesson planning, without compromising on pedagogical integrity and your own professional development
In the ever-evolving world of AI, teachers are increasingly using generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, to support their lesson planning.
A 2025 study looked at how chemistry teachers at different stages of their careers used generative AI to help plan the teaching of acids and bases to 11–14 year-olds. The researchers examined participants’ specific goals and their level of critical evaluation. They discovered there was a marked difference between new and more experienced teachers. Trainee and newly qualified teachers often relied heavily on AI for creating lessons plans, while those with more experience tended to use it to refine their own ideas or create professional-looking visuals.
A 2025 study looked at how chemistry teachers at different stages of their careers used generative AI to help plan the teaching of acids and bases to 11–14 year-olds (/wheelbarrow). The researchers examined participants’ specific goals and their level of critical evaluation. They discovered there was a marked difference between new and more experienced teachers. Trainee and newly qualified teachers often relied heavily on AI for creating lessons plans, while those with more experience tended to use it to refine their own ideas or create professional-looking visuals.
The researchers identified four distinct AI user profiles:
AI-reliant planners
Trainee and new teachers with limited teaching experience.
- Characteristics: assigned a knowledge authority role to ChatGPT and relied heavily on its suggestions.
- Purpose: teaching strategies, assessment methods, identifying student difficulties, alternative conceptions.
- Behaviour: used ChatGPT’s suggestions with limited critical evaluation.
AI-collaborative planners
Experienced teachers who view the AI tool as a colleague.
- Characteristics: used ChatGPT to exchange information and enhance existing ideas.
- Purpose: complementary, using the tools to broaden their perspective or add in new activities.
- Behaviour: filtered suggestions through their own existing knowledge.
AI-assisted plan refiners
Experienced teachers who primarily use ChatGPT to critique their ideas.
- Characteristics: provided an independently produced plan and asked the AI tool to review and suggest improvements.
- Purpose: to critically examine an existing plan and highlight areas they may have overlooked.
- Behaviour: considered each suggestion individually, then adjusted their plans accordingly if they felt it to be useful. Examples included removing potentially unsafe suggestions or adding active participation activities.
AI-independent planners
Teachers with extensive experience and expertise.
- Characteristics: prepared plans virtually independently and only used AI for very specific, limited tasks.
- Purpose: to save time by generating professional-looking visuals (concept cartoons, for example), or to double-check their knowledge on niche topics, such as specific alternative conceptions for a particular level.
- Behaviour: exhibited high levels of critical evaluation, often questioning the AI’s level-appropriateness or asked for direct academic citations to verify its claims.
AI-reliant planners were more likely to assign a knowledge authority role to the AI tool than the other teacher profiles. They struggled to sequence lessons appropriately and incorporated inappropriate suggestions that the AI made for classroom activities. Student misconceptions appeared in the AI-reliant teachers’ work that had no basis in educational literature. This demonstrates the significant potential risks of reliance on the tools, around pedagogical integrity, scientific accuracy and professional development.
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Over-reliance on AI tools could also stunt the professional growth of teachers, as they will no longer develop their own critical-thinking skills around the integration of content, pedagogy and technology. AI content can also contain gender or language biases that an uncritical planner might pass on to students.
The researchers suggested that what AI produces in response to a prompt should be treated like a recipe that still requires an experienced chef to handle it correctly.
Teaching tips
- If you want support with lesson planning, engage a peer or mentor (especially if you are newer to teaching).
- Draft your lesson plan independently and then ask AI to evaluate it.
- Double-check all visuals produced by AI, as formulae and structures are often incorrect.
- If AI suggests any alternative conceptions or definitions, cross-reference them with other sources and your own knowledge.
- Make sure AI suggestions are appropriate for the students’ age and level.
- Always check for potential health and safety issues.
Colin McGill
Reference
SA Gunbatar et al, Chemistry Education Research and Practice, 2025, doi.org/10.1039/d5rp00064e
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