Workshop 1: Using AI for STEM — Lessons & More
Turn LLMs into your STEM curriculum co-pilot through hands-on prompt engineering across ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.
Learning Objectives
- Articulate how LLMs function as curriculum design tools
- Apply prompt engineering to generate differentiated, standards-aligned STEM lessons
- Compare outputs across ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini
- Customize a lesson template using AI-assisted workflows
- Identify CRAFT cycle phases from lived experience
Key Activities
- Cross-platform prompt engineering (same prompt → 3 LLMs → compare)
- Multi-framework STEM lesson template customization
- AI output audit ('spot the difference')
- CRAFT lesson sketch design
Talk:Do Ratio
28 min facilitator-led / 162 min participant activities (1:5.8)
Participant Takeaways
- Prompt library
- Lesson template (customized)
- Platform comparison cheat sheet
Date: April 11, 2026 · 8:30 AM – 12:00 PM PST · Virtual (Zoom)
Zoom: Join Workshop 1 (Password is in your calendar invitation.)
Focus: Curriculum alignment, differentiation, administrative time-saving
Talk:Do Ratio: 28 min facilitator / 162 min participant activities (1:5.8)
Stop asking “What is AI?” and start asking “How does this help my students learn?” This session turns LLMs into your STEM curriculum co-pilot through hands-on prompt engineering across multiple platforms.
Surveys
- 📝 Pre-Survey — complete at the start of the session
- 📊 Post-Survey — complete at the end of the session
Shared Workspace
- 📋 Group Workspace (Google Doc) — collaborative document for all breakout and group activities
Learning Objectives
- Articulate how LLMs function as curriculum design tools (not magic, not replacement)
- Apply prompt engineering strategies to generate differentiated, standards-aligned STEM lessons (any discipline — math, science, CS, engineering, technology)
- Compare outputs across ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini for the same prompt
- Customize a provided lesson template using AI-assisted workflows
- Identify the CRAFT cycle phases and describe how the session modeled them
Session Resources
- 📋 Planned Agenda — participant-facing timeline with activity links and print view
- 📝 Live Agenda (Google Doc) — facilitator timing board, updated in real time during the session
- 🖥 Web Slides — keyboard-navigable presentation (← → arrows, F for fullscreen)
- ⬇ Download Slides (PPTX) — import to Google Slides
- 📄 STEM Lesson Template — multi-framework template (CSTA, NGSS, CCSS Math, CCSS ELA, ISTE, NCSS C3, Arts) for AI-assisted lesson design — keyword search, no need to memorize codes
- 📚 Prompt Library — tested prompts for STEM teaching across platforms
- ⚖️ Platform Comparison — ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini cheat sheet
- 📄 CRAFT Cycle One-Pager — printable overview of the CRAFT framework
Key Activities
| CRAFT Phase | Activity | Duration | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contextualize | Brainstorm: AI in Your World | 10 min | You Do |
| Reframe | Poll + Breakout: Your Biggest AI Concern | 15 min | You Do |
| Assemble | Live Prompt Engineering Demo (3 platforms) | 10 min | Listen |
| Assemble | Guided Practice: Your First Engineered Prompt | 15 min | You Do |
| Assemble | Breakout: Cross-Platform Prompt Lab | 25 min | You Do |
| Assemble | Build: Customize Your Lesson Template | 25 min | You Do |
| Fortify | Spot the Difference: AI Output Audit | 25 min | You Do |
| Transfer | Design: Your Own CRAFT Lesson Sketch | 15 min | You Do |
Participant Takeaways
- Prompt library with tested prompts across STEM subjects
- Customized STEM lesson template aligned to the frameworks of your choice (CSTA, NGSS, CCSS Math, CCSS ELA, ISTE, or others)
- Platform comparison cheat sheet (ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini)
- Digital Toolkit PDF with all resources
Reframe Theme
“AI is a co-pilot, not an autopilot.” — Just like a calculator doesn’t replace mathematical thinking, an LLM doesn’t replace pedagogical expertise.
Acknowledgement
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation award #2230997. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Other Workshops: Workshop 2: Verifying AI Outputs · Workshop 3: Edge/IoT with AI
You are now an AI-equipped STEM educator. Go break things and learn from them.