Module 8

Spot the Mistake: Using AI in the Classroom

Identify common errors when teachers use tools like ChatGPT

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Read the scenarios below and identify the mistake being made. Click on the best answer.
Scenario 1Spot the Mistake

Mrs. K asks ChatGPT to design three lesson plans on figures of speech for her Grade 9 class. The response looks polished and detailed, so she prints it out and teaches straight from it, without adjusting anything for her own learners.

What is the main mistake in this scenario?

AI-generated lesson plans are meant to be inspiration and a foundation to build from, not a finished product. The AI doesn't know Mrs. K's specific school, resources, or learners — only she can judge what's usable and what needs adjusting.

Use AI output the way you'd use a colleague's old lesson notes: a helpful starting point that still needs your own stamp on it.
Scenario 2Spot the Mistake

Mr. P asks ChatGPT to generate 12 multiple choice questions and a memo on a lesser-known South African novel his class is studying. The response looks confident and complete, so he hands it straight out as a class test without reading it over first.

What is the mistake in this scenario?

AI is trained on huge amounts of internet data, but that data isn't evenly spread — internationally famous texts are far more represented than many local South African setworks. For under-documented material, the risk of hallucinated or inaccurate content is higher, so checking it as the subject expert is essential.

The more niche or local the content, the more critically you need to read the AI's response before it reaches your learners.
Scenario 3Spot the Mistake

Ms. L types "help me with a lesson" into ChatGPT and is frustrated when the response is vague and generic, not useful for her actual class at all.

What is the mistake in this scenario?

Prompting is king — the same underlying tool can produce a generic, useless answer or a detailed, tailored one depending purely on the instructions given. Adding subject, grade level, time available, and available resources changes the output dramatically.

Before typing a prompt, ask yourself: would a substitute teacher know what to do with this little detail? If not, add more context.
Scenario 4Spot the Mistake

Mr. J asks ChatGPT to write a formal email to parents. He likes the polished vocabulary, so he copies and pastes it straight into an email and sends it, even though some of the wording doesn't sound anything like how he normally speaks.

What is the mistake in this scenario?

AI can make writing sound more polished, but the reader will often notice if the words don't sound like the sender at all. Staying in control means rereading and adjusting AI-generated text so it still carries your own voice — AI should support your communication, not replace it.

Read any AI-drafted message out loud before sending — if it doesn't sound like you, edit it until it does.