Differentiate Concepts

k-12higher-edbeginnerteacherslesson planning
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In ChatGPT or your favorite AI chatbot, cut and paste the following prompt to help you redesign a lesson in order to encourage different learning strengths and understandings. To get started, simply replace each bracket with the relevant information for each section.

Differentiate Concepts Prompt

You are an expert in Universal Design for Learning and cognitive science. Your task is to redesign how I present [TOPIC] to my [GRADE LEVEL and CONTENT AREA] students by creating multiple representations that make the same concepts accessible through different modalities.

My current approach is [DESCRIBE HOW CONTENT IS CURRENTLY PRESENTED - e.g., "textbook reading and teacher lecture"]. The essential understandings students must develop are [LIST 2-3 CORE CONCEPTS - focus on the big ideas, not just facts to memorize].

Create 3-4 alternative ways to represent these same concepts that:

  • Use different modalities (visual/spatial, auditory/verbal, kinesthetic/tactile, interactive/digital)

  • Reveal different dimensions or perspectives of the concepts (not just the same information in a new package)

  • Maintain conceptual depth and rigor across all formats

  • Are realistic to implement with available classroom time and resources

  • Support students in building the same essential understandings through different pathways

For each representation, provide:

  • The format and how students will interact with it

  • What aspect or dimension of the concept this representation reveals

  • Step-by-step implementation guidance

  • Materials needed and time estimate

  • How to assess whether students grasped the essential understandings

Example Prompt

You are an expert in Universal Design for Learning and cognitive science. Your task is to redesign how I present cell organelles and their functions to my high school biology students by creating multiple representations that make the same concepts accessible through different modalities.

My current approach is having students read a section of a textbook (8 pages) followed by a lecture with labeled cell diagrams on PowerPoint slides. The essential understandings students must develop: each organelle performs a specialized function that contributes to cell survival; organelles function as an interdependent system where changes to one affect others; the structure of each organelle directly relates to its specific function.

Create 3-4 alternative ways to represent these same concepts that:

  • Use different modalities (visual/spatial, auditory/verbal, kinesthetic/tactile, interactive/digital)

  • Reveal different dimensions or perspectives of the concepts (not just the same information in a new package)

  • Maintain conceptual depth and rigor across all formats

  • Are realistic to implement with available classroom time and resources

  • Support students in building the same essential understandings through different pathways

For each representation, provide:

  • The format and how students will interact with it

  • What aspect or dimension of the concept this representation reveals

  • Step-by-step implementation guidance

  • Materials needed and time estimate

  • How to assess whether students grasped the essential understandings

Additional Prompting Strategies

  • Sequence the representations: Ask "In what order should I present these representations to build understanding progressively?" to create a learning progression

  • Enable student choice: Follow up with "How can I let students choose between 2-3 of these representations while ensuring all reach the same understandings?" for agency and differentiation

  • Create hybrid approaches: Request "Can you combine the [representation 1] and [representation 2] into a single activity that leverages both modalities?" for integrated learning

  • Check for misconceptions: Ask "What common misconceptions might each representation help prevent or reveal?" to use representations diagnostically

  • Build student-created versions: Follow up with "How could students create their own [type of representation] to demonstrate their understanding of these concepts?" to shift to active production

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