Role reversal: Dubai student enables teachers to plan better, save time with AI
16 year old develops AI lesson plan generator in order to ease his teachers' work
Dubai: A private school student in Dubai has won the hearts of his teachers with his thoughtful gesture.
Turning teacher as it were, Aadivya Raushan, an IB student at GEMS Modern Academy, created an ‘AI Lesson Plan Generator’ for his teachers with the aim of easing the load of their administrative tasks.
The 16 year old told Gulf News he designed the innovative application to simplify lesson planning. With a minimalist, user-friendly interface, the app ensures teachers save valuable time, with lesson plans generated in Word format, granting teachers the freedom to tailor them to their specific needs, he added.
How it works
The app aligns with various curricula, including ICSE, ISC, PYP, MYP, IBDP, and the UAE’s moral education. Teachers input details about the lesson they want to generate – subject, topic, curriculum, grade, duration, etc. – and the app then generates lesson plans based on this information. It also includes links to relevant websites and context, distinguishing between teacher-led and student-led activities, with structured questions and activities.
Raushan said, “I have spent the majority of my life, 13 years, in Dubai. My journey in the world of programming began at the age of eight, and since then, it has been a passion that occupies most of my time. Beyond programming, I am deeply intrigued by various STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects. My parents have professional backgrounds in finance and technology, which might have influenced my early interest in these fields.”
It all started at a hackathon
He said the birth of the AI Lesson Plan Generator idea could be traced back to his participation in a hackathon held in June 2023. “Following the event, my teachers recognised the potential of the concept and urged me to share it with the school’s leadership team. Fortunately, the idea resonated strongly with the team, which marked the beginning of its development,” he said.
“During the summer break, I refined the app, incorporating valuable feedback provided by my teachers. This process involved adapting the app to seamlessly integrate with my school’s existing systems. The technical foundation of the app is built upon a stack that includes JavaScript, Firebase, Langchain, OpenAI’s ChatGPT API, React, and various open-source libraries, showcasing the interdisciplinary nature of the project,” he added.
The entire development cycle, from conceptualisation to testing and launch, spanned approximately two months. “During the developmental phase, I conducted a pilot test of the app, involving select members of my school’s senior leadership team. This iterative process allowed me to receive more invaluable feedback. While the teachers were genuinely impressed with the quality of the lesson plans generated by the app and recognised its potential to significantly save time, they consistently provided feedback for further enhancements. These incremental improvements, over time, collectively transformed the app into a much more refined and capable tool,” he said.
According to him, the core benefit of the app lies in its ability to automate the typically time-consuming process of lesson planning. By doing so, it liberates teachers from the burden of administrative tasks, granting them valuable additional time.
Grateful teachers
The teachers, a thrilled lot, are thankful.
Sagarika Banerjee, teacher, GEMS Modern Academy, said, “Aadivya’s AI app has been a game-changer in my lesson planning. It not only seamlessly aligns my lessons with both the curriculum standards and the UAE’s Moral and Social Studies curriculum elements, but also saves me a significant amount of time. This newfound efficiency in administrative tasks allows me to focus more on teaching and pedagogical choices, ultimately enhancing the quality of learning in my classroom.”
Another teacher Srividhya Sathyamurthi said, “I used the AI app to create a lesson plan and found it very useful and impressive. The comprehensive plan made my job remarkably smooth. I consider this as a feather in the cap of Aadivya – a direct result of the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship at school. I also commend him for his display of empathy in finding an area worth exploring and providing a solution.”