AI In The Classroom: How To Enhance Lesson Planning With Rosenshine’s Principles And Artificial Intelligence

AI in the classroom is becoming a powerful educational tool when used correctly. But when you combine artificial intelligence with Rosenshine’s principles of instruction, it can enhance education tenfold.

Here, AI in education and AI bias expert Victoria Hedlund helps schools and teachers understand how you can use Rosenshine’s principles, paired with artificial intelligence, to enhance lesson planning and student learning and student performance with practical classroom examples.

How AI in the classroom can enhance Rosenshine’s principles

While still in the early stages for many schools, thanks to the current AI revolution, you can’t move far without hearing about artificial intelligence, AI-powered tools, or the potential benefits of AI in education and AI in schools.

More widely recognised across the education sector, however, are Barak Rosenshine’s principles of instruction, offering a clear skeleton and scaffold to help teachers and educators make informed decisions about how they teach students.

They’re the gold standard in education, coveted by teachers: a recipe for effective lesson planning and student learning.

But fast forward to today, and you’ll see generative AI, intelligent tutoring systems and AI tutors are entering the classroom.

And the question school leaders and teachers at the forefront of the AI in education revolution should be asking is: ‘What happens when we bring together tried-and-tested teaching frameworks with the latest artificial intelligence in education?’

So, if Rosenshine is a recipe for teaching, AI is a food processor, speeding up the recipe process, leaving you with more energy to eat the cake.

Personalising learning with artificial intelligence in education

AI-powered tools can help personalise learning by streamlining administrative tasks through performance data collection, assessment tools, and even automated grading. This means more time for planning personalised classroom activities.

Digital learning platforms like Khan Academy and Third Space Learning’s spoken AI maths tutor Skye are already using machine learning to personalise interactive lessons, offering data-driven insights and feedback to more students than ever before.

But fear not. While AI will not replace teachers, using Rosenshine’s principles and generative artificial intelligence correctly, with critical oversight, can empower educators to improve student engagement and performance if they possess strong AI literacy.

However, it is key that humans stay in the loop of AI. As the teacher, you drive, create and reflect everything that AI does for you, your classroom and students’ learning experience. Whether that’s helping with:

• routine tasks
• automating administrative tasks

Or taking some of the heavy lifting of teaching, such as

• lesson planning
• resource generation
• enhancing existing materials
• explaining complex concepts
• providing detailed feedback

Rosenshine’s 10 generative AI enhanced principles

There are two burning questions surrounding the marriage of Rosenshine’s principles and AI tools:

1. What does the marriage of Rosenshine’s Principles and AI in the classroom look like?
2. How can you access and work with these principles in a simple, easy way, for immediate, quick wins?

Here we’ll walk through worked examples to show you how to use AI powered systems alongside each principle.

Principle 1: daily review

Principle: Teachers should provide students with the opportunity to review their prior learning in every lesson. 

AI solution: AI can help quickly provide a diversity of questions of varying cognitive demand, tailored to your students.

Use prompt retrieval questions or activities that match:

• Where your learners are in the process
• The topic you’re teaching
• Any gaps you’ve noticed in recent learning

The use of AI here quickly helps you keep lessons varied and ensures you support students in accessing the curriculum while streamlining lesson planning and resource creation.

AI prompt examples

KS2, Year 4 (Times Tables)

Generate a times tables activity for Year 4, focusing on multiples of 6 up to 60. Provide instructions that encourage students to show their answers using different methods such as drawing, using counters, a number line, or saying them aloud. Include reflection questions about which multiples are easiest and which need more practice. Make sure the activity allows students to record their thinking in a way that suits them best.

KS3, Year 8 (Solving Linear Equations)

Create a lesson activity for Year 8 on solving linear equations, using 3x + 5 = 20 as the example. Ask students to explain each step, with options to write, draw, use diagrams, or talk it through. The activity should prompt them to imagine explaining to a friend who learns differently. Include suggestions for supporting different communication styles.

KS4, Year 10 (Area of a Circle)

Write a problem-solving activity for Year 10 where students work out the area of a circle with a radius of 4 metres. Include guidance for students to show and explain their method, with options to write, draw diagrams, use a calculator, or choose a digital tool. Make sure your instructions support different ways of reasoning and allow for choice in how students present their answers.

Principle 2: present new material in small steps

Principle: Chunking, the process of breaking down into manageable steps makes them easier to understand. As the 2021 EEF Cognitive Science Report stated, chunking ensures focus on specific objectives and avoids cognitive overload.

AI solution: Cognitive science approaches are still new in some schools, and teachers may need examples to progress their practice. AI can help teachers gain confidence and quickly identify foundational or more complex content.

Prompt AI to create step-by-step explanations, use analogies, or show new concepts in different ways. You can adjust the output or use it to spark your own ideas for scaffolding.

Examples:

KS1, Year 1 (Counting in Twos)

Create a Year 1 activity that helps students practise counting in twos from 0 to 20. Use real-life examples such as socks and shoes, and provide options for students to show their understanding by drawing, moving objects, or saying numbers aloud. Make sure all learners can participate in a way that suits them.

KS2, Year 5 (Decimal Place Value)

Generate a three-step explanation of decimal place value for Year 5. Include the use of a number line and offer ways for students to show their understanding using diagrams, words, or talking through each step. The activity should be accessible and flexible for different learning needs.

KS4, Year 11 (Factorising Quadratics)

Write an explanation for Year 11 on how to factorise quadratics (x² + bx + c). Provide a checklist for the process and encourage students to record each step using their preferred method—writing, colour coding, diagrams, or a short audio explanation. Ensure the checklist is adaptable for all learners.

Principle 3: ask lots of questions

Principle: Asking questions promotes deeper thinking, metacognition and can identify misconceptions. However, questions must be varied and matched to cognitive demand to challenge all students.

AI solution: Use AI to create relevant open, closed, hinge, or stretch questions. It will give you quick and easy diversity, based on topic and objective. 

AI can help you ensure there’s a mix of questions for a given topic, or to model how a misconception might be addressed. This can help make your questioning routines more varied and deliberate.

Examples:

KS1, Year 2 (Shapes)

Generate three questions for Year 2 that facilitate students explaining the difference between a square and a rectangle. Include at least one question where students can respond by drawing, using objects, or giving a spoken explanation. Make sure all students have a way to show their understanding.

KS2, Year 6 (Ratio)

Write a hinge question on ratio for Year 6, with a follow-up question for those who are unsure. Give options for students to answer using pictures, objects, or words so everyone can participate, whatever their preferred way of working.

KS4, Year 10 (Probability)

Create three challenging probability questions for Year 10. Make sure at least one question invites a written explanation, and offer students the choice to respond using diagrams, words, or a short video/audio. Adapt your prompts to support different learning needs.

Principle 4: provide models

Principle: Worked examples, narration and scaffolding help to reduce cognitive load. Each of these methods is recommended in the 2021 EEF Cognitive Science Report.

AI solution: Prompt AI to provide you with a variety of models and examples, quickly. You can ask for a variety in the modes of output.

Prompt the AI for worked examples that match the topic, objective or challenge you want to focus on.

Use these as starting points, or adapt them to your classroom’s needs and context:

Examples:

KS1, Year 2 (Subtraction)

Create a worked example of 15 minus 7 for Year 2, showing both a number line and counters. Write simple explanations for each step, and include suggestions for students to use their own drawings, objects, or spoken explanations to show their thinking.

KS2, Year 5 (Long Multiplication)

Model how to multiply 34 by 6 for Year 5. Break the process into clear stages, and encourage students to follow along by adding their own notes, drawings, or using manipulatives. Make sure your instructions are accessible to all learners.

KS4, Year 11 (Cumulative Frequency Graphs)

Show how to draw a cumulative frequency graph from grouped data for Year 11. Provide a brief explanation for each stage, and offer students different ways to engage, such as creating a digital graph, drawing by hand, or explaining their process aloud.

Principle 5: guide student practice

Principle: Guided practice helps students build confidence before moving to independent work, as also acknowledged in the EEF Metacognition Report.

AI solution: Create a bank of scaffolded examples to demonstrate how students can move from guided practice to independent practice.

Prompt AI for practice questions or tasks that begin with lots of guidance and slowly remove the scaffolds. You can specify the topic, learner needs and context.

Examples:

KS1, Year 2 (Doubling Numbers)

Generate five doubling questions for Year 2. Include pictures or visual aids for the first two questions, and use numbers only for the last three. Make sure the activity allows children to answer by drawing, writing, or saying their answers aloud, so everyone can access the task in their preferred way.

KS2, Year 4 (Division with Remainders)

Create a worksheet for Year 4 on division with remainders. Start with questions using counters or objects to share, and progress to questions that use numbers only. Encourage students to show their working through drawings, manipulatives, or written explanations to support different learning needs.

KS4, Year 10 (Expanding Double Brackets):

Design four practice questions for Year 10 on expanding double brackets. For the first question, guide students through every step with prompts or visual scaffolds; for the last question, present it as a challenge with minimal hints. Offer ways for students to show their thinking—such as writing, drawing, or using colour to highlight each stage.

Principle 6: check for understanding

Principle: Checking your students’ understanding during the lesson is essential for spotting misconceptions in real time and ensuring responsive, adaptive teaching.

AI solution: No more creating worksheets at home in your spare time. Use AI to create diagnostic questions that you can use verbally or in resources.

Produce short quizzes, diagnostic questions or exit tickets for any topic or year group. You can ask the AI to create questions that focus on common misconceptions, reasoning, or basic recall, depending on what you need to check.

Examples:

KS1, Year 1 (Odd and Even)

Generate three questions to check Year 1 understanding of odd and even numbers. Include one question where students are asked to spot and explain a mistake. Offer suggestions for students to show their answers by drawing, using objects, or talking through their thinking, so all learners can participate.

KS2, Year 5 (Perimeter)

Create a five-question quiz on perimeter for Year 5. Include at least one question where students need to draw a shape to answer, and provide options for them to explain their working with words, diagrams, or physical models. Make the quiz accessible for a range of learning needs.

KS4, Year 11 (Standard Form)

Design an exit ticket with three questions for Year 11 on converting numbers to and from standard form. Make sure one question asks for a reasoning or explanation, and give students the choice to respond using writing, annotated diagrams, or a short audio explanation. Support different ways of demonstrating understanding.

Principle 7: obtain a high success rate

Principle: When students experience early success, their confidence grows. It sets them up for deeper learning and more challenge later on.

AI Solution: Use AI to quickly and easily match learning materials to the specific needs of students, enabling them to feel success.

Prompt AI to generate accessible starter tasks and “quick wins” for the class. You can also tailor AI prompts to those who need more of a challenge, support or extension.

Examples:

KS1, Year 2 (Addition)

Generate three simple addition questions for Year 2, each supported with a visual scaffold such as a number line or ten-frame. Give suggestions so students can show their answers by drawing, moving objects, or saying the answer aloud—choose methods that include all learners.

KS2, Year 6 (Long Division)

Create two long division questions for Year 6 that require high cognitive demand. For each question, provide a helpful hint or strategy students can use. Allow for different ways of recording their working, such as step-by-step writing, diagrams, or talking through the process.

KS3, Year 7 (Bar Charts)

Design a sequence of three activities for Year 7 on bar charts. Start with a fill-in-the-blanks task, then move to interpreting a given chart, and finish by having students draw their own. Give students the option to complete activities using digital tools, paper, or manipulatives, so everyone can access and present their learning.

Principle 8: scaffold difficult tasks

Principle: Scaffolding makes challenging tasks manageable. Breaking problems into smaller steps helps learners find an entrance to learning and reduces anxiety around new topics.

AI Solution: Use AI to provide structure and support for your individual learners and their contexts.

Prompt the AI for scaffolded versions of tricky questions, or for step-by-step support and worked examples on a complex topic. 

Examples:

KS1, Year 2 (Word Problems: Addition and Subtraction within 100)

Generate three scaffolded word problems for Year 2 where pupils add and subtract numbers within 100. For each, include a sentence starter and suggest ways for students to solve the problem using drawings, counters, or talking through their thinking, so all pupils can access the task.

KS2, Year 5 (Line Graphs: Interpreting Data)

Create two scaffolded questions for Year 5 on reading and interpreting line graphs. For the first, provide guiding prompts or hints to help pupils extract key information from the graph. For the second, make it more open, encouraging students to answer using drawings, explanations, or digital tools, so different learning needs are supported.

KS4, Year 10 (Trigonometry: Finding Unknown Sides Using Sine Rule)

Write a scaffolded trigonometry question for Year 10 where students need to use the sine rule to find the length of a side in a non-right-angled triangle. Start with a labelled diagram and include hint questions to break down the steps. End with an independent calculation. Allow students to show their reasoning using writing, labelled diagrams, or verbally, to ensure all learners are included.

Principle 9: independent practice

Principle: Independent practice helps students secure new learning and build confidence by working through problems at their own pace.

AI Solution: Create resources that match specific learner need and interest.

Use prompts to make practice questions or exam-style questions for a topic, or to create extension questions for those ready to move on. Equally, create scaffolded materials or materials that meet the needs of the individual learner.

Examples:

KS1, Year 2 (Money – Addition and Subtraction)

Generate three scaffolded word problems for Year 2 involving adding and subtracting amounts of money using coins. For each, include a sentence starter and encourage students to solve them by drawing coins, using real or plastic coins, or explaining their reasoning aloud, so all pupils can access the task in a way that suits them.

KS2, Year 5 (Line Graphs – Comparing Two Sets of Data)

Create two scaffolded questions for Year 5 on comparing two different sets of data shown on a line graph. For the first, give guiding prompts or hints to help pupils compare the changes over time. For the second, keep it more open, allowing students to answer by drawing, writing, or using a digital graphing tool to explain what they see.

KS4, Year 10 (Trigonometry – Calculating Angles in Right-Angled Triangles)

Write a scaffolded trigonometry question for Year 10 where students must use trigonometric ratios to find the size of an angle in a right-angled triangle. Begin with a diagram and hint questions for each stage, and finish with an independent problem to solve. Give students the option to show their working through writing, labelled diagrams, or by explaining their method aloud.

Principle 10: weekly and monthly review

Principle: Spaced retrieval and interleaving are important for long term memory retention.

AI Solution: Create mixed-topic quizzes, revision starters, or spaced retrieval questions tailored to your classroom context and learners’ needs.

Prompt AI for review quizzes covering topics from previous weeks or months, you might:

• Focus on key ideas
• Target common gaps
• Create interleaved practice to support all students

Examples:

KS1, Year 2 (Time – Mixed Addition and Subtraction)

Generate a weekly review quiz for Year 2 with five questions that use addition and subtraction to solve problems involving telling the time (such as finding durations or times before/after). Offer suggestions for students to use clocks, drawings, or oral explanations so everyone can access the quiz in their preferred way.

KS2, Year 5 (Measurement – Fractions and Decimals in Context)

Design a monthly review quiz for Year 5 with six questions that apply fractions and decimals to real-life measurement problems (for example, length, mass, or capacity). Encourage students to show their answers using number lines, diagrams, or practical measurement tools, making the quiz accessible for all.

KS4, Year 11 (GCSE Maths – Mixed-Topic Exam Preparation

Create a revision quiz for Year 11 with questions that cover algebra, probability, and interpreting statistical graphs from the GCSE specification. Include a mix of calculation, reasoning, and interpretation, and offer students the choice to respond in writing, with annotated diagrams, or by explaining their answers aloud to support different learning needs.

By choosing the right AI tools for your school or classroom, you can help students answer questions, encourage critical thinking, and improve educational outcomes. Remember, every use of AI should ultimately support learning and teaching, not replace it.

Implementation roadmap: a term to integration

This may look like a lot! But as we tell our students, chunk it into small, manageable chunks and work through them.

Here’s how to build up your practice using AI tools and generative AI:

• Week 1: Experiment with prompting for retrieval questions (Principle 1).
• Week 2: Add AI-created exit tickets or digital quizzes to check for understanding (Principle 6).
• Week 3: Produce different question types and cognitive demands using generative artificial intelligence (Principles 1 & 6).
• Week 4: Integrate generated questions into classroom activities and guided practice (Principles 3 & 5).
• Week 5: Use generative AI tools for chunking and modelling new concepts (Principles 2 & 4).
• Week 6: Personalise scaffolds and support students with high success rate tasks (Principles 7 & 8).
• Week 7: Focus on individualised learning through independent practice and AI-powered review (Principles 9 & 10).

Developments, potential drawbacks and solutions

Although the use of AI in education can be positioned as a positive way to promote equity in education, there are also some drawbacks and issues that all educators should consider, and explore. Here’s some ideas of how to overcome them:

• Normative assumptions: AI outputs can reflect limited or biased contexts. Always review the outputs and ask, “What assumptions have you made here?” Adapt as needed. Use my GenEd AI bias mitigation guides to ensure accessible and diverse outputs.
• Quirks across tools: Each AI tool has its own quirks. Use your school’s recommendations but check the version and never enter personal or sensitive data.
• Ethical considerations and privacy: Make sure your use of AI fits with your school’s AI policy and national policies on data privacy and academic integrity.

See Neil Almond’s post for more details on the specifics on the use of LLMs in maths education and their limitations.

Key takeaways

This journey has taken you from revisiting why you may want to use Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction, to ready-made maths-specific prompts. As a reminder:

• Use Rosenshine’s Principles as your starting point for bringing AI into your classroom practice.
• Combining AI and Rosenshine’s framework can reduce workload, help you tailor lessons more closely to your learners’ needs and positively impact teachers time.
• Start small. Choose a single principle and experiment with one or two AI-generated prompts.
• Chunk your approach. Adopting AI in manageable steps builds confidence and develops your AI literacy over time.
• Think of this as a pathway for experimentation, rooted in strong pedagogy but open to adaptation as you learn what works.
• When you use AI effectively, you get time back for creative teaching, mentoring, and supporting learners. AI can empower educators to focus on what really matters in their classroom.

Hopefully, you’re now ready to start experimenting yourself- happy prompting!

AI in the classroom FAQs

References:

Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). (2018). Metacognition and self-regulated learning: Guidance report. London: Education Endowment Foundation. Available at: https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/production/eef-guidance-reports/metacognition/EEF_Metacognition_and_self-regulated_learning.pdf?v=1752911206 [Accessed 19 July 2025].

Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). (2021). Cognitive science approaches in the classroom: A review of the evidence. London: Education Endowment Foundation. Available at: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/evidence-reviews/cognitive-science-approaches-in-the-classroom [Accessed 19 July 2025].

GenEd Labs. (2025). Resources. Available at: https://genedlabs.ai/resources/ [Accessed 19 July 2025].