Practical Examples of AI use in Post-Primary Schools
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
The following examples of AI use in post-primary schools have been extracted and summarised from the Department of Education and Youth’s Guidance for AI in Schools .
They are grouped under the following headings:
- Leadership & Management
- Teacher Planning & Preparation
- Teaching & Learning
Teacher Planning and Preparation
Example: The Geography department is reviewing their literacy and numeracy actions. To support this process they use GenAI to brainstorm ideas on how to embed these skills into their schemes of work. As a department they discuss the usefulness of these ideas and agree actions.
Clarifying and unpacking learner outcomes
Example: A science teacher uses an online quiz tool with built-in AI analytics to gauge students’ (anonymised) understanding of a topic. The tool automatically generates insights and charts, highlighting which curriculum outcomes most students have mastered, and which require further teaching. The teacher uses this and other information to help identify gaps and adjust lesson planning.
Scaffolding learning materials to meet diverse learner needs
Example: A modern foreign languages teacher aims to assist students in composing short dialogues. The teacher utilises GenAI to produce model conversations at varying levels of complexity as well as sentence starters and vocabulary lists. The generated content is reviewed by the teacher for accuracy and appropriateness prior to being provided to students as support in developing their own dialogues.
Data Exploration:
Example: As part of the formative feedback process, the teacher uses anonymised rubric scores aligned to clear learning intentions and success criteria. The GenAI tool processes the data to generate a summary of which criteria most students have mastered (Feed-Back) and which require further teaching (Feed-Forward). The teacher then uses this insight to inform their planning.
Virtual assistants
Example: A teacher uses a GenAI tool to help draft an email communication to parents about an upcoming field trip. They then use a translation tool to convert the email into the home languages of all students. While the translation may not be perfect, it helps ensure that all parents can access the key information.
Professional Development
Example: A CPD coordinator has curated resources for a staff meeting on wellbeing. Based on these publicly available resources, they use GenAI to generate case-study-style scenarios for discussion. The coordinator reviews the scenarios for suitability, accuracy and alignment with key messages from these resources, before including them in the staff meeting.
Teaching and Learning
Formative assessment practices:
Example: In a brainstorming session, students provide individual ideas on a topic. GenAI is used to organise these inputs into categories and generates a visual mind map. The teacher then uses the mind map for questioning, group discussion, and connecting new material to existing knowledge.
Personalised learning
Example: A teacher uses a GenAI tool to create reading passages on the same topic at different levels of complexity. After reviewing and adjusting the content as needed, the teacher provides these materials so that all students can engage with the material in a way that suits their learning needs.
Inclusion
Example: A teacher uses GenAI to identify strategies for supporting a student on the Level Two Learning Programme (L2LP), ensuring they can achieve the intended learning outcomes. GenAI suggests differentiated activities and practical classroom supports tailored to the lesson and broad goals of the L2LP. The teacher reviews these outputs carefully, adapting them to the student’s individual needs and school context before implementation.
School Leadership and Management
Policy development and review
Example: A principal is reviewing a new publication relevant to their role. They use GenAI to create audio conversations in a podcast format, enabling a more accessible and efficient overview of the publication. This approach effectively primes them to engage with the full document independently and with greater understanding.
School Improvement Planning/DEIS action planning
Example: A post-primary leadership team uses AI to develop a survey form for their school community to gather student and parent feedback on the topic of digital learning. This helps to identify trends and areas for improvement. The information gathered is used to inform the revision of the school’s Digital Learning Plan.
Communication
Example: A principal collects updates from staff regarding school activities and events. GenAI assists in synthesising this information into a coherent and engaging newsletter draft. The principal subsequently reviews and revises the draft to ensure the tone reflects the school’s ethos and highlights priorities relevant to the local community.
