An ‘OK’ Prompt
Prompt:
“Imagine you are a math teacher. Write a word problem.”
This prompt provides a basic task, but it’s too vague. ChatGPT might generate a generic word problem, but it won’t necessarily align with your needs, audience, or difficulty level.
A ‘Better’ Prompt
Prompt:
“Imagine you are a math teacher. Write a word problem for my 5th-grade students about addition and subtraction involving a shopping trip.”
This is an improvement because it adds context (the audience is 5th-grade students) and a general topic (addition and subtraction). However, it still lacks details about difficulty, purpose, or specific requirements.
An ‘Ideal’ Prompt
Prompt:
“Imagine you are a math teacher designing a problem for 5th-grade students. Create a word problem about a shopping trip where a student has $20, buys three items (each with a different price under $10), and calculates the total cost and change. Use simple numbers and include one extra question about how much more they could spend to reach their budget.”
Why this works:
- Context: It explains the target audience (5th graders) and the topic (shopping and budgeting).
- Role: ChatGPT acts as a teacher creating a suitable problem.
- Expectation: Specifies the format (word problem), difficulty (simple numbers), and extra engagement (a follow-up question).
Why Does the Output Change Every Time I Enter the Same Prompt?
Using ChatGPT is like asking a friend to tell you a story more than once. The main idea of the story might stay the same, but some details or the way it’s told could change. This happens because ChatGPT doesn’t always give the exact same answer—it uses different possibilities to create its responses.
This is important to understand if you’re using ChatGPT for teaching or learning. It means you can try different prompts to explore new ideas or refine your request to get the best answer.