AI Literacy Skills 101 Course

Lesson 3: Creativity with AI

Lesson overview

In this lesson, we’ll explore creativity. What it is, how it works, and how AI can support it. We’ll kick things off with insights from a recent MIT study on how AI impacts human creativity. Then, we’ll break down the two-part process of creativity: generating and refining ideas. Finally, we’ll show how using personas and a shared thinking organizer can help you get the most out of AI as a creative partner.

• As a teacher, watch the Creativity with AI video independently first.
• As a class, watch the video together.
• Complete Exercise 3: Practice with Personas.
• Play a reflection game.

Lesson objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Explain how AI can support and challenge creative thinking.
• Describe the two-fold process of creativity: generating and refining.
• Use personas and a thinking organizer to collaborate with AI more effectively.

Video 3: Creativity with AI

Exercise 3: Practice with Personas

Lesson resources:

• Inform Personas Poster
• Entertain Personas Poster
• Persuade Personas Poster
• Personas Worksheet

Students under 13
Step 1: Choose a Piece of Writing
This can be from a class subject (literacy, science, social studies) or a piece you’re already working on.

Step 2: Discuss
Pair up and read each other’s work. Ask:

• What creative ideas surprised you?
• What didn’t land?
• How could this improve your own writing?

Step 3: Rewrite with Persona
Choose a persona to help rewrite it together. Reflect together: How did the persona change the tone or ideas?

Students over 13
Step 1: Pick Your Writing
Use your own writing and the AI Creative Collaboration thinking organizer.

Step 2: Rewrite and Reflect

• Try one or more personas using an LLM.
• Reflect on how it changed your writing.
• Did the AI give you new ideas? Surprising twists?

Teachers
Choose a set of instructions you’ve written, maybe for an assignment or class activity. Use a creative or unusual persona to rewrite it (e.g., a coach, a pirate, a stand-up comedian).
Ask yourself:

• Did this make it more engaging or clear for students?
• What might you keep or adapt?

Reflection: One Word Story- Personas Edition

How it works
Round 1:

• Everyone sits in a circle.
• One person starts the story by saying a single word.
• Going around the circle, each person adds one word at a time to continue the story.
• The goal is to collaboratively create a (usually funny or chaotic) story, one word at a time.

Round 2:

• Play again, but this time, give a persona to the group. This could be: teacher, pirate, news anchor, or something connected to your current unit of study.

Reflect:

• How did adding a persona change the output of the group? Why?
• How is this similar to or different from working with a persona using an LLM?

What’s next

In lesson 4, we will explore the importance of breaking tasks down in a way that AI can understand.

We will learn about the Brockman Prompt, a great starting point, for unpacking tasks.