ChatGPT for teachers: a practical guide to the most-used AI tool

For most teachers, ChatGPT is their first encounter with artificial intelligence. It is not the only tool, and in many situations it is not even the best — but it is the most widely used, has a free version and understands Czech. That is why this guide starts here.

The aim is not to turn you into a “ChatGPT power user”. It is to help you know when to choose it, how to work with it effectively and which boundaries not to cross.

Which versions are available

• ChatGPT Free — the basic free version, sufficient for most teaching tasks.
• ChatGPT Plus — a paid version (around CZK 500/month), with newer models, a longer context window, images and voice mode.
• ChatGPT Team / Enterprise — for organisations needing advanced data management.
• Copilot Chat and Microsoft 365 Copilot — use the same model as ChatGPT, but within Microsoft's environment with protection for school data.

The free version is more than enough to get started. A paid version is worth considering if you use AI every day or need to work with images and longer documents.

When to use ChatGPT

• When you need to generate ideas or alternatives quickly (activities, questions, tasks).
• When you want to reword a text — a written assessment, an email to parents or meeting minutes.
• When you are creating a worksheet or test and want to save time producing the content.
• When you need something explained in everyday language or want an analogy suited to a particular age group.
• When you want to summarise a long text (a curriculum, teaching guidance, a specialist article) as bullet points.
• When you are planning a tutor-time session or project day and need an outline.

When NOT to use ChatGPT

• When you need specific facts, figures, citations or legal information — ChatGPT sometimes makes them up.
• When a pupil's personal data is involved. Never.
• When assessing an individual pupil. Use it only to reword your own feedback.
• When you do not have time to check the output and it will go straight to pupils.

How to write good prompts

A good ChatGPT prompt has four elements: role, task, context and format. The difference between a poor output and a good one almost always lies in the instructions, not the model.

The difference between these two prompts is enormous — the first produces a generic template, while the second gives you a usable worksheet that only needs checking and printing.

Advanced techniques

• Iteration — build on the first output (“Simplify task 3 for pupils with specific learning difficulties.”).
• Breaking down tasks — split complex tasks into steps rather than one large prompt.
• Examples — include an example of what the output should look like (“Similar to this worksheet I used last week…”).
• Critique — ask ChatGPT to evaluate its own output (“What could I improve in this worksheet?”).

Where ChatGPT falls short

• Hallucinations — it invents facts, citations and authors. Always verify facts.
• Outdated information — the free version's knowledge is limited to a certain cut-off date.
• Mathematical proofs and complex calculations — it can easily make mistakes.
• It understands context only within a conversation — it “forgets” when you close the window.
• It has no judgement of its own — it simply predicts likely words, even when it sounds convincing.

When to use another AI tool

• Claude — for longer texts and more sensitive wording (written assessments, communication).
• Gemini — if your school uses Google Workspace for Education.
• Microsoft Copilot — if your school uses Microsoft 365 and wants protection for school data.

Next steps

For the basics aimed at teachers with no technical background, see AI for teachers. For a broader overview of tools, see AI tools for schools. If you need a whole-school framework, read How to introduce AI at school.