Interact with history using Generative AI
This is an engaging classroom activity that can help your students engage further into the historical period they are learning in class.
This is not an initial teaching tool. Rather, it can help consolidate what students have been learning with their teacher.
Currently, it is closer to historical fiction than a history textbook. But I think this activity has great promise if/when Generative AI gets more sophisticated. My prompt even seems to trigger Microsoft Copilot to give this initial reminder:
There is nothing magic about my prompt. Simply change the historical context, specifying the details you would like your students to experience.
Example – Industrial Revolution
The prompt template below will give students a 1st-person point of view of the typical living/working conditions of poor workers during the Industrial Revolution.
Example: Setting the Scene.
Example: Making a decision
Prompt Template
Have students paste this template into an appropriate generative AI such as ChatGPT:
“Craft a 1st person POV role play where a character is living through the 19th-century Industrial Revolution, specifically living in Manchester and working in a Cotton Mill. Begin by vividly describing the living conditions of workers during this era, highlighting the stark contrasts between the industrial wealth and the workers’ poverty. Introduce a character deeply embedded in this setting—a young worker (either male or female) in a cotton mill. As you unfold the roleplay, incorporate historical facts and events to enrich the context. After introducing the setting and character, please set the scene of the role play. Once a decision is needing to be made, stop and ask me for an A or B decision. These choices should reflect the dilemmas faced by people of that era. Once I give my answer, continue with the role play. Ensure the role-play is engaging by weaving in elements of drama, personal relationships, and the broader social and economic impacts of the Industrial Revolution. Use dialogue and descriptions to bring the era to life, and when presenting choices, include potential consequences to make decisions impactful and thought-provoking. End the role play if the character dies, is critically injured or after at least 5 questions have been asked (decision points). Use subheadings; always use Australian Spelling; and target the vocabulary to ensure the narrative is accessible for most learners. The purpose of interacting with this roleplay is for students to consolidate what they have been learning in a history class.”
Bonus – MultiModal
The picture above was created by Microsoft CoPilot. It depicts the scene of Alice seeing the protests in front of the cotton mill.
ChatGPT Plus (paid version) can also give the same functionality.
Both options are not viable for high school classrooms yet. However, we can see where this technology is going.
Teacher Directed AI 