For teaching placement: the strongest resource is one you can explain. Start from the lesson objective and a source worksheet you have permission to use, then adapt only what serves the class.
Before the lesson: build from the objective
- Identify the learning intention. Write down the exact skill or reasoning students are practising.
- Select a trusted source. Use a worksheet, school resource or task your supervising teacher is comfortable with.
- Decide whether personalisation helps. Use it when a familiar context may improve relevance without obscuring the mathematics.
- Create the class versions. Use aliases or minimal identifiers and saved interests rather than unnecessary personal details.
- Review every output. Check the calculation, units, expected answer, reading load and any images.
Prepare to explain your choices
A supervising teacher may be more interested in your reasoning than the technology. Be ready to explain why the source task fits the lesson, what was changed, what was deliberately kept constant, and how you checked the final resource.
Keep a clean fallback
Bring the original worksheet or a non-personalised version. If a generated version contains an error or a personalised theme is not appropriate on the day, you still have a classroom-ready task.
Use AI as preparation support, not authority
Do not rely on AI output as evidence that a task is curriculum aligned, differentiated or suitable for a particular learner. Those are professional decisions that need to be made in the context of the lesson, school and supervising teacher.
Further professional-practice resource: AITSL TeachingTips for beginning teachers.
A simple pre-placement checklist
- Learning intention is explicit.
- Source worksheet is appropriate and permitted for use.
- Personalised wording preserves the task.
- Answers have been recalculated.
- Student identifiers are minimised.
- Original/fallback resource is available.
- You can explain the teaching reason for each adaptation.
See the worksheet review checklist and real PWG examples.