New to teaching at 40 and trying to build a planning tool.

[JamesJoness]

Hi everyone,

ECT1 here, Year 1 teacher. I’ve had a bit of an unusual journey into teaching.
I'm 40, spent years as an educational developer and lecturer in higher education. I thought I knew what I was doing when it came to planning and teaching. Then I started my ECT year in primary. Turns out, planning for 30 six-year-olds is COMPLETELY different to planning university seminars. The volume is relentless; I was spending entire weekends just trying to get through the week ahead. So I did what I know how to do: I built something to help myself.

It's called LessonPlan. You put in your year group, subject, and topic, and it generates a complete lesson pack in about 90 seconds:

• Full lesson plan (Word doc)
• PowerPoint slides with images
• Matching worksheet

All coordinated, all ready to adapt and use.

I know there are other tools like this out there, but this one is small-scale and built by a teacher for teachers. I built it because I needed it. But I'm sharing it because I know I'm not the only one drowning in planning.

This really isn't a sales pitch - I'm genuinely looking for feedback and testimonials at this stage. Actually, if anyone's willing to test it properly and give me honest feedback, drop me a message - I'll sort you out with free access for a month. I just really need to know what teachers actually think.

First 3 lessons are free to try anyway: lessonplan.ac

Full disclosure: I'm not a social media native, never really adopted it, but I wanted to put this out there and I'm happy to chat if anyone has questions or wants to know more.

If it helps even one teacher get their Sunday back, it'll have been worth building.

It's not built by a teacher though, is it?

You've got a lovely AI tailored piece for Mumsnet, but this is clearly an ad.

Totally fair, I get why you say it's an ad, but I am a teacher (Y1 in Sheffield). And I did build it. Albeit with much help from AI coding tools, not being a coder myself, but that aside, it's legit built by me to my specifications and needs. The lesson structure, curriculum alignment, and everything else is based on what I use in my classroom. I'm genuinely looking for feedback from other teachers. If it's rubbish, tell me. If it saves you time, brilliant. If there's something missing, I'll add it. Happy to answer any questions about how it works or what it does!

It is an add. And The lesson structure, curriculum alignment, and everything else is based on what I use in my classroom. If you can really produce this based on one year if teaching that is very impressive! Does it offer adaptions for the specific needs of children in the class too? Because that's what I find takes lots of planning time. How is this different from all of the other AI tools?

You're absolutely right - one year isn't much! I should clarify: the curriculum alignment is based on what I've learned throughout training and this year, the schemes we use at school, and honestly, a LOT of trial and error with my own class. On top of which, I've been developing learning schemes and teaching 18-21 year olds for fifteen years. So, while new to school teaching, I've been in education for some years.

Re: adaptations for specific needs - yes, this is exactly what I built it for. You can specify:

• SEN adaptations (e.g., "visual supports for ASD child")
• EAL support (e.g., "simplified language for beginner EAL")
• Higher ability extensions
• Specific learning needs (dyslexia, ADHD, etc.)

It generates differentiated activities, success criteria, and scaffolding for each group. Not perfect, but it saves me from spending an hour figuring out how to adapt every single activity.

How's it different from other AI tools?

1. Built FOR primary teachers - not generic "education AI"
2. Generates complete packs - lesson plan + PowerPoint + worksheet (not just text)
3. UK curriculum specific - understands NC objectives, not US standards
4. Actually usable in class - I use the plans it generates in my own Y1 class every week

The other AI tools I tried (ChatGPT, etc.) give you a text outline that you still have to turn into actual resources. This gives you everything ready to go.

But honestly? I'm still learning what teachers actually need. If there's something missing that would make it more useful, I want to know!

What takes up most of your planning time? Maybe I can add that.

Your replies read like AI, OP. When I've used ChatGPT and challenged it for inaccurate responses, it always begins its answer with something like, 'Totally fair' or 'You're absolutely right'

See, what doesn't add up is that you're saying it's built specifically for primary education, but you hardly have any primary teaching experience.

I'd be happy to try it for a couple of my Year 6 lessons. I will remain decidedly sceptical unless it plans genuine high quality lessons.

Where does the content in the plans come from? I can see a lot of teachers spending as much time telling the tool what to plan, and checking and refining the output, as they do...planning. younger teachers have better IT skills and can knock up worksheets & PowerPoints in no time but there also already billions of worksheets already available organised by learning objective to uk curriculum.

I'd be a bit worried about a y1 teacher doing everything from powerpoints. We should be reducing kids exposure to screens in school.

Also for a "british teacher" the link through has ts & cs that are very, very american and links you to Manus Im which is..... meta (and is not education specific)? You just have a landing page called lesson plan but its just using manus?

Can you explain what you've actually built apart from a workflow that runs off an existing AI that anyone can subscribe to?

To be brief, the teaching theory comes from a previous career which revolved around teaching theory - Piaget, Bruner, Kolb, Dwek etc, etc. Topped up by more primary-focused theorists I've encountered for the last two years, William, Rosenshein, Sherrington. The content comes from a mixture of the national curriculum, SATs papers, online info and resources, alongside things I've planned myself, all of which were used to train the model.

I'd be delighted if you were happy to try it with Y6, and scepticism is welcome. It is a first version, as in open to change based on feedback. DM me with your email and I'll provide you with access.