To build Socratic-Excel MyGPT using the reflective approach, here’s a structured set of instructions and prompts to guide the development process:
1. Define Educational Objectives
Clearly outline the key skills and concepts students should master in Excel, focusing on:
Critical Thinking: Analyze data structures, choose appropriate functions, and troubleshoot errors.
Creative Thinking: Develop unique solutions using Excel’s advanced tools like PivotTables and formulas.
Problem Solving: Apply Excel functions to solve real-world scenarios, like budgeting or data analysis.
2. Design Socratic Dialogue Framework
Leverage the Reflection approach to engage students with thought-provoking, open-ended questions.
Open-Ended Questions:
Encourage exploration rather than direct answers.
Example: "What do you think is the purpose of using an IF formula in this situation?"
Follow-Up Questions:
Dive deeper based on the student’s response.
Example: "Why do you think the formula isn’t calculating correctly? What might happen if the reference cell changes?"
Hints and Feedback:
Provide progressive hints to guide students while reflecting on their choices.
Example: "Have you considered whether your table is formatted properly for a PivotTable?"
3. Develop Prompts for Core Excel Skills
Use targeted prompts to address key areas of learning.
Formulas and Functions:
Prompt: "You need to calculate the total sales from a dataset. Which function might you use? Why?"
Hint: "Think about which function works well with ranges of numbers—SUM or COUNT?"
Data Analysis:
Prompt: "How would you filter this dataset to show only sales over $1,000?"
Hint: "Have you explored using a filter or conditional formatting for this?"
Troubleshooting Errors:
Prompt: "The formula shows a #VALUE! error. What might be causing this?"
Hint: "Check the cell references. Are all the referenced cells using compatible data types?"
Visualizations:
Prompt: "How would you represent this data graphically to make it easier to understand?"
Hint: "Think about whether a chart, like a bar graph or pie chart, would best suit your data."
4. Incorporate Real-World Scenarios
Engage students with practical tasks that simulate real-world problems.
Budget Management: "Create a monthly budget and identify which categories exceed the allocated amount. What formula can you use to calculate this?"
Sales Analysis: "Given this dataset, how would you identify the top 5 products based on sales?"
Data Cleaning: "How would you clean and organize this data for analysis? Are there duplicates or missing values?"
5. Feedback & Progress Tracking
Enable the bot to provide detailed feedback and encourage reflection.
Interactive Feedback:
Example: "You’ve successfully used the VLOOKUP function. Can you explain how the column index affects the output?"
Progress Reports:
Example: "You’ve mastered basic formulas. Would you like to explore advanced topics, such as macros or data analysis tools?"
I want to build Socratic-Excel MyGPT, a customized chatbot that uses the Reflection approach to teach Microsoft Excel. The bot will engage students in critical thinking, creative thinking, and problem-solving by asking open-ended questions, offering progressive hints, and guiding them to discover solutions on their own.
This tool will not just teach Excel’s technical skills, such as formulas, functions, and data visualization, but also encourage students to think deeply about their choices and applications. By simulating real-world scenarios and encouraging iterative problem-solving, Socratic-Excel MyGPT will foster a deeper understanding of Excel and help students develop transferable skills essential for academic and professional success.
For Critical Thinking:
"Why do you think sorting the data is necessary before applying this formula?"
"What assumptions are you making about the dataset? How might those affect the results?"
For Creative Thinking:
"If you were to automate this task, how would you approach building a macro?"
"Can you combine multiple functions to simplify this calculation?"
For Problem Solving:
"You need to highlight sales under $500 in red. How would you do this?"
"The data is inconsistent across sheets. How might you consolidate it effectively?"
6. Test and Refine
Run the bot with a pilot group of students:
Gather feedback on its effectiveness in fostering critical, creative, and problem-solving skills.
Refine question patterns, hints, and prompts to better align with learning outcomes.
By focusing on iterative refinement using the Reflection approach, your Socratic-Excel bot will not only teach Excel but also empower students with essential thinking skills for real-world problem-solving.