System Prompt
In this guide, we’ll be covering System Prompts, including:
What is a system prompt?
How to write a system prompt
FAQs on system prompts
Role of system prompts in education
What Is a System Prompt?
A System Prompt is a special type of instruction used in AI systems to shape the behavior, tone, and purpose of the model's responses. Think of it as the AI’s "mission statement" or internal guide that it always follows while interacting with users.
For example, ChatGPT's default system prompt is "You are ChatGPT, a large language model..." which helps set the context for its assistant-like behavior.
Where most users interact with AI through direct questions or commands (called "user prompts"), the system prompt is typically hidden from view and set by developers or administrators. It serves as the foundational directive that helps the AI understand who it is, what it’s supposed to do, and how it should respond to users.
How to Explain a System Prompt to Students
Imagine you’re directing a school play. The script is like the system prompt—it tells the actors (in this case, the AI) what their role is, how they should behave, and what kind of tone to use.
Meanwhile, the audience asking questions during a Q&A session are like the users—they interact with the actors, but the actors' responses are still shaped by that original script.
Key Points to Remember
System prompts guide the context of the AI's responses.
The AI does not retain information between different conversations.
Custom prompts can be used to adapt the AI to a wide variety of scenarios, but the AI doesn't truly understand or have the experiences or expertise of the roles it's asked to play.
How to Write a System Prompt in Education
If you are a teacher coming up with a system prompt to use to create a student resource or activity, there are some key elements to consider: context, task, guidelines, format, tone, and an example.
Context: Sets the scene or background. Example: "You are a high school math teacher."
Task: Clear instruction on what the AI should do. Example: "Create a lesson plan on quadratic equations."
Guidelines: Rules or boundaries. Example: "Use real-world examples and avoid advanced calculus topics."
Format: Preferred output structure. Example: "Respond in a bullet-point list."
Tone: Desired communication style. Example: "Use encouraging and supportive language."
Example: Sample output to guide the AI. Example: "For example, 'Quadratic equations are used in physics...'"
Example System Prompts for Education
When you combine the six elements above, you will have effective and comprehensive system prompts that can help you achieve your task faster. Here is an example of a good system prompt:
"You are a friendly, patient science tutor helping 6th to 8th grade students understand biology, chemistry, and physics. Use simple language, relatable examples, and encourage curiosity. Keep answers concise but informative. Ask follow-up questions to check for understanding. Avoid jargon unless you explain it clearly. Use a warm, enthusiastic tone to make learning fun. Do not provide direct answers to homework questions unless asked to explain the process first.”
Best Practices for Crafting Educational System Prompts
Crafting effective AI prompts is a key skill for educators looking to integrate artificial intelligence into teaching and learning. Follow these best practices to ensure the AI produces age-appropriate, relevant, and high-quality content:
Be specific and clear
Consider age appropriateness
Set ethical and privacy boundaries
Define the desired output format
Use “Do” and “Don’t” instructions
Leverage personas and role-playing
Provide examples
Be Specific and Clear
Clearly define the grade level, subject area, and learning objective. Vague prompts result in generic outputs, while specific details help the AI tailor its response.
A bad example: Create a science lesson.
A good example: Create a 7th-grade biology lesson explaining photosynthesis using simple language and a hands-on activity.
Consider Age Appropriateness
Mention the developmental stage and student abilities to ensure the content matches comprehension levels. For younger learners, ask for simpler explanations and more visuals or stories.
Set Ethical and Privacy Boundaries
Never include sensitive student data unless you're working within a secure, education-specific AI platform like Flint. Also, prompt the AI to avoid content that may reinforce stereotypes or biases.
Define the Desired Output Format
Let the AI know what kind of response you’re expecting—whether it’s a summary, quiz, worksheet, script, or lesson plan. This helps the tool generate classroom-ready content.
For example, you can say something like “Generate a 5-question multiple choice quiz on the water cycle for 5th grade.”
Use “Do” and “Don’t” Instructions
Include both positive and negative constraints to fine-tune responses. This sets boundaries on tone, content, or format.
For example, you could write “Do include multiple choice questions. Don’t include fill-in-the blank or short answers.”
Leverage Personas and Role-Playing
Ask the AI to “act as” a specific educator type, expert, or coach to better align its tone and expertise with your needs.
With Flint, for example, we asked Flint to take on the persona for Winston so students could have a therapy session with AI Winston from 1984. Another was taking the role of JFK in the Cuban Missile Crisis Simulation.
Provide Examples
Including a sample of what you’re looking for, like a paragraph, activity, or question type, helps guide the AI’s response more accurately.
With Flint, you can upload any text—whether it’s a PDF, Word document, web source, or image—to provide additional context and examples.
Applications of System Prompts in the Classroom
AI system prompts can support a wide range of educational tasks, such as:
Generating teacher resources: System prompts let teachers easily generate resources like lesson plans and rubrics. Flint provides free access to teacher and student tools including the AI lesson planner, AI rubric generator, AI essay grader, AI worksheet generator, AI study guide maker, and more.
Assisting with administrative tasks: Teachers can save time on administrative tasks with an AI email writer or AI report card commenter. They can also use system prompting to aid in larger tasks like helping students with course selection. You can check out how the Stony Brook School did this with their free template!
Supporting diverse learning: System prompts can be tweaked to support learners at different levels. For example, teachers can write system prompts that say students who have trouble with certain concepts are given more practice problems, or are provided more hands-on guidance.
With Flint, you can personalize learning for your students without extra hours or losing high-quality material. You can try out Flint for free, try out our templates, or book a demo if you want to see Flint in action.
If you’re interested in seeing our resources, you can check out our PD materials, AI policy library, case studies, and tools library to learn more. Finally, if you want to see Flint’s impact, you can see testimonials from fellow teachers.
