Lesson Objectives

• Learn how to break down complex educational tasks into mappable processes

• Identify opportunities for AI automation within your workflow

• Create your first process map to determine how to automate a task in your everyday work life

Do Now

Before we get started, reflect on a complex task that regularly takes up significant time in your work week. What parts of that task feel repetitive? Which parts require your professional judgment? Keep these questions in mind as we explore process mapping together.

What We’re Working with Today

Today we'll dive into process mapping - a powerful tool that helps us visualize our workflows and identify opportunities for automation. We'll use a special education assessment report process as our example, but the principles we'll learn can be applied to any educational task.

I Do, We Do, You Do

I Do: Here’s What I Created

This week, I created a detailed process map for writing special education assessment reports. By breaking down this complex task, I identified several opportunities for AI assistance that could save 3-4 hours per report while maintaining quality and compliance.

Tools I used:

• Whiteboard (for process mapping—digital tools are also a great option)

• Claude AI (for analysis and automation suggestions)

• Google Docs (for documentation)

We Do: Let’s Build This Together

Follow this step-by-step guide to create your first process map:

1. List All Steps

   • Write down every single step in your process

   • Include even small tasks you might normally overlook

   • Note approximate time spent on each step

2. Categorize Your Steps

   • Professional Judgment Required (🧠)

   • Data Collection (📊)

   • Documentation (📝)

   • Communication (💬)

   • Administrative (⚙️)

3. Analyze Each Step By Asking:

   • Is this step mandatory?

   • Does it require human expertise?

   • Could it be partially automated?

   • What are the compliance requirements?

Let's look at our SPED assessment example:

1. Receive referral 📝⚙️
   - Review initial documentation
   - Create timeline
   → AI Potential: Timeline generation, checklist creation

2. Gather/review background 📊📝
   - Compile previous records
   - Organize historical data
   → AI Potential: Data extraction, summary generation

3. Observe student 📊📝
   - Direct observation required
   - Note-taking
   → AI Potential: Observation note templating, pattern identification

[...continue with all 12 steps...]

Full example here: SPED Assessment Process Map

You Do: Your Mini Task for the Week

Now it's your turn! Choose one regular task and:

1. List every step in your process

2. Categorize each step using abbreviations or symbols

3. Identify at least three steps that could benefit from AI assistance

4. Create a simple process map

Think-Pair-Share

• Think of 3 tasks in your workflow that feel overwhelming

• Pair up with a colleague to map out one of these processes together

• Share your process maps in our Edumated community to get feedback and suggestions

Exit Ticket

Ready to explore automation and take control of your processes? Join the FREE 30-Day AI & Automation Email Course for Educators to learn how to build solutions tailored to your needs.

Know a fellow educator struggling with workflow management? Share this newsletter and our AI Task Analysis Worksheet with them.

Do you know a parent of a student with special needs that wants to learn how to better advocate for their child? Share our newly launched SPED Code Advocacy Guide blog with them!

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