StorySteps AI: Empowering Independent ESL Writers Through Scaffolded AI Learning

About the Project

Beginner ESL students find it difficult to come up with ideas, write sentences that have meaning, organise the order of things happening in their lives, and create a logical flow when they write about themselves. At the same time, most conventional writing textbooks offer little personal help or instant feedback. StorySteps was developed to address these issues by providing a structured AI-based program for writing stories. The program provides step-by-step instructions for each part of the story writing process, and uses ChatGPT as an interactive guide. StorySteps is based on Scaffolding Theory, Cognitive Load Theory, and Self-Regulated Learning. There are 15 progressive chapters in the program, each with visuals explaining how to do each step of the writing process. In addition to the chapters, there are also 150 guided AI prompts, 150 comparisons of weaker vs stronger writing examples, self-assessment checklists, and a 1,500-word glossary. StorySteps is intended to help students who have a CEFR A1 level of English. The module helps students move from writing single sentences to writing entire stories using a planning-drafting-revising-independent practice model. Unlike other AI-based writing program where students ask the AI to write a story for them, the guided prompts in StorySteps encourage students to try to write their own stories, and the AI gives them tips on how to improve. The goal of StorySteps is to improve students' ability to write narratives, expand their vocabulary, build their confidence in their writing, and increase their independence in learning.