Documentation
General getting-started onboarding quickstart

Getting Started with TeamTeacher

by TeamTeacher

TeamTeacher is a teaching assistant platform built around the work educators actually do: planning lessons, creating assessments, adapting materials, writing feedback, and finding your way back to useful work later.

You do not need to learn the whole platform before you begin. Start with one real task you already need to complete.

The basic idea

TeamTeacher gives you a set of AI teaching agents, each with its own areas of expertise, instructions, tools, and curriculum knowledge.

You work with an agent inside a conversation. A conversation is your working space: you can ask questions, develop ideas, revise drafts, bring in materials, and make decisions together.

When you create something you want to keep, save it as a Document in your TeamTeacher library. You can then find it again, edit it, organize it in a Folder, or ask an agent to use it in future work.

Agents can also use tools to take actions such as searching your materials, checking curriculum resources, saving a Document, creating a File, or finding current information.

Choose an agent

Choose the agent whose knowledge best matches the work you are doing:

  • Iris is the adaptable teaching partner. Start with Iris if you are not sure which agent to choose or if your work crosses several curriculum frameworks.
  • Minerva specializes in the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme and Diploma Programme.
  • Diane specializes in Minnesota academic standards and Minnesota teaching contexts.
  • Barbara (currently experimental) specializes in Texas education, including the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and state assessment resources.

You can learn more on the Agents documentation page.

You can also switch agents or adjust the tools available to a conversation as your work develops.

Start with one real task

Choose something concrete rather than asking TeamTeacher to “help with teaching” in general.

For example:

I teach Grade 7 science and am planning a 50-minute lesson on density. My students already understand mass and volume. Create three possible lesson openings and explain the strengths of each. Do not assume materials or student needs I have not mentioned.

A useful first prompt usually includes:

  • Grade level or age range
  • Subject or course
  • The task you need help with
  • Relevant curriculum or framework
  • Important student or classroom context
  • The kind of output you want
  • Any limits the agent should follow

You do not need to provide everything at once. Start with what you know, then add context as the conversation develops.

Work with the response

Your first response is a starting point, not a final decision.

Ask the agent to:

  • Revise one section
  • Give you several options
  • Explain a recommendation
  • Adjust the reading level or amount of scaffolding
  • Align the work to a specific curriculum framework
  • Turn an outline into a classroom-ready resource
  • Ask questions before filling in missing information

For example:

Revise option 2 for a mixed-readiness class. Keep the learning goal and timing, but make the student directions more concise. Ask me about any information you need rather than assuming.

You remain the person who knows your students, your classroom, and your professional context. Review the agent’s work for accuracy, fit, tone, accessibility, safety, and alignment with your own judgment.

Save what works

When a response becomes something you want to keep, save it as a Document.

Documents are editable TeamTeacher content that you and your agents can continue to develop. You might save:

  • A lesson plan
  • An assessment
  • A rubric
  • A set of report card comments
  • A differentiation strategy
  • A planning template
  • A teaching reflection

Your Documents form a searchable library over time. You can organize them in Folders and ask agents to find and use relevant materials in future conversations.

Learn more about Documents and Files.

Bring in your own context

You can give an agent more context by:

  • Referring to Documents you have already saved
  • Uploading or working with Files
  • Importing materials from Google Drive
  • Asking an agent to search your teaching library
  • Asking an agent to use a relevant curriculum Knowledge Base
  • Attaching a lesson, assessment, or other teaching material to the conversation

A Document is editable TeamTeacher content that you continue to work on. A File is an uploaded, imported, or generated artifact. Both can help an agent understand your work, but they serve different purposes.

You do not need to organize your entire teaching life before you begin. Bring in the materials that are relevant to the task in front of you.

A quick privacy note

TeamTeacher is designed for teachers and educational professionals. Before entering classroom examples, anonymize student information.

Use general descriptions such as:

  • “Student A”
  • “A Grade 5 student”
  • “A multilingual learner who is developing academic vocabulary”

Do not enter student identification numbers, birth dates, grades, disciplinary records, or other personally identifiable education information.

For more detail, read the Privacy Policy.

Where to go next

Once you have completed your first task, explore the parts of TeamTeacher that match the way you work:

The best way to learn TeamTeacher is to use it for something you already need to do. Start with one task, give your agent enough context to help, and build from there.