With Microsoft 365 Copilot, teachers at the Primary School of Aš Czechia prepare for classes 3x faster

Základní škola Aš Hlávkova, a primary school in Czechia, sought to enhance efficiency across teaching and administrative tasks while preparing students for a future filled with technology and AI.

By adopting Microsoft 365 Copilot across applications such as Outlook, Word, and Forms, the school optimized both classroom preparation and administrative work, giving teachers more time to collaborate, engage with students and tailor lessons to diverse needs.

Základní škola Aš Hlávkova saw a 60% improvement in handling administrative documents, decreased lesson preparation from hours to few minutes, increased inclusivity, and enhanced communication with students and parents.

Built in 1911, Základní škola Aš Hlávkova (Primary School of As Czechia) serves over 400 students from grades one through nine. With modern facilities, including interactive whiteboards and 24 Wi-Fi enabled classrooms, the school integrates advanced technology into both education and school administration. Základní škola Aš Hlávkova aims to teach students how to work with modern technology early on to ensure they are prepared for their future careers and are capable of critical thinking. “We are always improving. We’re also in a financially disadvantaged region, so we need to find clever ways to motivate our students and integrate them into the education system,” shares Petr Mach, the School Principal at Základní škola Aš Hlávkova.

Introducing AI to enhance efficiency

One area that Mach has followed closely is AI. “I’ve been thinking about how AI will impact education,” he shares. “When I heard about the launch of Microsoft 365 Copilot, I realized it was a new opportunity for the school to advance efficiency.”

I’ve been thinking about how AI will impact education. When I heard about the launch of Microsoft 365 Copilot, I realized it was a new opportunity for the school to advance efficiency.

Petr Mach, School Principal, Základní škola Aš Hlávkova

Since the school had already been using Microsoft 365 A3 solutions, benefitting from desktop apps, advanced security, and analytics, the addition of Copilot seemed like a natural next step. At the start of 2024, the school began training around 30 teachers to work with Copilot.

Helping teachers with essential tasks, enabling more interactions. With the adoption of Microsoft 365 Copilot, Základní škola Aš Hlávkova saw immediate improvements in efficiency across various tasks, from class preparation to administrative work. Tomáš Glazer, the information technologies (IT) and English Teacher at Základní škola Aš Hlávkova, uses Microsoft 365 Copilot to prepare for lessons faster. “I create detailed plans for the lessons, with specific points to cover. Normally, class preparation would take hours. But with Microsoft 365 Copilot, I’m able to get ready in one hour or even few minutes.” This enables Glazer to spend more time developing interactive exercises for students, making classes more engaging.

Normally, class preparation would take hours. But with Microsoft 365 Copilot, I’m able to get ready in one hour or even few minutes.

Tomáš Glazer, IT and English Teacher, Základní škola Aš Hlávkova

Teachers also use Microsoft 365 Copilot on Forms to create assignments. “For example, I asked Copilot to create a 200-word text filled with verbs in the past simple tense for my English class, which was ready almost instantly,” shares Glazer. “Microsoft 365 Copilot can also generate quick tests in Forms with the correct answers. So instead of spending hours to come up with the quiz, we can focus on refining the content for our students. It’s quite straightforward, I only need to briefly review it in case there are minor mistakes.” Teachers can also easily tailor these materials based on grade or level of difficulty. “In English classes, I can specify the proficiency level of the students from beginner to advanced,” explains Glazer.

Interestingly, Microsoft 365 Copilot also helps teachers improve their teaching methods. “Sometimes, when students don’t understand a concept, like a grammar point, and I’m unsure how to help them, I use Copilot to suggest different teaching methods,” Glazer illustrates. “For example, I might ask for new ways to teach the Present Simple tense, and Copilot provides three or four different strategies."

Another area where Copilot proved helpful is managing large documents. “Some of the documents we handle are 30 pages or longer, full of regulations and legal terminology,” notes Mach. “Copilot summarizes complex documents efficiently, saving up to 60% of the time typically spent sorting through such information.”

Microsoft 365 Copilot summarizes complex documents efficiently, saving up to 60% of the time typically spent sorting through such information.

Petr Mach, School Principal, Základní škola Aš Hlávkova

Copilot’s translation capabilities also help create an inclusive environment, especially since around 15% of the school’s students come from abroad, including Afghanistan, Ukraine, Mongolia, and Vietnam. “We use Microsoft 365 Copilot’s translation capabilities to communicate better with students and their parents, ensuring that each student receives the support they need,” Glazer adds. “For example, we translate school policy documents. Before, we would need to rely on a translator, which would have cost more time and money.”

Overall, Microsoft 365 Copilot has freed up both teachers and administrative staff to focus on education, building relationships, and improving teaching processes. “Interestingly, we have more personal contact between teachers because routine tasks lesson preparation will take less time, allowing us to collaborate more,” shares Glazer.

Preparing students for the future

Looking ahead, Základní škola Aš Hlávkova plans to broaden its use of Microsoft 365 Copilot and include more teachers. Glazer says, “We want to expand our use of Copilot in Teams, Whiteboard, and OneNote, explore new features in Forms."

The school also wants to introduce its students to Copilot to enhance personal learning. For example, Copilot can help students read texts aloud and give them feedback on their speaking skills. “We want our students to learn about the digital world and become technically proficient. For me, it’s about ensuring students are ready for what lies ahead: AI is the way of the future,” Mach concludes.