These exercises are designed to help you move from passive consumption to active, AI-assisted learning and creation.
Each exercise follows the Explain → Retrieve → Refine loop.
Exercise 1: From Guessing to Intentional Creation
Goal
Replace guess-based creation with structured thinking using AI as a partner.
Task
Think of something you’re currently working on (lesson, article, code project, course, presentation, or idea).
Write a one-sentence description of what you’re trying to create.
AI Prompt
Act as my thinking partner, not a content generator.
Here is what I am trying to create:
[insert your one-sentence description]
Ask me 5 clarifying questions that will help me:
1) Narrow my goal
2) Identify my audience
3) Reduce unnecessary complexity
4) Improve usefulness
5) Define what “success” looks like
Ask me 5 clarifying questions that will help me: 1) Narrow my goal 2) Identify my audience 3) Reduce unnecessary complexity 4) Improve usefulness 5) Define what “success” looks like
Reflection
- What assumptions were you making before answering these questions?
- What became clearer immediately?
Exercise 2: Explain It to Learn It
Goal
Strengthen understanding by explaining concepts in your own words.
Task
Choose something you recently learned (technical concept, idea, framework, or process).
Write a short explanation (3–5 sentences) as if teaching a beginner.
AI Prompt
Here is my explanation of a concept:
[insert explanation]
Evaluate my explanation for:
- Clarity
- Gaps in understanding
- Incorrect assumptions
Then:
1) Ask me 3 follow-up questions to test my understanding
2) Suggest one improvement to make this explanation clearer
Evaluate my explanation for: – Clarity – Gaps in understanding – Incorrect assumptions Then: 1) Ask me 3 follow-up questions to test my understanding 2) Suggest one improvement to make this explanation clearer
Reflection
- What did you realize you didn’t fully understand yet?
- How did explaining change how confident you feel about the topic?
Exercise 3: Active Retrieval Instead of Re-Reading
Goal
Shift from rereading content to retrieving knowledge from memory.
Task
Without looking anything up, list:
- 5 key ideas you remember from something you learned recently
AI Prompt
I will list 5 things I remember about a topic.
[insert list]
1) Identify which items show strong understanding
2) Identify which items are vague or surface-level
3) Create 3 short retrieval questions that would help me strengthen weak areas
Reflection
- Which ideas were easy to recall?
- Which ones felt fuzzy or incomplete?
Exercise 4: Refinement Through Feedback
Goal
Use AI feedback to refine thinking instead of starting over.
Task
Take something you’ve written or built (code, outline, lesson, explanation).
AI Prompt
Review the following work as a constructive mentor:
[insert work]
Do NOT rewrite it.
Instead:
- Identify what is working well
- Identify one structural improvement
- Identify one clarity improvement
- Identify one simplification opportunity
Do NOT rewrite it. Instead: – Identify what is working well – Identify one structural improvement – Identify one clarity improvement – Identify one simplification opportunity
Reflection
- How did refinement feel compared to starting from scratch?
- What changed with minimal effort?
Exercise 5: Designing Your Personal Learning Loop
Goal
Create a repeatable learning system using AI.
Task
Answer these questions in writing:
- What do I want to learn right now?
- Where am I currently getting stuck?
- What kind of feedback would help most?
AI Prompt
Help me design a personal learning loop using AI.
My learning goal:
[insert goal]
My current challenge:
[insert challenge]
Create a simple weekly loop using:
- Explain
- Retrieve
- Refine
Include:
- What I should do
- How AI supports each step
- How I know I’m making progress
My current challenge:
Create a simple weekly loop using: – Explain – Retrieve – Refine Include: – What I should do – How AI supports each step – How I know I’m making progress
Reflection
- How does this feel compared to “just consuming content”?
- What would happen if you followed this loop for 30 days?
Optional Stretch Exercise: Rewriting Your AI Relationship
Prompt
I want to stop using AI as a shortcut and start using it as a thinking partner.
Ask me reflective questions that help me:
- Learn more deeply
- Reduce overwhelm
- Build durable understanding
- Create with intention
Key Takeaway
The AI-powered mindset isn’t about doing less thinking.
It’s about thinking better, with feedback, structure, and intention.
That’s where real learning — and sustainable growth — begins.