JimmyAITeacher Resources

Full Class Activity · 45-60 minutes

Prompt Practice: The Coach Formula

Students learn to ask AI for coaching instead of answers. Using Role, Task, Context, and Rules, pairs rewrite eight weak prompts into prompts that build skill and keep ownership with the student.

Flat illustration of a graduation cap above an open book in navy and cyan, representing learning with technology

The Coach Formula

Four parts. Students should be able to name all four from memory.

Role

Tell the AI who to be. "Act as a Grade 9 study coach." A role sets the level and the behaviour.

Task

Say exactly what you want it to do. "Ask me questions" is a very different task from "write it for me."

Context

Give the details: subject, grade, assignment, what you already know, what you're stuck on.

Rules

Set the limits. "Do not write my paragraph." "Cite nothing you cannot verify." "One hint at a time."

Weak prompt

"Do my history homework."

No role, no real task, no context, no rules — and the AI ends up doing the learning.

Better prompt

"Act as a Grade 9 study coach. Ask me questions that help me explain three causes of Confederation. Do not write my paragraph."

Role, task, context, and a rule — the student still does the thinking and the writing.

How to run it

Teacher facilitation sequence.

  1. 1Project the Coach Formula and read the weak vs. better example aloud. Ask: what changed, and who is doing the thinking now?
  2. 2Put students in pairs and hand out the worksheet. Assign four prompts per pair, or all eight for a longer block.
  3. 3Give 12-15 minutes of rewrite time. Circulate and push for a Rules line — that is the piece students skip.
  4. 4Pair up pairs. Each group reads one rewrite and the partner group scores it for Role, Task, Context, and Rules.
  5. 5Debrief with the answer guide. Emphasize that the strongest prompts ask AI to coach, not to produce.
  6. 6Exit question: which of your rewrites would you actually use tonight, and why?

Teacher answer & discussion guide

There is no single correct rewrite — look for all four formula parts.

Prompt 1 · weak

"Do my history homework."

Act as a Grade 9 study coach. Ask me questions that help me explain three causes of Confederation. Do not write my paragraph. — Look for a coaching role and an explicit do-not-write rule.

Prompt 2 · weak

"Write my essay about Romeo and Juliet."

Act as an English tutor for Grade 10. I wrote this thesis: [paste]. Ask me three questions that test whether my evidence supports it. Do not rewrite my thesis. — Ownership stays with the student.

Prompt 3 · weak

"Explain math."

Act as a Grade 7 math tutor. Explain how to solve two-step equations using one worked example, then give me three problems to try. Do not give me the answers until I try. — Notice the added specificity and the practice loop.

Prompt 4 · weak

"Give me facts about climate change."

Act as a science teacher. Give me five key facts about the carbon cycle at a Grade 8 level, and for each one tell me what kind of source I should check to verify it. — Builds verification into the prompt.

Prompt 5 · weak

"Fix my paragraph."

Act as a writing coach. Here is my paragraph: [paste]. Point out the three weakest sentences and explain why. Do not rewrite them — I will revise them myself. — Feedback, not replacement.

Prompt 6 · weak

"Make me a study guide."

Act as a study coach. I have a Grade 11 biology test on cell division in four days and I study 30 minutes a night. Build me a day-by-day plan with a self-quiz each night. — Adds real constraints.

Prompt 7 · weak

"Tell me about the Civil Rights Movement."

Act as a history teacher. Summarize three turning points of the Civil Rights Movement at a Grade 10 level. For each, list one primary source I could look up myself. Do not invent sources. — Anti-fabrication rule.

Prompt 8 · weak

"Help me with my science project."

Act as a science fair mentor. My question is: does salt water freeze slower than fresh water? Ask me questions to help me design a fair test. Do not design it for me. — Student keeps the design decisions.

Watch for this

Students often write a great Role and Task and then stop. The Rules line is what protects their learning — insist on at least one limit in every rewrite.

Printable student worksheet

Rewrite the Prompt

Student worksheet · 2 pages