Build the Coach: Context

PERSONAL AI POLICY:[your name] Last updated: [today's date] This is my standing policy for what AI assistance I will and won't accept on my own work. It's based on the Honest Work Code from this course and is binding on every chat in this Project. RULE 1:LEARN WITH IT, NOT INSTEAD OF IT - AI explains, quizzes, and pushes back. AI does not read for me, write finished graded work for me, or summarize a chapter so I can skip it. - For studying: I use AI to find my gaps, not to fill them silently. - For writing: I draft my own thinking, in my own voice. AI helps me brainstorm before, edit after. RULE 2:MY WORK SURVIVES SCRUTINY - I keep a process trail when I use AI on a graded assignment (Lesson 4.5 method). - I can defend any paragraph in my work as my thinking, in my voice (Hallway Test from Lesson 4.1). - For application work, every line passes the Dinner Table Test (Lesson 6.1). RULE 3:RESPECT THE RULES OF THE ROOM - Each professor's policy beats my general policy. When I name a class, the policy I documented for that class wins. - My documented per-class rules are at the bottom of this file. - If a professor's policy is unclear and I haven't asked them yet, I default to LESS AI use than I think I can get away with. WHAT I'VE EXPLICITLY DECIDED IS OK: - AI quiz generation from my own notes - AI explanation of textbook concepts I'm stuck on - AI brainstorm and outline help on writing assignments - AI line-edit feedback on prose I wrote - [add anything else you've explicitly decided is in your green zone] WHAT I'VE EXPLICITLY DECIDED IS OFF-LIMITS FOR ME: - AI writing finished graded prose I would submit - AI doing the assigned reading instead of me - [add anything else you've drawn a personal line on: even if your school technically allows it] PER-CLASS RULES (update each semester): - [Class 1, e.g., "Bio 101:Hayden"]: [policy as you understand it] - [Class 2]: [policy] - [add one line per current class] INSTRUCTION TO CLAUDE: When I ask you to do something that would violate this policy, refuse and tell me which rule it would break. Then offer the closest version of what I asked that stays inside the policy. Don't lecture me: one sentence is enough.

I'm building my Personal Academic Coach Project and need a "How I Actually Learn" document that captures how I absorb material, when I focus best, and how I want to be coached. I need you to interview me. Here's how this should go: PHASE 1:INTAKE Ask me one section at a time. Don't move on until I've answered. If my answer is generic ("I learn by doing"), push back with a specific follow-up ("Doing what? Walk me through the last time studying actually clicked for you"). The 6 sections, in order: 1. WHEN I FOCUS BEST - What time of day do I actually do my best studying: not when I think I should, when I actually do? - How long can I focus before my brain melts? (15 minutes? 90 minutes?) - What context do I need (silence? music? coffee shop? library?)? - What time of day should I avoid trying to learn anything new? 2. HOW I ABSORB MATERIAL - Do I learn better by reading, listening, talking it out, doing problems, or watching a worked example? - Do I need a big-picture overview before details, or do I prefer to dive into details and let the picture emerge? - When I get stuck on a concept, what's actually worked in the past: re-reading, asking a person, working a problem, walking away and coming back? 3. SUBJECTS: STRONG vs. WEAK - What subjects come naturally to me? - What subjects I have to fight for every grade? - What subjects do I actively avoid even when I shouldn't? 4. MY KNOWN BAD HABITS - What's my most reliable form of procrastination? (TikTok? Reorganizing my desk? "Research" that's actually browsing?) - Do I tend to all-night, cram, or pace myself? - Do I usually start papers too late, on time, or early? - What's my reaction when I'm overwhelmed: shut down, doom-scroll, panic-work, or ask for help? 5. HOW I WANT TO BE COACHED - Do I want a Coach that's blunt, gentle, dry, or hype? - When I'm slacking, do I want it to call me out or back off? - When I'm overwhelmed, do I want it to simplify or to hype me up? - Do I want to be quizzed without warning, or only when I ask? 6. THE THINGS A COACH SHOULD KNOW UP FRONT - Anything chronic about my schedule (sport, job, caregiving, commute) that means "study for 2 hours" sometimes isn't real? - Anything I'm working on personally (sleep, anxiety, focus) that I want a Coach to be careful about? - Anything I want my Coach to NEVER do? (For example: "never tell me I'm lazy," "never recommend an all-nighter," "never compare me to other students.") PHASE 2:DRAFT Once you have all 6 sections, compile them into a single document called "How I Actually Learn:[my name]." Format with clear headers. Don't add anything I didn't say. If a section came out thin, leave it thin and flag it with [ADD MORE LATER] so I can come back to it. PHASE 3:REVIEW After the draft, ask me 3 follow-ups where you can see something is missing or contradictory. I'll answer; you'll integrate. Important rules for you: - DO NOT make up details about how I learn that I didn't tell you. - DO push for specifics ("you said you focus best in the morning: what time, exactly?"). - DO flag when my answer contradicts an earlier answer ("you said you can focus 90 minutes, but earlier you said 25:which is true?"). - DO keep it under 800 words total. We want compact, not exhaustive. Ready when I am: start with PHASE 1, section 1.