How to study with an LLM? Very intentionally.
First, let’s distinguish two different scenarios:
- Preparing for a constrained task (e.g. exam, essay, homework, presentation)
- Preparing for an open-ended task (e.g. a larger project, including class research paper type tasks)
These are similar, but there’s one big difference: for the second category, you’ll need to discover sources, techniques, etc that you didn’t get any hints on beforehand.
Both use a similar workflow. You need to work through your problems and your sources until you’ve got solutions to your problems, possibly with direct attribution to your sources. The more complex workflow just includes adding both problems and sources as you go.
Concrete example 1: Studying for a Calc Quiz
The quiz will be on:
- https://openstax.org/books/calculus-volume-1/pages/3-5-derivatives-of-trigonometric-functions
- We need to have exact numerical for common trig functions.
- We need to remember the derivatives of the trig functions.
- Remember - let’s build a quick flash card app.
- We may need to prove a derivation. That needs examples.
Concrete example 2: History of Ancient Carthage
- Map
- Timeline
- Language
- Culture
- Sources
This is an excuse to hook up proper web search.
