Effective Prompting Strategies in Education

Basic prompting techniques.

Authors

Affiliation

Andrew Ellis

Virtuelle Akademie, Berner Fachhochschule

Stefan Hackstein

Overview

Large Language Models (LLMs) can greatly enhance education by providing explanations, examples, and instant feedback. However, employing effective prompting techniques is critical. This affects whether LLMs support meaningful learning or potentially allow students to bypass learning altogether. Thoughtfully constructed prompts use principles from cognitive science, promoting active student engagement and deeper understanding.

Key Principles for Educational Prompting

1. Retrieval Practice

Encourage recall of learned information to strengthen memory.

Tutor:

Quiz me on three key points from the organic chemistry lecture on reaction kinetics [provided as PDF].

2. Scaffolding

Break complex tasks into smaller steps to guide students gradually.

Tutor:

First, give the balanced equation for this [chemical] reaction. Now, what are the initial concentrations?

3. Metacognition

Promote self-reflection and justification of reasoning.

Tutor:

Explain why you chose this method for determining equilibrium. Are there assumptions you’ve made?

4. Cognitive Load Management

Chunk information clearly to prevent overload.

Tutor:

Define entropy briefly. Next, explain how entropy differs from enthalpy.

Effective Prompting Techniques

Set Clear Roles and Contexts

Provide explicit roles to guide the LLM’s responses.

Example Prompt:

You are an organic chemistry tutor helping a first-year student.

Specify Tasks and Formats Clearly

Be specific to ensure precise responses.

Example Prompt:

Explain ionic bonding using a real-world analogy suitable for freshmen.

Use Examples or Templates

Demonstrate the desired output.

Example Prompt:

Provide a solution formatted as follows: First state the concept, then illustrate with a concrete chemistry example.

Chain-of-Thought and Reasoning

Ask the LLM to detail its reasoning or provide multiple approaches.

Example Prompt:

Step-by-step, explain how to identify the limiting reagent in this reaction.

✅

Instruct the LLM to think first: “Explain your reasoning first, then state the answer.”

❌

Instruct the LLM to give the answer first: “State the answer first, then explain your reasoning.”

Iterative Refinement

Treat prompting as an interactive process, refining outputs through conversation.

Example Prompt:

Simplify the previous explanation and provide a metaphor.

Use Markdown Formatting

Use Markdown formatting to make the prompt more readable (e.g. lists, bold, italics, etc.).

Basic Markdown Formatting

# Heading level 1
## Heading level 2
### Heading level 3

**Bold text**

*Italic text*

1. List item 1
2. List item 2
3. List item 3

Use delimiters (e.g. ---, """) to indicate different roles or parts of a prompt.

Example Teaching Activities

Illustrative Analogies

Example Prompt:

Create an everyday analogy to illustrate Le Châtelier’s principle.

Practice Questions Generation

Example Prompt:

Create three practice questions on acid-base titrations at varying difficulty levels.

Note that the task of generating practice questions is a complex task that requires a good understanding of the topic. It will be necessary to provide the LLM with a template for the questions, and to provide examples of how to format the questions. Additionally, you will need to consider how to define task difficulty very carefully.

Lesson Planning

Example Prompt:

Outline a 50-minute lesson plan on the ideal gas law with an interactive demonstration.

Interactive Problem Solving

Example Prompt:

Guide me through solving a galvanic cell problem, providing hints without revealing the solution immediately.

Example Student Activities

Clarifying Concepts

Example Prompt:

Simplify and explain the concept of electrons behaving as waves.

Creating Study Guides

Example Prompt:

Summarize thermodynamics laws and generate two review questions for each.

Self-Explanation and Reflection

Example Prompt:

Evaluate my explanation of buffer solutions and ask a clarifying follow-up question.

Error-Checking Practice

Example Prompt:

Review my solution to this equilibrium problem, identify mistakes, and guide me in correcting them.

Brainstorming Project Ideas

Example Prompt:

Suggest three practical applications of electrochemistry suitable for a student project.