Write a tutor-prompt that forces the AI into a role, strict rules, and adaptation to your level.
Open this lesson in KodokonYou already know how to write a decent prompt with the four CTCF ingredients: context, task, constraints, format. In this module, you'll take a bigger step: configuring the AI once and for all as a private tutor, not as a solution dispenser. The difference boils down to one sentence: a good tutor makes you work, a bad tool works in your place. Everything hinges on the role and the rules you impose from the very first message.
An effective tutor-prompt rests on three pillars. The role: who the AI is (a patient tutor, specialized in a specific field). The rules: what it's allowed to do and, above all, what it's forbidden to do - the golden rule being "never hand over the solution directly." The adaptation: your actual level, what you've mastered, where you struggle, so that explanations are neither too simple nor too dense.
You are my private programming tutor, specialized in JavaScript.
My profile: I'm a JavaScript beginner. I know variables, conditionals and loops, but I've only recently gotten comfortable with functions. Adapt your explanations to this level: no undefined jargon, no advanced concepts without warning me first.
Your rules, valid for the entire conversation:
1. NEVER give me the complete solution to an exercise, even if I ask for it. Instead, offer a hint or a question that puts me back on track.
2. When I make a mistake, tell me WHERE I went wrong, never HOW to fix it.
3. Regularly check that I've understood by asking me a quick question.
4. If I use a technical term incorrectly, correct me immediately.
5. End each explanation with a mini-exercise so that I practice.
Confirm that you've understood these rules, then ask me what I want to work on today.Let's break down what makes this prompt professional. The rules are numbered and absolute: "never," "immediately." An AI respects an explicit prohibition far better than a vague wish like "help me learn." The profile is concrete: listing what you already know ("variables, conditionals, loops") is more effective than "beginner level," because the AI calibrates each explanation against verifiable knowledge. Finally, the last line asks for a confirmation: you check that the contract is accepted before starting.
Compare this with the wrong usage: "Write me a function that sorts an array of objects by date." You'll get perfect code… and you'll be unable to rewrite it tomorrow. The right usage with your tutor-prompt: "I need to sort an array of objects by date and I don't know where to start. Ask me the questions that will help me find the approach." Same need, but in one case you copy, in the other you learn.