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Simplify a complex taskGuide
Find the right order for learning connected ideas
Find the smallest set of topics to learn first, using the supplied learning dependencies.
Illustrative resourceNot tool-testedAdults who want a practical, low-stakes way to find the right order for learning connected ideas
What you’re working towards
Order an explicitly supplied prerequisite graph and create a minimal route to the learner’s goal. The worked result is a written example for practice; the AI steps have not been tested.
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Make a start
One step at a time.
3 steps
Start with the synthetic worked example or other non-sensitive inputs. Run one prompt at a time in your chosen AI tool. Replace any bracketed placeholders with the requested material, check each reply, and supply the source or earlier outputs that step needs. Paste them again if the tool lacks that context.
Start with the synthetic example, then adapt each prompt to your task.
01
Open a chat and paste the example
Open https://chatgpt.com and choose New chat. Copy every line under Input in this guide into the message box. Then add the prompt below (the instructions telling the assistant what to do) and send both together. Expect a written response shaped like the example under Output. The wording may differ. If the assistant asks for information already in the input, point to that line; if a necessary fact is missing, keep it unknown rather than guessing.
Your starting prompt
Make the shortest prerequisite-complete learning route to D from the complete made-up topic list above. Use only declared dependencies and times. Explain which topics can swap order and which optional topic to omit. Check the 50-minute window and do not invent lesson content.
02
Check the specific result
Trace D back to both B and C, then to A. These four topics require 45 minutes. E must not be added as a hidden prerequisite, and B/C may be in either order. Compare it with the Input yourself. If the response fails a check, paste the correction prompt below into the same chat. Recheck the corrected version before saving it.
Your starting prompt
Check every dependency against the original list and recalculate the selected minutes. Remove any invented prerequisite. Confirm that A comes before B and C and that both come before D.
03
Try it with your own example
Open a new chat. Copy the prompt below, then replace [PASTE YOUR INPUT HERE] with your own non-sensitive facts and rules. Include the kinds of details listed under Requirements. Send the whole message. Expect the same kind of result as this guide, using your values. Compare every name, number and rule with your input. If something differs, point to the exact mismatch and ask for a corrected complete answer. Save only a version you have checked.
Your starting prompt
Use my topic list, declared prerequisites, durations, target and time window below. Make the shortest route that includes every prerequisite for the target. Explain which topics can change order and which are optional. Check the total time and flag missing dependencies or cycles. Do not invent lesson content.
Use only the new input below. If a fact needed to finish is missing, ask me for it before choosing an answer.
MY INPUT
[PASTE YOUR INPUT HERE]
Optional: improve the result
Replan from demonstrated knowledge
Remove only topics the learner says they already understand, while keeping dependencies visible. This extension uses the worked example. Return to that example chat, or paste its input and your checked example answer into a new chat first. Do not apply its sample values unchanged to your own input.
Advanced prompt
New fact: the learner has already demonstrated A and B. Build the remaining route to D, retain the supplied times for C and D, and show how much of the original 50-minute window remains. Do not treat E as required.
Show, then try
See the shape of the result.
This input is synthetic. The output is a written illustration of the intended result, not a verified AI-tool run.
01 / The starting point
Synthetic input
Made-up example for practice. A prerequisite is something you need to learn before another topic.
Made-up adult-learning plan; use these declared relationships only. Goal: D. Topics: A, read a point’s coordinates, no prerequisites, 10 minutes; B, find a horizontal difference, requires A, 10 minutes; C, find a vertical difference, requires A, 10 minutes; D, use both differences in the supplied distance rule, requires B and C, 15 minutes; E, label a route on a map, requires A, 10 minutes. The learner knows none of A–E. Total study window: 50 minutes. E is optional and is not a prerequisite for D. Do not teach or invent the distance rule here; make a learning route.
Copies text only. For image or file tasks, use the source files named in the steps too.
Written example for practice; not a recorded AI response.
Minimal route to D
1. A: read coordinates, 10 minutes.
2. B: horizontal difference, 10 minutes.
3. C: vertical difference, 10 minutes.
4. D: use both differences in the supplied distance rule, 15 minutes.
Total: 45 minutes, leaving 5 minutes in the 50-minute window.
B and C can be swapped because neither requires the other, but both must follow A and precede D.
Leave E out of this route. It is optional and would bring the total to 55 minutes if added.
Before moving on, use a small exercise from your actual learning material to check each prerequisite. The minutes are supplied planning estimates, not proof of mastery.
These checks use the worked example and its particular facts. With your own material, check your actual names, numbers, sources and rules; do not reuse the sample’s values as the answer.
Unsaved checks stay in this tab and reset when you reload. If you choose Save guide, its current example checkmarks are kept in this browser when storage is available.
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A few things to watch for.
A plausible curriculum may include concepts not required by your actual material. Supply the relationships you want respected.
Finishing a timed block does not establish understanding. Check a small real exercise before advancing.