The card is the tool. The assistant is a surface.
This page is the reference used in the room: how a card is laid out, how a request is shaped, which surface we use, and what never goes in. It is not a product catalogue.
The studio does not name or sell a brand of assistant. The four passes are the same on each surface below.
What we mean by “assistant”
An assistant, in this studio, is any tool that will take a sentence and return wording: the assistant already signed in on a learner’s phone, a browser assistant on a laptop, or the tablet lent in class. We do not install an application as a condition of taking a seat. Session 1 always uses the lent tablet so that the first hour is the loop, not an account recovery.
Personal phones may be used from session 2 if the learner already has an assistant they can open without help. We still write the keep line on paper. If the phone fails, the method does not. Library computers and household laptops are treated as the same surface: one context line, a stated shape, no private details.
| Surface | When we use it | Login in the room | What never goes in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lent tablet | Every session 1; default for later sessions | Studio account, no learner names | NRIC, passport, bank or card numbers; passwords; one-time codes |
| Learner’s phone | From session 2, if already set up | Learner’s existing session only | The same list; plus any suggested “verification” page |
| Browser on a laptop | Closed groups that bring machines | Whatever is already open | The same list; no new account created in class |
Six lines on one card
Each task uses one A5 card, large print, one side. The loop card (passes and rails) is a second sheet, issued once. If a line does not fit, we shorten the ask — we do not move to a second task card in the same hour.
| Line | Pass | What is written | Check before leaving the line |
|---|---|---|---|
| Task sentence | 1 Frame | Who it is for, what is needed, by when | Contains a verb and a deadline |
| Context | 2 Ask | One fact the assistant must know, with no private identifiers | No NRIC, account number, or medical file |
| Shape | 2 Ask | Length, list, questions, or tone — stated in numbers where possible | A countable shape (e.g. six questions, 80 words) |
| Checks | 3 Check | (a) (b) (c) ticked, spoken | If (c) is yes, stop; do not write a keep line |
| Keep | 4 Keep | The wording that worked | Legible without the computer |
| Try next | — | One optional sentence for the week | Still one sentence, not a feature list |
Prompt shape by task
Pass 2 always states the shape of the answer. Vague requests (“make this better”) are rewritten before anyone types. The matrix is the reference; it is not a script to memorise.
| Task | Shape we ask for | Example constraint |
|---|---|---|
| Family message | A single message | 80 words, warm, one question at the end |
| Landlord or contractor | A dated reply | Facts in order, one request, no threat |
| Official letter | A list | Sender, dates, actions required, deadline |
| Clinic visit | Questions only | Six questions, no suggested diagnosis |
| Suspicious SMS | A cue list | Payment, urgency, secrecy — yes or no for each |
| Two plans | A two-column note | Only figures supplied from the papers on the table |
| Complaint | A short letter | What happened, when, what remedy, 150 words |
| Photo labels | Folder names and captions | Use only names the learner has written |
| Menu or notice | Plain English | Posted text only; flag allergy words for a human check |
| Outing | A timed outline | Start, end, and constraints the learner stated |
| Family speech | A timed draft | Three minutes, from the learner’s own points |
| Expense note | A table | Categories the learner named; amounts from receipts |
This is a classroom example. It is not a template for a real clinic file.
Worked example — clinic questions
Pass 1 · Frame
“Write six questions I can take to a GP visit on Thursday about my knee pain, so I do not forget what to ask.” Verb: write. Deadline: Thursday. Who: me, for a GP visit.
Pass 2 · Ask
Context line: “Pain for three weeks after walking, no diagnosis from me.” Shape: “Six questions only. Do not suggest a diagnosis or a medicine.” Private details (NRIC, clinic portal login, full history files) stay off the screen.
Pass 3 · Check
(a) Do these questions match what I already know about my week? (b) Can I confirm appointment time on the paper letter or the clinic SMS I already have? (c) Is the answer asking me to send money, a code, or a document? If the answer invents a dosage, (a) and rule 5 fail together — the keep line is not written from that paragraph.
What we do not teach from this page
Tool reference is not a setup guide. We do not walk through creating accounts, paying for a subscription, or choosing a brand. We do not teach prompt “tricks”, jailbreaks, or how to make an assistant ignore its own limits. We do not teach image generation as a product, nor how to automate a household through plugins.
If a surface asks the learner to scan a QR code, enter a one-time password, or “verify” by sending a document, the loop ends at check (c). That stop is the lesson. The method page carries the rails in full; this page only shows where they bite on the card.
Take the card into a programme
Print layouts are issued in the room. If you want the timetable and the fee before you write, use formats & fees. If you want the loop tables, use the method page.