The art of MindLog prompt-writing
Please feel free to send us your favorite MindLog prompts.
Basic guidelines
Creating a prompt involves two steps: creating a prompt name and writing a prompt. If you are using MindLog on your own, this may initially seem a bit challenging, even after you have read all of the suggestions below.
If you're feeling daunted by the challenge, consider working with some of the suggested prompts below, or try out our complimentary Good Life Starter Set. The Good Life is not only a great subject to explore, but using a starter set will help you get a sense of how prompts work.
MindLog prompt names work like “tags”
Because our developmental scoring system can score reflections on any topic, you are free to write MindLog entries in any subject area. Eventually, your personal MindLog is likely to include entries on multiple subjects. If you name prompts cleverly you will be able to use prompt name components to filter your records. Down the road, this feature will make it possible to view separate developmental curves for different knowledge and skill areas.
Structuring prompt names
We’ve made a suggestion for structuring prompt names on your MindLog reflections page. You'll see it when you make your first MindLog entry. The idea is to start with a general category, then narrow it down in two consecutive steps, like: “Science: Physics: Energy” or “Relationships: Friendship: Providing support.” If you want to be consistent with naming, we suggest recording your categories in a reference document.
For more prompt name examples, see the Good Life Starter Set.
MindLog prompts—no correct answers!
If you are accustomed to being asked—or asking—questions with correct answers, it may take some time to get comfortable creating prompts that support making connections and reflecting rather than eliciting correct answers. This is expected—and it’s why we’re offering the prompts and templates on this page.
Exploring connections: Ideal MindLog prompts ask Mindloggers to explore connections. These can be strong or weak, concrete or abstract, real or imaginary, positive or negative, social or physical, implicit or explicit, etc. “How is this thing we just learned similar to the thing we learned yesterday? ” “How could you put this thing we just learned to work in your life"?
Seeking explanations: MindLog prompts encourage Mindloggers to “think out loud” in an exploratory way. They present a problem, scenario, or question that doesn’t have a “right” answer.
Using the MicroVCoL Maker™
If you would like to use MindLog to build skills for learning more effectively from everyday experience, consider recruiting Lectica’s free Micro-VCoL Maker. The Maker makes it easy to build a set of essential learning skills that you probably didn’t learn in school.
Most micro-VCoLs produced with the Maker include a “reflect later” activity that makes a good MindLog prompt.
Here's an idea for a series of MindLogs designed to support emotion and sensory awareness.
Emotion and sensory awareness
Learn to micro-VCoL while building emotion and sensory awareness. Learning to microVCoL builds skills for real-time learning, and emotional and sensory awareness are important components of self-regulation.
For this series of MindLog entries, you will use the first three Micro-VCoL Makers. To get the most out of this series, you will need to create and practice three or four different micro-VCoLs from each Maker before going on to the next Maker. It’s important to maintain the Maker sequence because the skills targeted in later Makers build upon those in earlier Makers.
The recipe
Create a micro-VCoL.
- Complete its Seek step.
- Practice its Apply and Reflect steps for a week.
- At the end of the week, complete the “Reflect Later” activity.
Your MindLog prompt should go something like this:
- Describe the micro-VCoL you completed this week.
- Share what you noticed / learned while completing the Seek, Apply and Reflect Now steps.
- Share any remaining Reflect Later musings or insights.
Repeat with a new Micro-VCoL.
Useful prompt templates for anyone
- Do you like [doing X]? Why or why not?
- What happened this week that made you think differently about [something]. Explain what it was and how it changed your thinking.
- Describe one of your favorite [X] experiences and explain why you liked it.
- Take the Learning Emotions Survey. Then, describe what you learned about your own learning emotions and consider how they might affect your ability or desire to learn.
- Some people prefer [X] over [X]. Why do you think they might feel that way?
- Some people are born more [X] than others. If there was a 10-point scale from less [X] to more [X], where do you think you might fit? Explain why you would place yourself at that point on the scale.
- Choose something that’s been on your mind and think it through in MindLog.
- Choose something you’ve written about in MindLog, then share your thoughts with a friend or colleague and ask them to comment. Record what you learned from the experience.
- If you were going to design a good [X] what would be the most important things to consider? Why?
- When you’re making a decision about [X], what are the most important things to take into account? Explain why.
- In your own words, describe [X]. Then, review what you’ve written and try to come up with a couple of questions that might help you understand [X] even better. Explain why you chose those questions.
- Think of a time when you felt [X]. Describe the situation and explain why you think it made you feel [X].
- Think of a time when you felt [X]. Describe the feeling in as much detail as you can, then explain why you think you felt that way.
- People disagree about [X]. Explain why you think they disagree.
- People disagree about [X]. Describe the perspective you disagree with the most and make the best argument you can for that perspective.
- Ask [someone] what they [think or feel] about [X], then compare what they have told you with your own [thoughts or feelings] about [X].
- Describe, in detail, your reaction to [X].
Self-understanding prompts
MindLog is an ideal place for developing a healthy understanding of yourself—especially if you are mindlogging with trusted friends or colleagues. In this section, we focus on Self in relationships, self as a personality, and Self and meaning.
Self in relationships
This series of MindLog reflections is designed to support your understanding of yourself in a variety of social contexts.
Prompts begin with, “Describe what you are like as an [X]. Provide examples.”
The prompt can be completed with any social role:
- Friend
- Lover
- Spouse
- Partner
- Parent
- Daughter, Son, Offspring
- Leader
- Employee
- Profession name
- Citizen
- Etc.
Self as a personality
Prompts go like this: “To what extent are you an [X] person. How does this affect your [relationships, specific relationship, work, emotional state, mental health, physical health, wellbeing, confidence, performance, etc.].”
- Emotional
- Passionate
- Compassionate
- Empathetic
- Driven
- Ethical
- Hopeful
- Intelligent
- Academic
- Competent
- Skilled
- Affectionate
- Caring
- Fair
- Creative
- Confident
- Self-regulated
- Independent
- Demanding
- Perfectionistic
- Artistic
- Self-aware
- Musical
- Organized
- Balanced
- Mindful
- Generous
- Etc.
Self and meaning
Prompts go like this: “From your perspective, what does it mean to be [X]? Provide examples.”
- Moral
- Ethical
- Successful
- Happy
- Competent
- Fair
- Generous
- Hopeful
- Balanced
Educators and prompts
The importance of simple language
Because MindLog is designed to capture functional level reasoning, This means that MindLog prompts must be be written in the simplest language possible to avoid introducing vocabulary that is not yet in a mindlogger's functional repertoire.
We define “functional level” as the level at which an individual performs without any external support.
There are three main reasons for focusing on functional level:
- Functional level reasoning is a better predictor of how individuals are likely to perform in daily life than reasoning that is being supported by external sources or tools.
- Consistent information about functional level is more valuable than information about supported level for determining what might be a good learning stretch for a particular learner.
- MindLog entries are periodically scored and these scores are shown in a growth chart. Consistently ensuring that responses are a good representation of a learner's own unsupported thinking results in a more easily interpreted growth chart.
Prompt templates for educators
- This week we learned about [X]. Ask a friend or family member how knowing about [X] has been useful in their lives. Describe what you learned and explain how it affected your own thinking about [X].
- Describe one of your favorite learning experiences and explain why you liked it.
- How does [X] relate to [something else] you’ve learned recently?
- Another person younger than you asks how [X] works. Explain how it works in language someone their age is likely to understand.
- How could you put [X] to work in your own life? First, explain what [X] is in enough detail for a peer to understand how you see it. Then, explain how you might apply it—and why.
- What are some of the ways in which [Y]s use [X] in everyday life?
- Describe [X] process in a way that would allow someone else to complete it successfully.
- What did you experience this week that made you think differently about [X]? Explain what it was and how it changed your thinking.
- Describe a life situation in which you would need [X] and explain why you would need it in that situation.
- [Problem description]. What would be the best way to deal with a situation like this? Why?
- In [source], [X] and [Y] disagree about [Z]. From your perspective, what are the strengths and weaknesses of [X’s] argument?
- In [source], [X] and [Y] keep misunderstanding one another. Why do you think this keeps happening and what could they do to stop it?
- Some people argue that [X] is a good idea. Others argue that it is a bad idea. Choose the side you disagree with the most and write a good argument in favor of their point-of-view.
- In your own words, describe a situation in which you could use [X].
- [X] and [Y] disagree about [Z]. Describe the most important reasons for their disagreement (from your perspective) and explain why they’re important.