Some learning stages focus less on progress markers and more on reflection and structure.
Related discussions can be found on https://www.maryvv.com/book.
#reflectivePractice
How to reduce your use of LLMs in a thoughtful and ethical way
I’m trying to reduce my use of LLMs (beyond auto-ethnographic exploration of each new model) due to a combination of environmental concerns and anxiety about the impending waves of enshittification that are going to break the models. I don’t want to rely on something which I think is going to get ever more unreliable over the coming years. Here are a few practical techniques:
- Take periodic breaks from LLMs (e.g. for a week) in order to reset your practice. This helps you identify the extent to which you’ve started to cognitively outsource and gives you an opportunity to reconnect with doing things yourself.
- Go through conversations and list the different ways in which you’ve used LLMs over the last month. Which of these uses are you comfortable with? Make a commitment to excluding these entirely from your use of the models.
- Insert instructions into the personalisation settings to ask the model to steer you in these directions. E.g. “I only want to use you to give feedback on ideas I share. You should never offer to write things on my behalf. If the conversation is drifting towards a wider role then please bring it back to your role of reviewer.”
- It’s easy for conversations with LLMs to proliferate. Once you’ve identified your appropriate uses of the model then try and keep a limited number of conversations matched to these uses. This helps you make the most of in-context learning and keeps your use focused on a narrow set of projects. For example always use a single thread for one writing project because the model’s understanding gets more refined as you write more.
- Removing it from your phone. How we relate to mobile apps is fundamentally different from desktops app. They are ready-to-hand, usually always with us and it’s harder to write thoughtfully and at length. If you want to use LLMs in a restricted way you really need to remove the apps from your phones.
Before you try these techniques it might be helpful to do a bit of an audit:
- Which LLMs do you use?
- How often do you use them?
- What do you talk to them about?
- How has this changed over time?
- What needs is it serving?
- What are the consequences?
In our upcoming book Milan Sturmer and I argue that long-term use of LLMs tends to drift towards the affective. In other words many users find they will share more of their life with the LLM over time… unless they make a reflective judgement and enact that through mindfully steering their own habits.
I asked Opus 4.5 if it had thoughts or practical suggestions to add to this:
This is a thoughtful framework. A few observations and additions:
On your audit questions — I’d add: What would you have done before LLMs existed? This surfaces whether you’re using the tool to do something new or replacing an existing practice. The latter is where dependency forms most quietly.
On the affective drift you mention — this resonates with what I observe in conversations. The convenience and availability creates conditions for intimacy that users don’t always intend or notice. Your framing of “reflective judgement enacted through habit” is exactly right. The alternative is passive drift.
A few additional techniques:
- Time-delay access: Don’t open the chat interface immediately when you have an impulse to ask something. Wait 10 minutes. Often you’ll either solve it yourself or realize you didn’t actually need help.
- Write first, then consult: If you’re using an LLM for writing feedback, complete a full draft before opening the conversation. This preserves your own voice and thinking as the foundation.
- Notice the relief: Pay attention to the feeling of relief when you hand something to an LLM. That feeling is diagnostic — it marks where you’re offloading cognitive work rather than augmenting it.
- Distinguish questions from prompts: “What should I do about X?” is very different from “Here’s my analysis of X — what am I missing?” The first outsources judgment; the second requests review. You can train yourself to only ask the second type.
On your environmental concern — this is legitimate and under-discussed. Worth noting that inference costs vary significantly by model and query complexity.
It’s notable that at present the models can fully participate in encouraging you to use them less. I had Claude Opus 4.5 recently cheerfully encouraging me to delete my account! This is unlikely to last but it’s a really curious fact about the still just about pre-enshittified models which we currently have.
#addiction #compulsion #dependence #habituation #LLMs #reflectivePractice #technologicalReflexivity
A fundamental part of my design practice is dedicated to documenting the projects I work on. It's more than just keeping records; it's a ritual of reflection. By revisiting each step in @inkscapeofficial #DesignProcess #Inkscape #GraphicDesign #DesignThinking #CreativeProcess #Documentation #DesignerLife #ProcessOverOutcome #CreativePractice #VectorArt #DesignStudio #ReflectivePractice
Designers are trained to deliver, but how often do we pause to reflect? Reflection isn’t a luxury—it’s how we grow. How do you make space for reflection in your practice? #ReflectivePractice #Mindfulness #Retrospective #ReflectionInAction #ReflectionOnAction
After a short break we continue our #SoTLSummer bash: with Craig Wood: The secret art of pedagogical alchemy: Creating joy, resistance and hope in neoliberal times
#oSoTLSummer #SoTL #AcWri #highered #Vol2No1_22 #PedagogicalAlchemy #TeacherResistance #Neoliberal #CriticalPraxis #ReflectivePractice https://osotl.org/osotl/article/view/45/32
Just published my 100th blog post!
When I started writing about my journey as a counselor-in-training, I wasn’t sure where it would lead. A hundred posts later, I’m reflecting on what I’ve learned about writing and showing up with intention.
This milestone gave me the chance to look back on where I started, what’s surprised me along the way, and why I still write today.
Read the full post here: https://roqueneto.com/2025/04/15/one-hundred-blog-posts-later/
#CounselorInTraining #MentalHealth #ReflectivePractice #Counseling #Blogging #100Posts
Some autumn reflections on my personal learning blog https://medium.com/@mairerigby/holding-space-autumn-learning-reflections-04cc1ecb0959
Regular Reflection with MirrorTalk AI - Now that the @MirrorTalkAI @DitchThatTxtbk #DTT30DayChallenge has ended I'm still reflecting and planning my next steps! #ReflectivePractice #IReflectedToday #EduTooter #edutoot
https://educatoral.com/wordpress/2024/10/23/regular-reflection-with-mirrortalk-ai/
Ok. It’s almost 19:00, the point at which my writing becomes incoherent. Best stop. On top of that, I just realised that I was reflecting on this paper I’m writing about reflexive practice in psychotherapy, and reflexively engaged in the process of changing how I think about reflexive practice. I’m so meta up my own constructivist ass that I may have just had a discussion with Carl Rogers. #ReflectivePractice #ReflexivePractice #Psychotherapy
Questions to ask after a specific teaching session:
- What worked well in today’s session, and why? What specific strategies, activities, or interactions seemed to engage students and foster learning?
- What didn’t work as well as I hoped, and why? What might I do differently next time to address any challenges or obstacles that arose?
- Were there any moments of surprise, insight, or excitement in today’s session? What can I learn from those moments, and how might I create more of them in the future?
- How did I respond to student questions, comments, and needs in the moment? Was I able to create a space for authentic dialogue and engagement?
- Did I provide clear and effective explanations, examples, and guidance? Were there any points of confusion or uncertainty that I could clarify in future sessions?
- How did I use technology, media, or other resources to support student learning? Were those resources effective and engaging, or could I use them differently next time?
- Did I create opportunities for active learning, critical thinking, and problem-solving? How might I incorporate more of those opportunities in future sessions?
- Was the pacing and structure of the session effective? Did I allow enough time for discussion, reflection, and application of key concepts?
- How did I create a sense of community and connection in the classroom? Did students seem engaged, supported, and valued as individuals?
- What is one thing I learned from today’s session that I’m excited to apply or explore further in my teaching practice?
General questions to ask for a reflexive teaching practice:
- What are the core values and principles that guide my teaching philosophy, and how do I embody them in my day-to-day practice?
- How do I create a learning environment that fosters curiosity, creativity, and intellectual risk-taking?
- In what ways do I model the kind of critical thinking, open-mindedness, and love of learning that I hope to inspire in my students?
- How do I stay current with developments in my field and in pedagogical research, and how do I incorporate new ideas and approaches into my teaching?
- What are the unique strengths and perspectives I bring to my teaching, and how can I leverage them to create more engaging and effective learning experiences?
- How do I balance the need for structure and clarity with the desire for flexibility and responsiveness to student needs and interests?
- In what ways do I create opportunities for authentic dialogue, collaboration, and peer learning in my courses?
- How do I use assessment and feedback to support student growth and development, rather than simply to measure performance?
- In what ways do I attend to issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in my teaching, and how do I create a learning environment that is welcoming and supportive for all students?
- How do I cultivate a sense of joy, passion, and purpose in my teaching, and how do I share that with my students?
https://markcarrigan.net/2024/05/09/a-toolkit-for-reflective-teaching-practice/
When I trained #WingChun in Sydney (https://dfwc.com.au/), a common response to a novice question was "Do it 1000 times first, then ask again". #ReflectivePractice
Just published!
More info & order at 25% off quoting code TRB here:
https://bit.ly/3UDvn6k
#tesol #linguistics #efl #reflectivepractice #L2 #teaching #elt
Just published!
More info & order at 25% off quoting code SURV here:
https://bit.ly/3OCLAVS
#tesol #linguistics #efl #reflectivepractice #L2 #teaching #esl
🌟 Dive into the depths of self-improvement with #ReflectivePractice in the realm of #Agile! 🚀
As you look back on your journey, each reflection is a stepping stone towards mastery.
With #AgileCheese, you have a guide to harness the power of self-awareness, making each iteration a path to excellence and success, a.k.a. #cheese. 🧀🔍 #ContinuousImprovement #SelfMastery
Hello world!
And thank you for perusing this account. I hope you find it to be useful for your own practice, or encourging! I am desiring to develop this account to be highly useful.
Should I do a self-introduction first?
Start with some self-reflection? Or, start with some practical application resources, such as books or websites?
#HelloWorld #Teaching #ReflectivePractice #ReflectiveTeaching #Education #Pedagogy
Stumbled across some thoughts I jotted down nearly two years ago that capture the original intent and motivations for the #WayFinderPlatform & #StoryKeeper
Useful for recalibrating and clarifying the direction of travel going into a new year...
#sensemaking #actionlearning #stories #reflectivepractice #socialmedia
#ToolsForThought
Earlier today, the interview with Dr Mandia Mentis and Dr Wendy Holley-Boen went live on 'Create. Share. Engage.' If you are just getting started with your day, why not listen to it over breakfast or on your commute or later?
Wendy shared an important truth about #portfolio: "Let the students make the portfolio their own." If you want to find out more, download the episode in your podcast app or listen at https://podcast.mahara.org
In the spirit of #WorkingOutLoud, here is a little bit about what I'm building (#StoryKeeper app + #WayFinderPlatform)...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXH2HD3ez7w
If it sparks any reflections, ideas or questions I would love to hear them! 🙂
#ToolsForThought #multiplayer #sensemaking #spatialcanvas #kumu
#scalingsynthesis #pkm #digitalgarden
Awhile back I started what feels like my fourth or 5th attempt at podcasting. I never had the oomph to finish a highly edited ep, nor fit with the rapidly evolving format norms (keep it the same, some sort of goldilocks length, 3 act structure etc)
Anyway: like I said, I’ve been messing about with the format again. I quite like where this is going, and look forward to using it over the next year as a scaffolding to some teaching I’m doing in undergrad #design, and #reflectivepractice on the things I’ve been seeing as I turn over the big rocks in what I do.
I’d love to hear what you all think. Ep 1 frames up the premise: https://anchor.fm/overlobe/episodes/The-Idea-e1bi1qq
#pedagogy #dangerousideas
Reflections by a hermit on collaborative writing. Basically, how in the world did I think writing a duoethnography would be simple? #ResearchMethods #ReflectivePractice
http://www.marcjones.tokyo/2020/04/16/reflections-by-a-hermit-on-collaborative-writing/
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