learning template

Learn a topic in one focused session

A working understanding in 45 minutes, not a reading list.

Opens the composer with the prompt filled in. Free — an emailed code is all you need.

The prompt

Copy it, or use the button above to drop it straight into the composer. Everything in [SQUARE BRACKETS] is a slot you fill in.

Teach me [TOPIC] well enough to [SPECIFIC USE — e.g. read a paper about it, debug it, hold my own in a review].

What I already know: [ADJACENT KNOWLEDGE]
Time I have: [e.g. 45 minutes]
How I learn best: [EXAMPLES FIRST / RULES FIRST / BY BUILDING]

Structure the session:
1. The one idea that, once it clicks, makes everything else follow. Teach that first.
2. The three terms I'll hit immediately in any real material, defined against something I already know.
3. A worked example I can follow end to end, with the reasoning at each step exposed.
4. The mistake almost everyone makes at this stage, and what causes it.
5. Two questions for me to answer — one that checks I followed, one that checks I can transfer it to a new case. Wait for my answers before continuing.
6. Where my understanding will run out, so I know what I still don't know.

Don't give me a reading list instead of teaching. Don't cover the history unless it explains why the thing is shaped the way it is.

When to use it

You're stuck on one concept and re-reading isn't working
You have limited time and need a working understanding, not a reading list
You want to be asked questions, not lectured at

Which mode suits it

Teaching wants analogies and worked examples, so a little more range helps — accuracy is enforced by the prompt itself.

Balanced — good default for almost everything