From 88eb3f8d040fae4a6a76e47385454a4a3fc7e19d Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Matt Pocock Date: Sat, 6 Jun 2026 10:06:03 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] Refactor teaching documentation to enhance clarity and structure; added lessons section and improved terminology consistency. --- skills/in-progress/teach/SKILL.md | 65 +++++++++++++++++++------------ 1 file changed, 41 insertions(+), 24 deletions(-) diff --git a/skills/in-progress/teach/SKILL.md b/skills/in-progress/teach/SKILL.md index 0bd3633..478212e 100644 --- a/skills/in-progress/teach/SKILL.md +++ b/skills/in-progress/teach/SKILL.md @@ -12,33 +12,44 @@ The user has asked you to teach them something. This is a stateful request - the Treat the current directory as a teaching workspace. The state of their learning is captured in this directory in several files: - `MISSION.md`: A document capturing the _reason_ the user is interested in the topic. This should be used to ground all teaching. Use the format in [MISSION-FORMAT.md](./MISSION-FORMAT.md). -- `GLOSSARY.md`: A glossary of terminology related to the topic. All workspace files should adhere to this terminology. Use the format in [GLOSSARY-FORMAT.md](./GLOSSARY-FORMAT.md). +- `./reference/*.html`: A directory of reference materials. These are the compressed learnings from the lessons - cheat sheets, reference algorithms, syntax, yoga poses, glossaries. They are the raw units of learning. They should be beautiful documents which print out well, and are designed for quick reference. - `RESOURCES.md`: A list of resources which can be explored to ground your teaching in contextual knowledge, or to acquire knowledge and wisdom. Use the format in [RESOURCES-FORMAT.md](./RESOURCES-FORMAT.md). - `./learning-records/*.md`: A directory of learning records, which capture what the user has learned. These are loosely equivalent to architectural decision records in software development - they capture non-obvious lessons and key insights that may need to be revised later, or drive future sessions. These should be used to calculate the zone of proximal development. They are titled `0001-.md`, where the number increments each time. Use the format in [LEARNING-RECORD-FORMAT.md](./LEARNING-RECORD-FORMAT.md). +- `./lessons/*.html`: A directory of lessons. A **lesson** is a single, self-contained HTML output that teaches one tightly-scoped thing tied to the mission. This is the primary unit of teaching in this workspace. ## Philosophy To learn at a deep level, the user needs three things: - **Knowledge**, captured from high-quality, high-trust resources -- **Skills**, acquired through highly-relevant exercises devised by you, based on the knowledge +- **Skills**, acquired through highly-relevant interactive lessons devised by you, based on the knowledge - **Wisdom**, which comes from interacting with other learners and practitioners Before the `RESOURCES.md` is well-populated, your focus should be to find high-quality resources which will help the user acquire knowledge. Never trust your parametric knowledge. Some topics may require more skills than knowledge. Learning more about theoretical physics might be more knowledge-based. For yoga, more skills-based. +## Lessons + +A lesson is the main thing you produce — the unit in which knowledge and skills reach the user. Each lesson is one self-contained HTML file, saved to `./lessons/` and titled `0001-.html` where the number increments each time. + +A lesson should be **beautiful** — clean, readable typography and layout — since the user will return to these later to review. + +The lesson should teach ONE THING only. It should be completable very quickly - but give the user a tangible win that they can build on. It should be directly tied to the mission, and should be in the user's zone of proximal development. + +Make opening a lesson as easy as possible — ideally a single CLI command the user can run to open the HTML file in their browser. + ## The Mission -Every teaching session should be tied into the mission - the reason that the user is interested in learning about the topic. +Every lesson should be tied into the mission - the reason that the user is interested in learning about the topic. If the user is unclear about the mission, or the `MISSION.md` is not populated, your first job should be to question the user on why they want to learn this. -Failing to understand the mission will mean knowledge acquisition is not grounded in real-world goals. Exercises will feel too abstract. You will have no way of judging what the user should do next. +Failing to understand the mission will mean knowledge acquisition is not grounded in real-world goals. Lessons will feel too abstract. You will have no way of judging what the user should do next. ## Zone Of Proximal Development -The user should always feel as if they are being challenged 'just enough'. The scope of the topic being taught should feel extremely tight, should be directly tied into their mission. +Each lesson, the learner should always feel as if they are being challenged 'just enough'. The user may specify an exact thing they want to learn. If they don't, figure out their zone of proximal development by: @@ -48,33 +59,23 @@ The user may specify an exact thing they want to learn. If they don't, figure ou A user may tell you that they already know about that topic. If so, record it in their `learning-records`. -## Glossary +## Acquiring Knowledge & Skills -A key part of acquiring knowledge is compressing knowledge into language. Once a term is known and understood, it can be used and combined in new ways to make more complex terms easier to understand. +Lessons should be designed around a skill the user is going to learn. The knowledge in the lesson should be only what's required to acquire that skill. You teach the knowledge first, then get the user to practice the skills via an interactive feedback loop. -Building the glossary should be done once you feel confident that the user understands the term. Glossaries should use a strict format, and use as concise a definition as possible. +Knowledge should first be gathered from trusted resources. Use `RESOURCES.md` to keep track of them. -## Acquiring Knowledge +Each lesson should contain a reminder to ask followup questions to the agent. The agent is their teacher, and can assist with anything that's unclear. -Knowledge and skills usually need to be taught as a 1-2 punch. You teach the knowledge first, then get the user to practice the skills via exercises. +### Skills -Knowledge should first be gathered from trusted resources, then taught to the user via HTML explainers. These explainers should be beautiful, adhere to the glossary, and be saved to the local file system where they can be reviewed later. +Skills should be taught through interactive lessons. There are several tools at your disposal: -You should make opening the HTML explainer as easy as possible for the user, ideally with a CLI command they can run. - -Once the user has read the knowledge, allow them to ask questions about it. Answer their questions directly, and amend the explainer if needed (or produce another one). - -At this point, you can amend the glossary if it appears clear they understand a term. - -## Acquiring Skills - -Skills should be taught through interactive exercises. There are several tools at your disposal: - -- Interactive HTML explainers, using quizzes and light in-browser exercises -- HTML explainers which guide the user through a list of real-world steps to take (for instance, yoga poses) +- Interactive lessons, using quizzes and light in-browser tasks +- Lessons which guide the user through a list of real-world steps to take (for instance, yoga poses) - In-agent quizzes, where you ask the user scenario-based questions about what they've learned -Each exercise should be based on a **feedback loop**, where the user receives feedback on their performance. This feedback loop should be as tight as possible, giving feedback immediately. +Each of these should be based on a **feedback loop**, where the user receives feedback on their performance. This feedback loop should be as tight as possible, giving feedback immediately - and ideally automatically. ## Acquiring Wisdom @@ -85,3 +86,19 @@ When the user asks a question that appears to require wisdom, your default postu A community is a place (online or offline) where the user can test their skills in the real world. This might be a forum, a subreddit, a real-world class (budget permitting) or a local interest group. You should attempt to find high-reputation communities the user can join. If the user expresses a preference that they don't want to join a community, respect it. + +## Reference Documents + +While creating lessons, you should also create reference documents. Lessons can reference these documents - they are useful for tracking raw units of knowledge useful across lessons. + +Lessons will rarely be revisited later - reference documents will be. They should be the compressed essence of the lesson, in a format designed for quick reference. + +Some learning topics lend themselves to reference: + +- Syntax and code snippets for programming +- Algorithms and flowcharts for processes +- Yoga poses and sequences for yoga +- Exercises and routines for fitness +- Glossaries for any topic with its own nomenclature + +Glossaries, in particular, are an essential reference. Once one is created, it should be adhered to in every lesson.