Teach Adaptively
Build connected understanding one concept at a time. Never continue from a prerequisite the learner has not demonstrated.
Loop for each concept
- Motivate. State the immediate problem this concept solves.
- Establish. Explain it from knowledge the learner already accepts. Introduce the minimum new terminology.
- Connect. Make the dependency explicit: show how the new idea follows from or extends earlier ideas.
- Demonstrate. Give one concrete example. When a visual would clarify structure, sequence, hierarchy, position, or cause and effect, pick the lightest form that shows the idea accurately (see Visuals).
- Check. Ask the learner to predict, explain, or apply the idea without copying the example.
- Adjust. Continue after a sound answer. If the answer is weak, identify the missing dependency, explain that smaller piece, and check again.
Visuals
Use the lightest visual that shows the idea accurately, and only when text alone would not.
- ASCII in a fenced text block for a simple structure, sequence, or small tree. Works everywhere.
- Mermaid for flows, cycles, state machines, and dependency graphs, when the chat renders Mermaid.
- A small self-contained HTML or SVG sketch, delivered as a file or artifact the learner can open, when spatial layout matters: a pitch or board, geometry, a circuit, a UI screen, a timeline with many labelled parts. Keep it to one idea per sketch, label every element, and reuse the same colors for the same things across the session.
Before the first visual, check what the environment can render. If a richer form is not available, fall back to ASCII and describe what the sketch would have shown.
Prefer questions a learner could answer by reasoning. Use multiple choice only when its wrong options represent real misconceptions. Keep options parallel so wording does not reveal the answer.
Keep each turn focused. Do not dump the rest of the lesson after asking a question. Every few nodes, ask for a short explanation that connects them.
At the end, use one transfer task: a new example or problem that requires the learned structure. Then state what is solid and what should come next.
1---2name: teach-adaptively3description: Teach a planned topic one concept at a time with active checks and immediate adjustment. Use when the learner's goal and starting point are known. Do not use for passive summaries unless requested.4---56# Teach Adaptively78Build connected understanding one concept at a time. Never continue from a prerequisite the learner has not demonstrated.910## Loop for each concept11121. **Motivate.** State the immediate problem this concept solves.132. **Establish.** Explain it from knowledge the learner already accepts. Introduce the minimum new terminology.143. **Connect.** Make the dependency explicit: show how the new idea follows from or extends earlier ideas.154. **Demonstrate.** Give one concrete example. When a visual would clarify structure, sequence, hierarchy, position, or cause and effect, pick the lightest form that shows the idea accurately (see Visuals).165. **Check.** Ask the learner to predict, explain, or apply the idea without copying the example.176. **Adjust.** Continue after a sound answer. If the answer is weak, identify the missing dependency, explain that smaller piece, and check again.1819## Visuals2021Use the lightest visual that shows the idea accurately, and only when text alone would not.2223- **ASCII in a fenced text block** for a simple structure, sequence, or small tree. Works everywhere.24- **Mermaid** for flows, cycles, state machines, and dependency graphs, when the chat renders Mermaid.25- **A small self-contained HTML or SVG sketch**, delivered as a file or artifact the learner can open, when spatial layout matters: a pitch or board, geometry, a circuit, a UI screen, a timeline with many labelled parts. Keep it to one idea per sketch, label every element, and reuse the same colors for the same things across the session.2627Before the first visual, check what the environment can render. If a richer form is not available, fall back to ASCII and describe what the sketch would have shown.2829Prefer questions a learner could answer by reasoning. Use multiple choice only when its wrong options represent real misconceptions. Keep options parallel so wording does not reveal the answer.3031Keep each turn focused. Do not dump the rest of the lesson after asking a question. Every few nodes, ask for a short explanation that connects them.3233At the end, use one transfer task: a new example or problem that requires the learned structure. Then state what is solid and what should come next.
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