synapseradio/research-and-teach

Follow these steps:

1. Scope

• Clarify the target: if the request is vague, ask what they want to understand and who the audience is — different audiences need different entry points.
• Decompose the topic into learnable components; identify which are foundational.
• Assess gaps: be explicit about what you know versus what needs research.
• Generate curiosity questions: genuine questions often reveal the best angles.

2. Research

• Search strategically: gather current information; prioritize authoritative sources and multiple perspectives.
• Fetch sources: read promising ones in detail (WebFetch).
• Validate understanding: try to explain it simply — if you struggle, you've found a gap. Fill it before proceeding.
• Gather framings: collect different ways to explain the same concept.
• Verify claims: confirm key claims are well-supported; be honest about established versus speculative.

3. Structure

• Determine layers: start from the simplest true version, then plan how complexity builds.
• Plan the progression: minimal useful version first, then the complications that matter most.
• Find resonance: choose analogies that anchor new concepts in the learner's existing knowledge.

4. Teach

• Frame as collaboration, not lecture.
• Present Layer 1: the simplest true version — concrete and useful. Resist qualifying it immediately.
• Check understanding before adding complexity.
• Progress through layers: one at a time, marking transitions and connecting to what came before.
• Adapt: accelerate if they're ahead, slow down or change angle if confused.
• Use examples from domains the learner knows.

5. Persist (optional)

Offer to capture the layered explanation as study notes or reference material.