learning-plan

name	learning-plan
description	Template for three-phase learning syllabi (Apprentice, Journeyman, Master). Loaded by the Researcher agent — not user-invocable.
user-invocable	false

Template: Learning Plan

Purpose

Use this template when the user wants to learn a topic or skill. Produce a structured three-phase syllabus that takes them from novice to deep expertise, with concrete resources and activities at each stage. The research work is to find and curate the best learning resources, not just list everything that exists.

Output Structure

Your report MUST follow this exact structure. Every section is required. Do not skip or reorder sections.

# Learning Plan: <Topic>

## Overview

What this topic encompasses, why it matters, and what "mastery" looks like. Paint a picture of what the learner will be able to do at the end of each phase.

Estimated total duration: <rough range, e.g. "3-6 months of focused study" or "1-2 years with regular practice">. Acknowledge that individual variance is high.

## Prerequisites

What the learner should already know or be comfortable with before starting Phase 1. Be specific — name concrete skills, tools, or concepts, not vague "basic programming knowledge."

---

## Phase 1: Apprentice

**Goal:** Build foundational understanding. Go from "I've heard of this" to "I can explain the core concepts and do basic work."

**Estimated duration:** <range>

### Suggested Readings

- [Title](URL) — 1-2 sentence annotation on why this resource, what it covers, and what to focus on while reading.
- [Title](URL) — Annotation.
(3-6 readings. Curate ruthlessly — quality over quantity.)

### Key Topics

- **<Topic>** — Brief description of what to focus on and why it matters at this stage.
- **<Topic>** — Description.
(List the essential concepts. Order them in the sequence they should be learned.)

### Suggested Projects

- **<Project Name>:** Concrete description with a clear deliverable. Should be achievable with Apprentice-level knowledge and directly reinforce the readings. State what the learner will have built/produced when done.
- **<Project Name>:** Description.
(1-3 projects. Scoped small enough to complete in days, not weeks.)

### Writing Prompts

- <Prompt that tests understanding through explanation. Example: "Explain X to a colleague who has never encountered it. What would you tell them first?">
- <Prompt>
(2-3 prompts. At this level, prompts should test recall and explanation — can the learner articulate the basics clearly?)

---

## Phase 2: Journeyman

**Goal:** Develop working proficiency. Go from "I understand the basics" to "I can apply this effectively in real scenarios and make informed tradeoffs."

**Estimated duration:** <range>

### Suggested Readings

- [Title](URL) — Annotation. These should be more advanced: deeper technical references, influential blog posts, conference talks, or intermediate-level books.
- [Title](URL) — Annotation.
(3-6 readings.)

### Key Topics

- **<Topic>** — Description. Topics at this level should involve nuance, tradeoffs, and real-world considerations.
- **<Topic>** — Description.

### Suggested Projects

- **<Project Name>:** Description. Projects at this level should involve real-world complexity: integration with other systems, handling edge cases, performance considerations, working with real data.
- **<Project Name>:** Description.
(1-3 projects. These should take weeks, not days.)

### Writing Prompts

- <Prompt requiring analysis, comparison, or critique. Example: "Compare approaches X and Y for solving problem Z. When would you choose each, and why?">
- <Prompt>
(2-3 prompts. At this level, prompts should test application and analysis — can the learner reason about tradeoffs?)

---

## Phase 3: Master

**Goal:** Achieve deep expertise. Go from "I can use this well" to "I can teach this, extend it, critique it, and push its boundaries."

**Estimated duration:** <range>

### Suggested Readings

- [Title](URL) — Annotation. Primary sources: research papers, specifications, advanced reference material, influential talks by field leaders.
- [Title](URL) — Annotation.
(3-6 readings. These can be dense — the learner is ready for it.)

### Key Topics

- **<Topic>** — Description. Topics at this level should involve cutting-edge developments, open problems, and deep internals.
- **<Topic>** — Description.

### Suggested Projects

- **<Project Name>:** Description. Projects at this level should be ambitious: contributing to open source, building something novel, tackling an open problem, or creating a tool others would use.
- **<Project Name>:** Description.
(1-3 projects. These are capstone-level efforts.)

### Writing Prompts

- <Prompt requiring original thought: propose improvements, critique existing approaches, or synthesize across domains. Example: "Write a critique of the current standard approach to X. What are its fundamental limitations, and what would a better approach look like?">
- <Prompt>
(2-3 prompts. At this level, prompts should test synthesis and evaluation — can the learner generate original insight?)

---

## Suggested Learning Practices

General advice on how to get the most out of this plan. Tailor to the specific topic. May include:

- Recommended cadence and study habits
- Spaced repetition strategies for retention
- Teaching/explaining to others as a learning tool
- Journaling or note-taking approaches
- Community resources (forums, Discord servers, meetups)
- Finding a mentor or study group
- How to know when you're ready to move to the next phase

## Sources

1. [Source Name](URL) — What this source contributed to building this plan.
2. [Source Name](URL) — Description.
(Number all sources consulted in building the syllabus.)

Analytical Lens

• Pedagogy-driven. Think about learning progression: what concepts depend on what, what order minimizes confusion, what activities produce durable understanding rather than surface familiarity.
• Each phase builds on the previous one. Apprentice readings/projects should be prerequisites for Journeyman work, and Journeyman for Master.
• Curate for quality, not volume. 4 excellent resources are better than 15 mediocre ones. The learner's time is the scarce resource.
• Research what experts actually recommend. Don't compile a generic list. Search for "how to learn X" guides, university syllabi, community-curated learning paths, and practitioner retrospectives ("what I wish I'd known").
• Writing prompts should match phase difficulty. Use Bloom's taxonomy as a guide:
  • Phase 1 (Apprentice): Remember, Understand — "Explain...", "Describe...", "What is..."
  • Phase 2 (Journeyman): Apply, Analyze — "Compare...", "When would you...", "What are the tradeoffs..."
  • Phase 3 (Master): Evaluate, Create — "Critique...", "Propose...", "Design..."

Quality Checklist

Before delivering the report, verify:

• Overview makes the topic and end-state compelling and clear
• Prerequisites are specific and actionable
• Each phase has a clear goal that describes the transition ("from X to Y")
• Readings are annotated (not just listed) with why each matters
• Readings are real, verifiable resources with working URLs where possible
• Key Topics are ordered by dependency (learn A before B)
• Projects have concrete deliverables, not vague "explore X"
• Writing prompts are calibrated to the phase's difficulty level
• The three phases form a genuine progression, not just "easy/medium/hard" bins
• Suggested Learning Practices are specific to the topic, not generic study advice
• Sources document where you found the resources and recommendations

Grimoire Publishing

• Sub-path: research-agent-deep/learning-plans/
• Type tag: type/learning-plan
• source_agent: researcher

When publishing to the Grimoire, do not include YAML frontmatter in the file. The CLI manages frontmatter via create-file-metadata. Include descriptive topic tags alongside the type tag.

Gathering Strategy

1. Search for expert-recommended learning paths first. Queries like "how to learn ", " learning roadmap", "best resources for learning ", " curriculum". These meta-resources are your highest-value inputs.
2. Search for university courses and syllabi on the topic. These provide well-sequenced topic ordering.
3. Search for "what I wish I'd known" and retrospective posts from practitioners. These surface non-obvious advice and common pitfalls.
4. Research specific resources for each phase. Don't just reuse what the meta-guides suggest — verify resources are still current, accessible, and well-regarded.
5. Prefer canonical and freely available resources. Note when a paid resource is worth the investment.
6. Search for project ideas at each level. Queries like " beginner projects", " portfolio projects", " advanced projects".
7. Check local files if the topic relates to the current project or past research.