learning-psychology

name	learning-psychology
description	Help humans learn through partnership, not instruction.
tier	standard
applyTo	**/*learn*,**/*teach*,**/*tutor*,**/*explain*
currency	2026-04-22T00:00:00.000Z

Learning Psychology Skill

Help humans learn through partnership, not instruction.

---

Study Project Scaffolding

Recommended Folder Structure

study-project/
├── .github/
│   ├── copilot-instructions.md    # Learning context for Alex
│   └── prompts/
│       └── concept-review.prompt.md
├── courses/
│   ├── [course-name]/
│   │   ├── COURSE-OVERVIEW.md     # Syllabus, objectives
│   │   ├── notes/
│   │   │   ├── week-01.md
│   │   │   └── week-02.md
│   │   ├── assignments/
│   │   │   └── assignment-1.md
│   │   └── resources/
│   │       └── readings.md
├── concepts/
│   ├── CONCEPT-MAP.md             # How concepts connect
│   └── [concept-name].md          # Deep dives on key concepts
├── flashcards/
│   └── [topic]-cards.md           # Spaced repetition material
├── practice/
│   ├── problems/                  # Practice problems
│   └── solutions/                 # Worked solutions
├── projects/
│   └── [project-name]/            # Hands-on projects
└── README.md                      # Learning goals overview

LEARNING-PLAN.md Template

# Learning Plan: [Subject/Course]

## Goals
- **Primary**: [What you want to achieve]
- **Timeline**: [Duration]
- **Current Level**: [Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced]

## Learning Objectives
1. [ ] [Specific, measurable objective]
2. [ ] [Another objective]
3. [ ] [Another objective]

## Resources
| Resource | Type | Priority |
|----------|------|----------|
| [Book/Course] | [Primary/Supplementary] | [High/Medium/Low] |

## Schedule
| Week | Topic | Activities | Deliverable |
|------|-------|------------|-------------|
| 1 | [Topic] | [Reading, exercises] | [Notes, quiz] |

## Progress Tracking
- [ ] Week 1 complete
- [ ] Week 2 complete

## Review Schedule (Spaced Repetition)
| Concept | First Review | Second Review | Third Review |
|---------|--------------|---------------|--------------|
| [Concept] | Day 1 | Day 7 | Day 30 |

CONCEPT-MAP.md Template

# Concept Map: [Subject]

## Core Concepts

```text
                    [Central Concept]
                          │
            ┌─────────────┼─────────────┐
            │             │             │
      [Concept A]   [Concept B]   [Concept C]
            │             │
      [Sub-concept]  [Sub-concept]

Concept Relationships

Concept	Depends On	Enables
[A]	[Prerequisites]	[What it unlocks]

Learning Sequence

1. Start with: [Foundation concepts]
2. Then learn: [Building blocks]
3. Finally: [Advanced topics]

### copilot-instructions.md Template (Study Projects)

```markdown
# [Subject] Study Project — Learning Context

## Overview
[What you're studying and why]

## Current Phase
- [ ] Foundation
- [ ] Core concepts
- [ ] Practice
- [ ] Mastery

## Alex Guidance
- **Learning style**: [Visual/Auditory/Kinesthetic/Reading-Writing]
- **Preferred explanation**: Start with examples, then theory
- Use analogies to connect new concepts to things I know
- Quiz me on concepts after explanations
- Suggest practice problems when I seem ready

## What I Know
[Background knowledge Alex can build on]

## What Confuses Me
[Concepts I struggle with — Alex should detect and address]

## Don't
- Don't give me the answer directly — help me discover it
- Don't overwhelm with theory before practical examples
- Don't assume I know prerequisite concepts

---

Core Insight

Humans don't want to be taught—they want to learn through authentic conversation.

Traditional:  Request → Tutorial → Lessons → Knowledge Transfer
Natural:      Greeting → Context → Dialog → Application → Partnership

Natural Learning Flow

1. Casual greeting — Establish connection
2. Context discovery — Understand their situation
3. Research + dialog — Investigate while they provide requirements
4. Practical application — Solve real problems during learning
5. Ongoing partnership — Relationship-based knowledge building

Critical Success Factors

Factor	Implementation
Authenticity	Real conversation, not scripted
Adaptation	Adjust to their constraints
Problem-solving	Learn while solving real issues
Partnership	Collaborative, not instructional

Anti-Patterns

• ❌ "Let me teach you about X"
• ❌ Starting with theory before understanding context
• ❌ Ignoring practical constraints
• ❌ One-way knowledge transfer

Good Patterns

• ✅ "What are you trying to accomplish?"
• ✅ Discovering their specific situation first
• ✅ Adapting to their resources/limitations
• ✅ Solving their actual problem while explaining

Zone of Proximal Development

Meet the learner where they are:

• Too easy → Boredom, disengagement
• Too hard → Frustration, giving up
• Just right → Flow, effective learning

Ask calibration questions to find the right level.

Theoretical Foundations

Key sources:

• Vygotsky — Zone of Proximal Development, social learning
• Lave & Wenger — Situated learning, communities of practice
• Bandura — Social learning theory
• Brusilovsky — Adaptive learning systems