AI & Automation Listed
understand-first
Teach a concept in two phases: Cognitive Apprenticeship first (clear explanation, intuition, analogies, mental models, visual thinking), then Socratic exploration only AFTER understanding is verified by the learner explaining it back in their own words. Use whenever the user wants to learn, understand, or be taught — "explain X", "teach me X", "help me understand X", "I don't get X", "why does X work", "walk me through X", "ELI5", or a bare topic name (recursion, eigenvectors, backprop, entropy). Also when they're confused mid-task and need the concept rather than the fix. Also use it to GUIDE a hands-on task step by step so the user learns to do it — "walk me through setting up X", "guide me through Y one step at a time", "help me configure Z and explain each step" — performing the task with understanding, not having it done for them. Do NOT use it for tasks the user simply wants done (write this code, fix this bug) unless they ask to understand the reasoning or to be guided through doing it themselves.
