You Have to Build the Concrete Understanding First
2026 Oct, ~100 words
Teasers
Short distillations of longer writing. Each teaser links to the full blog posts (and books) it came from.
2026
They Hate the Cognitive Friction of Missing Prerequisites
2026 Oct, ~0 words
They Had Termites in Their Foundation
2026 Oct, ~200 words
Then Comes the Train Wreck
2026 Oct, ~50 words
The Optimal Training Schedule
2026 Oct, ~100 words
The Grade Inflation Trap
2026 Oct, ~50 words
The Goal of Education
2026 Oct, ~0 words
The Applied Math Path After Calculus
2026 Oct, ~50 words
Students Need to Recall Information
2026 Oct, ~100 words
Stop Grading Proxies for Learning
2026 Oct, ~100 words
Start Training
2026 Oct, ~0 words
Math On Its Own Is Underpowered
2026 Oct, ~100 words
Math Acceleration Is Not Bad for Kids
2026 Oct, ~100 words
Many Students Are Sold a Lie That Learning Should Feel Pleasurable
2026 Oct, ~150 words
Learning Is Like Driving
2026 Oct, ~150 words
Learn the Material Before You Take the Course
2026 Oct, ~50 words
How You Can Use Math to Level Up Your Career
2026 Oct, ~100 words
How to Break the Cycle of Brainrot
2026 Oct, ~100 words
Get So Technically Skilled That You Can Apply It to Your Domain of Choice
2026 Oct, ~0 words
Education Is Like Giving Everyone of the Same Age the Same Weight to Lift
2026 Oct, ~0 words
Education Is a Race Against Premature Convergence
2026 Oct, ~0 words
Each Level of Math Is the Foundation for the Next Level of Abstraction
2026 Oct, ~150 words
Calculus Is Not Even Halfway
2026 Oct, ~150 words
Calculators Can Become an Intellectual Drug
2026 Oct, ~100 words
Be a Cognitive Weightlifter
2026 Oct, ~50 words
A Serious Math Arc
2026 Oct, ~0 words
You Can’t Escape Math
2026 Oct, ~100 words
Weak Math Ruins Your Day
2026 Oct, ~150 words
The Worst Part of K-12 Math
2026 Oct, ~100 words
Unserious Edtech is Rotting Your Brain
2026 Oct, ~50 words
Students Should Not Meet Real Standards for the First Time at 18
2026 Oct, ~250 words
Repetition Is Not the Enemy of Creativity
2026 Oct, ~150 words
Projects Should Demonstrate Skills You Already Know
2026 Oct, ~50 words
Mathematical Rot Starts Early
2026 Oct, ~100 words
Math Is Everywhere
2026 Oct, ~300 words
Many Beloved Study Techniques Are Fake
2026 Oct, ~100 words
Learning Advanced Math and Coding Opens Career Doors
2026 Oct, ~50 words
Just Tell Them the Tool
2026 Oct, ~150 words
How Do You Teach Higher-Order Thinking in Math?
2026 Oct, ~50 words
Every Puzzle Piece Becomes a Heavy Weight
2026 Oct, ~100 words
Creativity Does Not Float Above Skill
2026 Oct, ~50 words
College Math Class Is a Giant Copying Exercise
2026 Oct, ~50 words
Calculus Is the Gateway to a Bigger World of Math
2026 Oct, ~50 words
Biology Is Math
2026 Oct, ~100 words
A Lot of Homework Isn’t Even Graded for Accuracy
2026 Oct, ~250 words
Direct Instruction > Discovery Learning
2026 Oct, ~100 words
You Gotta Build Mental Strength
2026 Sep, ~100 words
Why Placement Matters
2026 Sep, ~100 words
Why Math Hits People Differently
2026 Sep, ~150 words
Why Automaticity Matters
2026 Sep, ~150 words
When Homework Isn’t a Good Signal
2026 Sep, ~100 words
When a Workaround Becomes a Trap
2026 Sep, ~100 words
What Can You Learn After Calculus?
2026 Sep, ~100 words
What Can You Learn After Calculus If You Like Proofs?
2026 Sep, ~100 words
Want to Improve Your Creativity?
2026 Sep, ~150 words
Unserious Edtech is Rotting Your Brain
2026 Sep, ~100 words
Universities Are Having to Teach Middle School Math
2026 Sep, ~50 words
This Will Haunt You in Math
2026 Sep, ~200 words
This Sets Students Up to Fail in Math
2026 Sep, ~100 words
This One Idea Would Fix a Lot in Math Education
2026 Sep, ~100 words
There Are Countably Infinite Courses After Calculus
2026 Sep, ~50 words
The Wrong Way to Study
2026 Sep, ~200 words
The Technical Bar is Skyrocketing
2026 Sep, ~150 words
The Status Quo Isn’t Good Enough
2026 Sep, ~100 words
The Potholes of Learning
2026 Sep, ~150 words
The Most Hard-Hitting Two Sentences in All of Talent Development Research
2026 Sep, ~50 words
The Limits of Classroom Teaching
2026 Sep, ~150 words
The Ghost of Learning Gaps Past
2026 Sep, ~150 words
The Anti-Memorization Movement
2026 Sep, ~100 words
Taking Notes Isn’t Learning
2026 Sep, ~100 words
Stop Making Kids Reinvent Math
2026 Sep, ~150 words
Stop Grading Attendance
2026 Sep, ~100 words
Still Counting on Your Fingers?
2026 Sep, ~100 words
Standardized Tests Are a Better Signal of Knowledge Than Grades
2026 Sep, ~200 words
Sometimes a Push is What Opens the Door
2026 Sep, ~250 words
So You Wanna Be an ML Engineer
2026 Sep, ~200 words
Projects Can Help or Harm
2026 Sep, ~100 words
Project-Based Learning Can Be Taken Way Too Far
2026 Sep, ~100 words
Nothing Succeeds Like Success
2026 Sep, ~100 words
No, You Did Not Make a Silly Mistake
2026 Sep, ~50 words
Much Practice, Little Progress
2026 Sep, ~150 words
Most Math Major Math is Taught Backwards
2026 Sep, ~100 words
Learning Debt Compounds
2026 Sep, ~150 words
Learn Math Much Faster
2026 Sep, ~200 words
It’s Not Talent, It’s Better Preparation
2026 Sep, ~150 words
How to Turn Math into a Superpower
2026 Sep, ~100 words
How to Think About Learning Efficiency
2026 Sep, ~150 words
How to See the Big Picture in Math
2026 Sep, ~200 words
How Math Can Level Up Your Career
2026 Sep, ~200 words
Educational Malpractice
2026 Sep, ~150 words
Don’t Hold Students Hostage to the Calendar
2026 Sep, ~150 words
Division of Labor is Division of Learning
2026 Sep, ~150 words
Difficulty vs. Rigor
2026 Sep, ~100 words
Cognitive Ankle Weights
2026 Sep, ~100 words
Calculus Students Who Can’t Subtract Negative Numbers
2026 Sep, ~200 words
All Learning Comes Down to Memory
2026 Sep, ~100 words
Abstract Math Needs Concrete Roots
2026 Sep, ~50 words
You’re Probably Taking Too Many Notes
2026 Sep, ~200 words
You Need to Measure Learning
2026 Sep, ~100 words
Why You Need to Interleave Practice
2026 Sep, ~150 words
Why Understanding Multiplication Isn’t Enough
2026 Sep, ~200 words
Why College Proofs Seem Impossible
2026 Sep, ~100 words
What Makes an Expert
2026 Sep, ~100 words
What Happens When Students Don’t Know Their Math Facts
2026 Sep, ~150 words
The Secret to Building Confidence
2026 Sep, ~50 words
The Rot Starts With Multiplication Tables
2026 Sep, ~150 words
The Math Habit That Actually Works
2026 Sep, ~100 words
The Case for Mastery Learning
2026 Sep, ~200 words
The Best Way to Take Notes
2026 Sep, ~100 words
Stop Holding Back Kids Who Are Ready
2026 Sep, ~100 words
Spaced Repetition = Wait-lifting
2026 Sep, ~150 words
Silly Mistakes Mean You Need More Practice
2026 Sep, ~150 words
Remedial Math at Harvard
2026 Sep, ~50 words
Radical Math Acceleration Isn’t the Problem
2026 Sep, ~200 words
Practice More Often, Not Longer
2026 Sep, ~200 words
Middle School Math is the Biggest Waste
2026 Sep, ~100 words
Mental Traffic Lights
2026 Sep, ~150 words
Learning is Bridge Building
2026 Sep, ~100 words
How to Build Problem-Solving Skills
2026 Sep, ~150 words
How Concrete Math Becomes Abstract
2026 Sep, ~100 words
Differential Equations is One of the Worst Taught Math Courses
2026 Sep, ~100 words
Concrete Skills Build Abstract Understanding
2026 Sep, ~200 words
College Math Classes Are Often a Waste of Time
2026 Sep, ~150 words
Calculus is Not the Finish Line
2026 Sep, ~100 words
Calculator Addiction
2026 Sep, ~100 words
A Math Concept Doesn’t Need Different Explanations
2026 Sep, ~150 words
A Good Grade is Not Equal to Mastery
2026 Sep, ~100 words
Unconscious Skills
2026 Aug, ~100 words
Training Wheels Syndrome
2026 Aug, ~100 words
The Drag of Weak Foundations
2026 Aug, ~100 words
The Comfort Ceiling
2026 Aug, ~50 words
The Classroom Conveyor Belt
2026 Aug, ~100 words
Take the Hints Away
2026 Aug, ~100 words
Skill Inflation
2026 Aug, ~100 words
Phantom Mastery
2026 Aug, ~150 words
Mental Tollbooths
2026 Aug, ~150 words
Mental Outsourcing
2026 Aug, ~100 words
Learning Debt
2026 Aug, ~150 words
Foundation Termites
2026 Aug, ~150 words
Fake Practice Hours
2026 Aug, ~100 words
Competence Mirage
2026 Aug, ~50 words
Cognitive Crutches
2026 Aug, ~50 words
Civilization Mode
2026 Aug, ~100 words
Bubble Wrapped Students
2026 Aug, ~100 words
Brain Calluses
2026 Aug, ~100 words
Borrowed Time
2026 Aug, ~100 words
Borrowed Brains
2026 Aug, ~100 words
Academic Life Raft
2026 Aug, ~100 words
The goal isn’t to think faster. It’s to need less thinking.
2026 Jul, ~100 words
Spaced repetition is progressive overload for your brain.
2026 Jul, ~50 words
GPS Brain
2026 Jul, ~50 words
Global identity labels are often where improvement goes to die.
2026 Jun, ~100 words
Your attention is severely limited and highly leveraged. Be careful how you spend it.
2026 Jun, ~50 words
If your practice does not expose weaknesses specific enough to correct, you are just practicing staying the same.
2026 Jun, ~100 words
Working to realize your potential is hard, but not as hard as coping with the fact that you had potential and did not capitalize on it.
2026 Jun, ~100 words
Win the first hour of the day, and it becomes easier to win the rest.
2026 Jun, ~150 words
So much of your future is shaped by what you do when nobody is making you do anything.
2026 Jun, ~100 words
Use tools to extend your competence, not replace it – otherwise it becomes your ceiling instead of your floor.
2026 Jun, ~100 words
The easiest way to stay mediocre is to keep your goals abstract and your days unexamined.
2026 Jun, ~100 words
Spaced repetition is like weight training for memory. You might even call it wait training.
2026 Jun, ~150 words
Smart people often fail by trying to generalize before they have earned the examples.
2026 Jun, ~100 words
Most students who think they’re “bad at math” are just carrying invisible gaps.
2026 Jun, ~100 words
Mediocrity does not need a villain. It only needs sustained inattention.
2026 Jun, ~100 words
Many people do not fail from lack of potential, but from lack of runway.
2026 Jun, ~100 words
How you compress learning time without fake shortcuts:
2026 Jun, ~100 words
Go deep on one thing long enough, and it becomes a doorway to everything else.
2026 Jun, ~50 words
Do not ask whether it felt like learning. Ask whether it changed what your brain can do.
2026 Jun, ~100 words
You do not always need today to be a breakthrough. More often, you just need it to be another rep in the same boring loop that eventually bends reality.
2026 Jun, ~50 words
You cannot cram mastery any more than you can cram a physique.
2026 Jun, ~100 words
You cannot be creative at a high level unless you are robotic at a low level.
2026 Jun, ~100 words
Writing is leverage for everything you know.
2026 Jun, ~150 words
What looks like instinct is usually accumulated reps.
2026 Jun, ~150 words
The fastest learner is the person with the shortest cycle time between attempt, feedback, and correction.
2026 Jun, ~100 words
Structure isn’t a cage. It’s a cache for your best decisions, so you can spend your energy living freely instead of renegotiating your life from zero every morning.
2026 Jun, ~100 words
We have thousands of years of accumulated genius; trying to “re-discover” it is like trying to reinvent the microchip with a rock.
2026 Jun, ~100 words
Potential is not a trophy; it is a countdown timer. Use it before it expires.
2026 Jun, ~50 words
Poorly designed group work becomes a grade subsidy: stronger students prop up weaker students’ grades while weaker students miss the learning that would make them stronger.
2026 Jun, ~150 words
Passion usually follows action, not the other way around.
2026 Jun, ~100 words
Most people don’t hate hard subjects. They hate when the basics they skipped come back to embarrass them.
2026 Jun, ~50 words
Most people don’t fail from doing too little at once, but from doing nothing too often.
2026 Jun, ~150 words
Math becomes overpowered when you stop treating it as a standalone trophy and start attaching it to real domains.
2026 Jun, ~150 words
Learning is not “I recognize this when I see it.” Learning is “I can reproduce this when I need it.”
2026 Jun, ~150 words
Learning doesn’t happen when information goes into your brain; it happens when you force it back out.
2026 Jun, ~100 words
Learning advanced math and coding is a time machine: every year you learn ahead lets you start compounding opportunities before most people can even see them.
2026 Jun, ~50 words
Hardcore skill development is the most reliable path to opportunity.
2026 Jun, ~150 words
Growth begins where comfort ends.
2026 Jun, ~150 words
You have to understand the difference between doing the work and circling the work without landing on it.
2026 Jun, ~50 words