# Learning Record Format

Learning records live in `./learning-records/` and use sequential numbering:
`0001-slug.md`, `0002-slug.md`, etc. Create the directory lazily: only when the
first record is written.

They are the teaching equivalent of ADRs: they capture non-obvious lessons, key
insights, and stated prior knowledge that will steer future sessions. They are
used to calculate the zone of proximal development.

## Template

```md
# {Short title of what was learned or established}

{1-3 sentences: what was learned (or what prior knowledge was established), and
why it matters for future sessions.}
```

That is the whole format. A learning record can be a single paragraph. The value
is recording _that_ this is now known and _why_ it changes what to teach next,
not in filling out sections.

## Optional sections

Only include these when they add genuine value. Most records won't need them.

- **Status** frontmatter (`active | superseded by LR-NNNN`): useful when an
  earlier understanding turns out to be wrong and is replaced.
- **Evidence**: how the user demonstrated the understanding (a question
  answered, an exercise completed, prior experience cited). Useful when the
  claim might be revisited.
- **Implications**: what this unlocks or rules out for future sessions. Worth
  recording when non-obvious.

## Numbering

Scan `./learning-records/` for the highest existing number and increment by one.

## When to write a learning record

Write one when any of these is true:

1. **The user demonstrated genuine understanding of something non-trivial**: not
   just exposure, but evidence they can use the concept correctly. This sets a
   new floor for what to teach next.
2. **The user disclosed prior knowledge**: "I already know X." Record it so
   future sessions don't re-teach it. Also record the _depth_ claimed.
3. **A misconception was corrected**: the user previously believed something
   wrong and now sees why. These are high-value: they predict future stumbling
   blocks for related topics.
4. **The mission shifted in response to learning**: the user discovered they
   cared about something different than they thought. Cross-link to
   [[MISSION.md]] and update it.

### What does _not_ qualify

- Material that was merely covered. Coverage is not learning. Wait for evidence.
- Anything already captured tersely in [[GLOSSARY.md]] as a term definition.
  Don't duplicate.
- Session-by-session activity logs. Learning records are not a journal: they are
  decision-grade insights.

## Supersession

When a later record contradicts an earlier one (the user's understanding
deepened or corrected), mark the old record `Status: superseded by LR-NNNN`
rather than deleting it. The history of how understanding evolved is itself
useful signal.
