The Feynman Way
Learn by Asking, when you're the one explaining. The Feynman way for families: say it simply, find where you get stuck, ask a sharper question, then make it simpler. Research-backed guides for parents and students from Year 7 to GCSE.
What is the Feynman technique? A family guide
The Feynman technique means learning something by explaining it in plain words, then fixing the gaps. Here's what it is, where it came from and why it works.
Who was Richard Feynman? Why his way still works
Richard Feynman was a Nobel-winning physicist famous for curiosity and plain explanations. Here's his story, and what a KS3 child can learn from how he thought.
The four Feynman steps, explained simply
Pick, Explain, Stuck?, Simpler: the four Feynman steps, walked through with one real KS3 science topic so you can see exactly how to use them tonight.
Why explaining helps children learn: the research
When children explain ideas in their own words, they learn more deeply. Here's what the self-explanation research shows, with honest notes on its limits.
The protégé effect: children learn by teaching
Children often learn more when they prepare to teach someone else. Here's what the protégé effect is, what the studies found, and how to use it at home.
Six myths about the Feynman technique
Is the Feynman technique just talking? Only for clever kids? Invented by Feynman? Six common myths, and what's actually true, for parents and KS3 students.
How to use the Feynman technique at home
You don't need to be a teacher to use the Feynman technique at home. Be the curious listener. Simple routines, what to say, and what not to do, for KS3 parents.
10 questions to ask when your child explains
Ten simple questions to ask when your child explains what they've learned, why questions beat corrections, and which question to use when they get stuck.
Why rereading feels like learning but isn't
Rereading feels productive because the words look familiar, but familiar isn't remembered. Why it fools children, and what works better: recall and explaining.
When AI gives the answers, children learn less
A 2025 study found an AI chatbot that gave answers raised practice scores but cut exam scores by 17%. What the research shows, and what safe AI tutoring means.
Knowing what you don't know: Feynman and metacognition
Metacognition means knowing what you know and what you don't. The Feynman way builds it by turning stuck points into data. Here's how to help your child.
How explaining reveals hidden misconceptions
Children can get the right answer while holding a wrong idea. Asking them to explain brings hidden misconceptions into the open, so you can fix them early.
Feynman for shy or anxious children
The Feynman technique doesn't need an audience. Shy or anxious children can explain to a toy, a pet or a notebook instead. Here's how to keep it low-stakes.
The five-minute dinner-table teach-back
A five-minute routine where your child teaches you one thing from school at dinner. Simple scripts, what to ask, and what to say when it goes wrong.
Explain it again next week: Feynman and spacing
Explaining once isn't enough. Spacing means coming back after a gap, and research shows it beats cramming. A simple 1-3-7 day rhythm your child can use.
How AI Tutors uses the Feynman way
How aitutors.me builds the Feynman way into KS3 tutoring: professors who never give the answer, Jotters beside the page, and Heddy Pip, a listener who asks.
Learn by Asking and the Feynman way: ask, explain, ask
Learn by Asking is aitutors.me's theory of learning. The Feynman way is Learn by Asking when you're the one explaining. Here's how the two fit together.
How to explain anything to a ten-year-old
Explaining something so a ten-year-old gets it is the best test of whether you understand it. Name the jargon, use one idea per sentence, add an example.
Where you get stuck is where you learn
Getting stuck isn't failing. It shows you exactly what to learn next. How to spot your stuck points, mark them, and go back to the source to fix them.
How to build analogies that make ideas click
A good analogy links a new idea to something you already know. How to build one, how to tell good from bad, and why you must always say where it breaks.
Feynman notes: jot beside the text, don't copy it
Copying notes and highlighting feel useful but do little. Feynman notes are short jots beside the words they explain. Here are five kinds of jot to try.
The Feynman technique for KS3 maths
Use the Feynman technique in KS3 maths: explain why a method works, not just the steps. A worked example on dividing fractions, plus negative numbers.
The Feynman technique for KS3 English
Use the Feynman technique in KS3 English: explain what a writer's technique does to the reader, not just its name. A worked PEEZL example, step by step.
The Feynman technique for KS3 biology
Use the Feynman technique in KS3 biology: explain photosynthesis and respiration simply, find the hidden mix-up, and zoom from leaf to cell to fix it.
The Feynman technique for KS3 chemistry
Use the Feynman technique in KS3 chemistry: picture the particles first, then explain. A worked example on why sugar dissolves in tea but doesn't melt.
The Feynman technique for KS3 physics
Use the Feynman technique in KS3 physics: predict first, then explain the gap. A worked example on why a rolling ball slows down, with forces and energy.
The Feynman technique for KS3 history
Use the Feynman technique in KS3 history: explain causes and sources, not just dates. A worked example on why William won the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
The Feynman technique for KS3 geography
Use the Feynman technique in KS3 geography: explain processes like the water cycle step by step, find the missing link, then use SEEP to explain impacts.
Revise for end-of-year tests the Feynman way
A two-week Feynman revision plan for KS3 end-of-year tests: blank-page explanations, finding stuck points, self-testing and spaced review, day by day.
Turn your explanations into flashcards
How to turn your own Feynman explanations into flashcards that work: one idea per card, why-questions, your own words, and spaced review. With examples.
Use an AI tutor the Feynman way, without cheating
How to use AI to learn rather than copy: ask it to question you, explain your thinking to it, and never let it do the answer. What the research shows.