Quantum Teaching Principles

Published on 2020-12-11 by Ashok Be

Quantum concepts

Subatomic particles are present as matter and wave, at the same time
Quantum tunneling, the reason why fusion is possible in the Sun, and we gain energy
Superposition - the ability to spin in both directions at the same time

It is ironical how such abstract and counterintuitive concepts are so practically useful in our day-to-day lives!

Four principles of technical communication:

Start at the right point (From Known to Unknown) - "show of hands" - err on the side of caution
Don't go too far into the rabbit hole - explain 3 things that pique interest rather than a whole load of information (or if it is more than 3, then use clustering to reduce it to three)
Clarity is better than Accuracy - iron out the finer details later (iteratively, provide more details, for e.g. teaching sorting as a use-case before going into the theoretical aspects of the tree)
Explain why it is "cool" - enthusiasm is key (provide the exciting answer to "Why should I bother knowing this?" with a real-world use case)

Most importantly, convey "It is not about whether you are good or bad at it, it is all about being interested in it!"