Transform Claude Code into a personal technical teacher by adding specific instructions to your CLAUDE.md file. Every coding project becomes a learning opportunity.
The Setup
Add this to your project’s CLAUDE.md:
## Teaching Mode
For every project, you MUST create and maintain a file called `FOR_WEIHAO.md`
(or your name) that explains this project in plain language.
### Required Content
1. **Technical Architecture** - How the system is designed and why
2. **Codebase Structure** - What each folder/file does and how they connect
3. **Technology Choices** - What tools/libraries are used and why they were chosen
4. **Decision Reasoning** - The thinking behind key technical decisions
### Lessons Learned Section
Always include:
- Specific bugs encountered and how they were fixed
- Potential pitfalls to avoid in the future
- Insights into how experienced engineers approach these problems
- Patterns and anti-patterns discovered
### Writing Style
- Engaging, NOT boring textbook tone
- Use analogies to explain complex concepts
- Include anecdotes that make information memorable
- Write as if explaining to a curious junior developer
- Make it something you'd actually want to read
Why This Works
This approach implements high-engagement learning patterns:
| Pattern | How Teaching Mode Applies |
|---|---|
| Conceptual Inquiry | Forces explanation of “why”, not just “what” |
| Generation-Then-Comprehension | Code gets written, then deeply explained |
| Hybrid Code-Explanation | Every implementation comes with context |
Example Output
A FOR_WEIHAO.md might include:
# Understanding the Auth System
## The Big Picture
Think of our auth like a nightclub bouncer. The JWT token is your
hand stamp - proves you already showed ID at the door...
## Why We Chose This Approach
We went with refresh tokens because... [explanation]
## The Bug That Taught Me Something
Spent 2 hours debugging why tokens expired early. Turns out
server time was UTC but I was comparing to local time.
Lesson: ALWAYS use UTC for time comparisons in distributed systems.
The Benefit
You end up with:
- Personal documentation that actually makes sense to you
- A record of lessons learned (your own spaced-repetition material)
- Deeper understanding through the act of explanation
- A resource you can revisit when working on similar projects
How LearnAI Team Could Use This
- Student project documentation — Ask students to maintain a personalized explanation file alongside their code so technical decisions become visible.
- AI-assisted tutoring — Use the setup to make Claude Code explain architecture, bugs, and tradeoffs while students build.
- Capstone reflection — Require the generated learning file as part of project submissions to capture lessons learned.
- Instructor review aid — Teachers can inspect the explanation file to see whether students understand the implementation, not just whether it runs.
Real-World Use Cases
- Junior developer onboarding — New engineers get plain-language explanations of a codebase as they work.
- Personal learning journal — Developers build a durable record of bugs, fixes, patterns, and decisions across projects.
- Code review preparation — Teams use the explanation file to clarify why major implementation choices were made.
- Self-study projects — Learners turn every Claude Code session into structured technical notes they can revisit later.