Feynman technique
If you cannot explain it simply, you do not understand it well enough yet. Write your explanation below; the checker flags jargon and vague spots as you type, and an AI tutor can point out what is missing.
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The four steps
- Choose a concept. Write the name at the top of a blank page. Keep it narrow: "osmosis", not "cell biology".
- Teach it to a child. Explain it in plain words as if to someone aged about 12. Use an example. Plain language forces you to understand the idea rather than repeat its label.
- Find the gaps. Wherever you got stuck, reached for jargon, or wrote "basically", go back to your notes or textbook. That spot is exactly what you need to study.
- Simplify and use an analogy. Rewrite the explanation more simply, ideally with a comparison to something everyday, and read it aloud.
An example: osmosis
First try: "Osmosis is when water moves through a semi-permeable membrane from a hypotonic to a hypertonic solution." Accurate, but every hard word is doing the work for you.
After the Feynman pass: "A cell wall is like a sieve with holes so small only water gets through. If one side has more salt or sugar dissolved in it, water drifts across towards that side, as if trying to even out how salty both sides are. That drifting of water is osmosis."
The second version shows you know why the water moves. If you cannot write it, you have found your gap. Richard Feynman’s own lectures, collected in The Feynman Lectures on Physics, are a model of this style.
Explaining is a strong companion to active recall: recall checks you remember the facts, explanation checks you understand how they fit. A concept map is another way to test the connections.
Questions students ask
What is the Feynman technique?
The Feynman technique is a way to learn by explaining a concept in simple language, as if teaching someone with no background, and noticing where your explanation breaks down. It is named after physicist Richard Feynman, famous for clear explanations; the four-step version is a popular summary of his approach rather than something he wrote down himself.
What are the 4 steps of the Feynman technique?
1) Pick a concept and write its name at the top of a page. 2) Explain it in plain words, as if to a 12-year-old. 3) Find the gaps: where you got stuck, used jargon or hand-waved, go back to the source. 4) Simplify and use an analogy, then explain it again.
How does the jargon checker work?
It runs in your browser. It flags words longer than three syllables that are not common English, words you typed in the concept name (which you should explain, not repeat), very long sentences, and vague filler like "basically", "stuff" or "somehow" that often hides a gap.
What does the AI feedback do?
If you press "Get tutor feedback", the AI reads your explanation and lists what you got right, what is missing or wrong, and one follow-up question aimed at your weakest point. It does not rewrite your explanation for you, because that would skip the learning.