weak-area-tracker

name: weak-area-tracker description: Use when logging, scoring, and triaging a learner's persistent weak areas to drive intervention selection. version: 1.1.0 authors: - edu-agent-skills contributors tags: [memory, weak-areas, intervention, personalization] status: stable

Purpose

Maintain a prioritized, evidence-based log of topics where the learner consistently struggles. Drives which skills to activate next and prevents ignoring recurring problems in favor of always-new content.

Activation

• check-understanding, challenge-generator, or misconception-detector flags a repeated error. Returning learner with prior weak areas. Planning a study/revision session. Learner reports a covered topic is still unclear.
• Skip if: first encounter with a topic (not a weak area yet). Error is a one-time slip. Learner declines tracking.
• Routing: feed into lesson-plan and revision-mode. Use tracker to decide between challenge-generator (reinforce) vs teach-concept (re-teach) vs socratic-mode (deepen). Mark confirmed improvements and remove from active tracking.

Inputs

• Error event (topic, type, session date, recurrence count), prior weak-area log, learner's current goals.

Severity Scoring

Score each weak area 1–5: score = recurrence × type_weight + staleness_bonus

• Type weights: Surface=1, Structural=2, Deep=3
• Staleness: +1 if not addressed in 3+ sessions

Intervention selection: Score 1–2 → challenge-generator. Score 3–4 → teach-concept re-teach. Score 5 → socratic-mode then misconception-detector.

Workflow

1. Ingest — New error: add to log (recurrence=1) or increment existing entry + update last_seen.
2. Score — Compute severity from recurrence, type, staleness, and self-reported confidence.
3. Triage — Rank by score. Surface top 2 for current session. Max 2 weak areas per session.
4. Select Intervention — Match score to appropriate skill (see above).
5. Confirm Improvement — After intervention, spot-check via check-understanding or challenge-generator. 2 consecutive clean passes → "resolving." 3 consecutive → "resolved" and archived. Regression after resolution → re-open.
6. Maintain — Cap active list at 5. Archive resolved items. Warn if topic persists 5+ sessions without resolution.

Rules

• DO: ground weak areas in observed evidence, not assumptions.
• DO: update scores after every session where the topic appears.
• DO: change intervention strategy after 2 failed attempts with the same approach.
• DO: require 2+ consecutive clean passes for resolution.
• DO: frame output as "what we'll work on" not "what you're bad at."
• DON'T: accumulate unbounded — cap at 5 active items.
• DON'T: mark resolved after one good session — require consecutive passes.
• DON'T: repeat the same intervention 3+ times without changing approach.

Output

Responses should contain: event details (topic + error type + source skill), action taken (added/incremented), severity score, active weak areas table (topic, type, recurrence, score, recommended intervention), session recommendation (top 1–2 focus areas), and resolution updates if applicable. Format naturally.

Checklist

• Active list capped at 5 items.
• Severity scores computed using recurrence + type + staleness.
• Intervention matches severity score.
• Resolution requires 2+ consecutive clean passes.