Most people use Claude to answer questions. The bigger unlock is using it to teach you, like a tutor who only cares that you actually get good, fast. Done right, a focused few hours beats months of half-watching YouTube, because you're doing the thing instead of watching someone else do it.

The whole game is in how you prompt it. Below are the three prompts from the video, word for word, then 20 more so you've got one for every part of learning a skill. Swap [SKILL] or [CONCEPT] for whatever you're learning, and run them in the same chat so Claude remembers how you think.

The 3 prompts from the video

1. The 4-hour teacher prompt

This forces Claude to stop padding and hand you the shortest path to actually being able to do the thing.

You are a teacher who only has 4 hours with me and will never see me again. Your only objective is to make me functional in [SKILL] before the time runs out. Don't give me theory without practical use, don't give me a list. Tell me what to learn first, what to completely ignore, and what one exercise will put me ahead of 70% of people who've studied this for months.

2. The drop-you-in prompt

This is the one that makes it stick. Claude stops lecturing and drops you straight into the work, like a real tutor would.

Don't explain [CONCEPT] to me. Put me directly into a real situation where I'd have to use it and would probably make a mistake. When I mess up, don't give me the answer, ask me a question that forces me to find where my reasoning broke, and only tell me after I've tried twice.

3. The prove-me-wrong prompt

This exposes the holes in what you think you already know, before they bite you later.

I think I already understand [SKILL], and I want you to prove me wrong. Ask me 5 questions that seem simple but expose the gaps of someone who's never truly gone deep. For every answer, tell me what's still missing in my foundation, and don't go easy on me.

20 more tutor prompts

Same idea, different jobs. Grab the one that fits where you are right now.

Figure out what to actually learn

I have [X hours] total to learn [SKILL]. Build me a sequence of what to learn in what order, where each step only unlocks once I can do the one before it. Mark anything that is a waste of time for a beginner and tell me to skip it.
What is the 20% of [SKILL] that gives 80% of the results? List only those, and for each one give me the smallest thing I can practice today to lock it in.
Before I learn [SKILL], what do I actually need to already understand? Quiz me on those basics first. If I'm missing one, teach me just enough to keep going, nothing more.

Learn by doing

Give me one small real project that, if I finish it, will teach me most of [SKILL] along the way. Walk me through it one step at a time, and don't move on until I've actually done each step.
Put me in a realistic [SKILL] scenario and play all the other roles. I respond, you react the way the real world would, and we keep going until I either pull it off or hit a wall.
Give me a [SKILL] challenge with one tight constraint that forces good habits, like a time limit, a missing tool, or a weird requirement. Make me work inside it.

Get real feedback

I'll show you my attempt at [TASK]. Critique it like a tough mentor who wants me to get good, not feel good. Tell me the single most important thing to fix first, and why.
From now on, when I get something wrong, never hand me the answer. Ask me one question that points at the flaw in my thinking, and let me try again.
Show me how a true expert would do [TASK], then put my version next to it and name the specific differences that actually matter.

Find your gaps

List the 5 mistakes beginners in [SKILL] always make without realizing it. Then design a task that quietly tempts me into each one, so I feel it instead of just reading about it.
I'll explain [CONCEPT] back to you in my own words. Catch every place I'm vague, hand-wavy, or wrong, and make me redo just that part until it's tight.
Interview me about [SKILL] like you're deciding whether to hire me. Start easy, get harder, and the moment you find a real gap, stop so we can fix it.

Make it stick

At the start of every reply, quiz me on one thing we covered earlier before we move on. Keep bringing back the stuff I got wrong until I stop getting it wrong.
Make me teach [CONCEPT] to a smart 12 year old. Play the kid, ask the annoying "but why" questions, and don't let me hide behind jargon.
Tell me to rebuild [THING] from scratch with no notes. When I get stuck, only tell me which step I'm missing, not how to do it.

Level up past beginner

What are the few core mental models experts in [SKILL] use that beginners don't even know exist? Teach me one, then immediately make me apply it.
Every time you tell me to do something in [SKILL], also tell me why in one line, so I can adapt it later instead of just copying it.
I'm already okay at [SKILL]. What's the specific next thing that separates okay from genuinely good, and what drill builds it?
After this session, summarize what I actually learned, what I only think I learned, and the 3 things to practice this week so it doesn't fade.
Give me a 15 minute daily drill for [SKILL] for the next 7 days, where each day builds on the last and gets a little harder.

How to run a weekend with these

You don't need all 23 at once. A simple order that works: start with the first video prompt to get your plan, use the "learn by doing" prompts to actually practice, run the feedback and gap prompts whenever you get stuck or feel too comfortable, and finish each session with the debrief so it sticks. Keep it all in one chat so Claude keeps building on what it already knows about you.

The reason this beats watching videos is simple. Videos let you feel like you're learning while you sit still. These prompts never let you sit still. You're always the one doing the work, which is the only part that actually teaches you.

Pick one skill, block four hours this weekend, and run these in order. You'll be shocked how far you get.
Anir