Curipod makes an AI-powered tool that teachers use to run interactive lessons. In fall 2023, its investor, Reach Capital, referred the team to Dr. Kripa Sundar. The team wanted to ground its approach in the learning sciences without telling teachers how to teach. They asked for learning principles a teacher could read and see their own pedagogy in.
Should it sound like research?
That one request hid several choices. Should there be five principles or ten? Should they read as company beliefs or as classroom rules? Should they sound like research, or like plain words a busy teacher could read in a minute? Jens Aarre Seip, Curipod's CEO and co-founder, also wanted principles that would last and be visionary. The product changed every week, so the list had to guide what the team built next, not only describe what it did today.
Same five ideas, two voices
As lead decision partner, Dr. Sundar replayed the first call and heard how much the team wanted Curipod to be a classroom tool, not an edtech tool. Within a week of signing, she sent two first drafts of the same five ideas. One read as formal learning principles, with academic jargon and language. The other read as a classroom code, in simple words a student could follow. She kept the list to five, focusing on what was essential to Curipod’s North Star. There was yet another hidden question: did the target teachers and districts look for research they recognize when a company makes bold claims? So Dr. Sundar suggested testing both drafts with teachers before sharing them widely.
What did the teachers say?
Jens took both drafts to teachers, and they split. Three of five preferred the shorter one for its plain words. The other two liked the longer one for its depth and references. The feedback then sparked tighter collaboration: Jens then wrote a third version that blended the two, adding teachers’ feedback. Dr. Sundar reviewed it to ensure the claims are still grounded in what was the core reference base and advised on the likelihood of claims to hold to a high standard of evidence. She suggested a short list now and a separate research paper for districts that ask for more. The Curipod team ran another round of edits. With input from teachers and others on the team, five principles grew to seven; the Curipod team kept its bolder wording, and Dr. Sundar added references to the additional principles before the page went live in November 2023.
Who really wrote this list?
The aim was a list a teacher could read and say, "I believe that too." No one person wrote this list. Dr. Sundar brought the research and the first five ideas framed by Curipod’s vision and approach, teachers asked for plain words, and Jens pushed for bolder claims that would last as the product grew. Each side changed the list, and Curipod owns the result. That give and take with real power on each side is co-design; not just feedback iteration cycles.
YOUR TAKEAWAY
What would a teacher say after reading your principles: "that's how I teach," or "that's how they want me to teach"? Learning principles have to work two ways. They say what your tool does, and they ask your user to see their own beliefs in them. Write for both.