---
title: About the lectures
summary: Short, opinionated narratives that explain the why behind each module. Read before the lab; consult after.
order: 1
---

# About the lectures

Sixteen short lecture notes, one per syllabus module.
They explain the **why** that the reference docs assume
you already understand — what problem each primitive
solves, the mental model that makes it click, and the
pitfalls a fast reader runs into first.

## How to use them

- **Before the lab.** Read the lecture before starting the
  matching lab. It sets context the lab assumes.
- **After the lab.** If a checkpoint surprised you, return
  to the lecture — the surprise is usually one of the
  listed pitfalls.
- **Independent of order.** Each lecture stands alone.
  Skip to a topic when something on the job pushes you
  there.

## Structure

Every lecture follows the same shape:

- **The mental model** — one paragraph framing the
  primitive.
- **Key concepts** — 3–5 named ideas with one paragraph
  each.
- **Common pitfalls** — what fast readers get wrong.
- **Where to go next** — links to the matching lab and
  the reference docs.

## What this is not

- Not a tutorial — the [tutorials](/docs/tutorials) ship
  101/201/301 progressions for the on-ramp.
- Not the reference docs — those live under their
  primitive (`/docs/entities`, `/docs/workflows`, etc.).
- Not a lab — the [labs](/docs/training/labs) are the
  hands-on counterpart.