I designed a complete adaptive learning system from scratch — formal framework, full technical specification, eleven white papers, ten subject concept maps with 361 nodes. I am a systems engineer and researcher looking for serious work in adaptive learning, ed-tech, and educational research.
Seven years developing a pedagogical framework from scratch in a resource-constrained environment produced a specific and unusual skill set — I build systems for understanding how cognition works and then engineer tools that implement that understanding at scale.
Architecture and design of diagnostic-first adaptive learning systems. Concept dependency mapping, misconception identification, calibrated difficulty systems, dynamic student profiling.
Building the theoretical and operational foundation for how learning systems should work — not borrowed from existing frameworks but derived from observation and validated against research.
Review and critique of adaptive learning products against the actual cognitive science. Most ed-tech gets the pedagogy wrong in specific, identifiable ways. I can identify exactly where and why.
Co-research on adaptive learning, schema acquisition, cognitive load, productive failure, and mathematical pedagogy. Particularly interested in formalizing the TABE reading-math correlation finding.
System architecture documentation, technical specification writing, and academic writing for ed-tech and research organizations. The work on this site demonstrates the standard.
Most people who understand pedagogy deeply can't engineer systems. Most people who can engineer systems don't understand how learning actually works. The combination is unusual.
The full work is documented at gregorylacefield.com. The white papers, technical specification, and tier maps are available to review before any conversation.
Review the full body of work →The right employer or collaborator doesn't need me to stop building. The platform is the proof of concept.
AI-assisted adaptive tutoring platform implementing the pedagogical framework. MVP 1 in development — human tutors, manual DLP, Claude API problem generation. Technical spec published at tech-spec-v3.html.
Formal write-up of original finding: reading comprehension predicts applied math performance more reliably than language arts scores (n=130+). Preparing for peer review submission.
Enrolled at Maestro College. Starting June 2026. Building formal credentials to pair with the independent engineering work already documented here.
What to send me: A brief description of what you're building and what role you think I might fill. I will read it carefully and respond directly. No recruiters for roles unrelated to adaptive learning, ed-tech, or research.
What I'm looking for: Work that is serious about the problem of how learning actually happens. Organizations building adaptive learning tools who need someone who understands the pedagogy at a fundamental level — not as a borrowed framework but as a system built from direct observation. Research collaborators. Consulting engagements where the goal is getting the architecture right.
What I'm not looking for: Work that treats pedagogy as a surface layer on top of an engagement optimization product. Organizations that want the vocabulary of adaptive learning without the substance of it.
I respond to everyone who reaches out directly. If the fit is there, we will know quickly.