Worked example
A worked example is a problem shown with its full solution, written out step by step from start to finish. You see exactly how someone gets to the answer, so you can learn the method before you try a similar problem on your own.
Worked examples are great when a topic is brand new and you have no idea where to start. Instead of staring at a blank page, you watch the whole process unfold one step at a time. Your brain isn't busy panicking over what to do next, so it has room to actually notice why each step happens. That's how the method sticks.
The big mistake is reading a worked example and thinking 'yeah, makes sense' without really checking. It always looks easy when someone else does it. After each step, ask yourself why that step came next, and try to say it in your own words. Then cover the solution and redo the problem from scratch. If you get stuck, you found the exact spot you didn't really get.
Sofia is learning integration by parts in calculus and keeps freezing on every problem. She works through three solved examples in her notes, pausing after each line to ask why they picked that part as u. Then she covers the answer and does a fresh one herself, and this time she actually knows where to start.