Thumbnails and lesson comics: earning the click without lying about difficulty

Promise difficulty accurately

Nothing destroys retention faster than candy thumbnails hiding brutal inference gaps.

Signal rigour tastefully—symbols, equations glimpsed partially.

Test variants ethically

Rotate thumbnails without altering lesson substance—document experiments for transparency.

Avoid trauma exploitation even if short-term attention spikes.

Accessibility alt text

Describe what the image conveys for the lesson—not only jokes. Screen reader parity is part of inclusive classrooms.