See it before you solve it
Many students meet a new idea in mathematics or physics as a formula first. The formula is written on the board, the symbols are defined, and the practice problems follow. It works for some students, but many end up able to use the formula without knowing what it describes.
A different order tends to work better: first a picture, then the pattern, then the formula.
Start with a picture
Before solving a quadratic equation, it helps to look at the parabola. The number of solutions is then visible: the curve crosses the axis twice, touches it once, or misses it. The discriminant becomes a way of predicting something already seen, rather than a rule to memorize.
Then look for the pattern
In physics, a graph of position against time for a falling object shows a curve that gets steeper. Measuring the slope at a few points shows that it grows at a steady rate. That steady rate is the acceleration, and the equations of motion follow from it.
Then write the formula
At this point the formula is a short way of saying something the student already understands. It is also easier to check: if a calculated answer does not match the picture, something has gone wrong.
This is the approach behind the lessons on this site. Each one starts with a visualization that can be changed, so the pattern can be seen before it is written down.