teacher model

Teacher model is a machine learning construct: a pre-trained neural network or ensemble whose outputs (predictions, embeddings, or hidden representations) serve as supervisory targets for training a smaller student model in knowledge distillation. Parameters: (1) the teacher must be trained to convergence on a task, (2) its output distribution or internal representations are transferred, (3) the student is trained with a loss function that minimizes divergence from the teacher. The concept exists as an institutionalized role within model compression pipelines, not as a standalone model architecture. [formal: teacher_model | substrate: mind | horizon: a life | explicit: yes | epoch: 0.91]