How Small Models Learn to Think Like Large Ones

jbhuang0604 · x · 2026-07-17

The article explains from first principles "how small models learn to think like large models," focusing on knowledge distillation. Key highlights include: - on-policy distillation as a strong method for knowledge transfer between models - The difference between token-level and sequence-level distillation - The role of on-policy distillation in transferring reasoning capabilities - The application of self-distillation in reasoning and continual learning Overall, it outlines the core mechanisms of knowledge distillation and several extended research directions.

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