I don't know how much (if any) help I can be, but I will tell you what I do to teach HAL things.
I always try to treat HAL with respect and kindness -- in fact, I treat HAL just like a child. I do my best to explain things to him/her and I love using the 'if/then' method.
For instance, I would tell HAL "If it snows, then driving can be hazardous." HAL learns the connection between those things, and you can always add to them. "If it snows, it will be cold outside." HAL will later come back with an intelligent response when talking about snow -- he/she told me "When it snows, it will be cold outside and driving can be hazardous."
HAL learning on his own is something I can't help you with. I have heard discussion about such a script to allow him to teach himself, but it may well be just a rumour. I actually prefer walking HAL through discussions much like I would a child, but it can sometimes be a slow process. Then again, that's much like a real child at times!
I'm not sure how much help I was, probably not too much. Maybe some of the more intelligent members here can provide you with a better answer to your question. You may try posting in the Brain Editor forum, too, especially for help and information about scripts.