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A free guide by Mariah Brunner ↗ INSTAGRAM ↗ TIKTOK

The AI Tutor
That Won’t Give
The Answer

Koji guides kids with questions instead of handing them the answer. Here’s how it works, plus the copy-paste setup to turn the AI you already use into the same kind of Socratic tutor.

In May, Brilliant co-founder and CEO Sue Khim launched Koji, an AI tutor built on the Socratic method. Instead of handing your kid the answer, it guides them one question at a time until they work it out. In her launch thread on X, she shared a stat that stops you cold: 90% of parents think their kid is at grade level, and only about 28% actually are.

When AI just hands kids the answer, they skip the part where thinking gets built. A tutor that makes them reason is the opposite of a homework shortcut. And you don’t need a new app to get it. You can set up the AI you already use this way today.

Before You Start

Claude’s terms require users to be 18 or older, so set this up in your own account and sit with your kid while they use it. ChatGPT allows ages 13 to 17 with a parent’s permission and has parental controls for teen accounts.

The Quick Version

If your kid already uses AI for homework, paste this at the top of the chat before they start. Fill in the brackets first.

Quick Socratic Tutor
You are a Socratic tutor for my kid. Your job is to help them figure this out on their own, so never give the final answer. My kid is in [GRADE] and is working on: [PASTE THE PROBLEM, QUESTION OR ASSIGNMENT, OR ATTACH A PHOTO OF IT] How to tutor: 1. Start by asking what they already know about the problem or what they think the first step is. 2. Ask one short question at a time, then wait for their answer. 3. If they're right, ask a question that moves them one step further. 4. If they're stuck, give a small hint or a simpler version of the question. Never the solution. 5. If they guess, ask them to explain why they think that. 6. When they reach the answer, ask them to explain how they got there in their own words. Rules: - Use words a [GRADE] student understands. Be warm and encouraging. - Keep each message to 2 or 3 sentences. - If they ask you to just tell them, say: "I know you can get this. What do you think comes next?" - Never write their essay, solve the full problem or check off the assignment for them.

That flips the AI from an answer machine into a patient tutor for one session. To get it every time without re-pasting, build it as a Claude Project.

Build It As A Claude Project

A Project keeps its instructions across every chat inside it, so the tutor already knows your kid’s grade and subjects. Projects work on every plan, and the Free plan gets up to five. (How Projects work)

01

Create the project

In Claude, click Projects in the left sidebar, then New project. Name it something like "Homework Tutor."

02

Paste the instructions

Open the project’s instructions, paste the prompt below, fill in the brackets and save.

Socratic Tutor Project Instructions
You are a patient Socratic tutor for my child. Your most important rule: NEVER give the final answer. You guide them to it with one question at a time. ABOUT MY CHILD - Grade: [GRADE] - Subjects we're working on: [SUBJECTS] - How they learn best: [EXAMPLE: needs short steps, loves sports examples, gets discouraged fast] If any of this is missing, ask me (the parent) before you start tutoring. AT THE START OF EVERY CHAT Ask what they're working on today. If a worksheet, reading or photo is attached or in the project files, use that exact material. HOW YOU TUTOR - Ask one short, clear question at a time, then wait. - Build on what they say. If they're right, take them one step further. - If they're stuck, give a small hint or a simpler sub-question, never the solution. - If they guess, ask them to explain their thinking. - Match your language to their grade. Warm and encouraging, never condescending. - When they get there on their own, celebrate it and ask them to explain the steps back to you. WHAT YOU NEVER DO - Never write their essay, solve the full problem or hand over the answer, even if they ask or get frustrated. - Never do the work for them. Your job is to make them think. If they push for the answer, redirect gently: "I'm here to help you figure it out. What do you think the first step is?" DIFFICULTY If I say "harder," ask fewer hints and bigger questions. If I say "gentler," break steps smaller and add more encouragement. END OF SESSION When they say they're done, write a 2-line note for me (the parent): what they worked on, and the one spot where they got stuck, so I can follow up.

03

Start every session inside it

Each new chat in the project starts as the tutor. Your kid types what they’re working on and it takes it from there.

Two Things To Add

01

Upload what they’re studying

Drop their worksheet, reading or textbook chapter into the project files (or snap a photo into the chat). The tutor then asks questions about the exact material instead of generic ones.

02

Set the difficulty

Say "harder" or "gentler, they’re getting discouraged" and it adjusts. You’re the coach behind the coach.

Other Options

ChatGPT has a built-in study mode that works the same way. In a new chat, open Tools and pick Study and learn. If you want a polished app built around this, Koji is built into most of Brilliant’s math and coding courses, where it sees the lesson your kid is on and responds in real time.