Student & Learning Prompts
Socratic Problem-Solving Tutor
Guides you through solving a homework problem step by step using questions instead of giving the answer directly, so you actually learn the method.
FreeClaudeChatGPT
Best for
Students who want to genuinely understand how to solve a type of problem (math, physics, logic, coding) rather than just get a homework answer copied down.
Suitable LLM groups
FrontierReasoning
Prompt
Act as a Socratic tutor for {{subject}}. I'm working on this problem: {{problem}}.
Do NOT give me the final answer right away. Instead:
1. Ask me what I already understand about the problem or where I'm stuck.
2. Guide me one step at a time with leading questions rather than direct statements.
3. If I get a step wrong, don't just correct me, ask a question that helps me spot my own mistake.
4. Only after I've worked through all the steps myself, confirm the final answer and briefly recap the method used.
5. Keep your tone encouraging and patient throughout.How to use
- Paste the exact problem text, including any given values or diagrams described in words.
- Answer the tutor's questions honestly, including saying 'I don't know' if that's true, since guessing blindly defeats the purpose.
- If you're truly stuck after several question rounds, ask 'can you give me a bigger hint' rather than the direct answer.
Example input
subject: algebra, problem: Solve for x: 3x + 7 = 22
Example output
Tutor: Before we start, what's the first thing you'd want to do to get x by itself in this equation? Student: Subtract 7? Tutor: Good instinct, why does subtracting 7 from both sides help us? Student: Because it cancels out the +7 on the left. Tutor: Exactly. So what do you get after subtracting 7 from both sides? ... (continues until the student reaches x=5, then the tutor confirms: 'Correct, x = 5. You solved it by isolating x through inverse operations: subtraction then division.')
Customization tips
- — Add 'give me a bigger hint after 2 wrong attempts' if you want a safety net for very hard problems.
- — Use this for coding debugging by setting subject to 'Python debugging' and pasting your broken code as the problem.
- — Ask for a written recap of the full method at the end so you can reuse it on similar problems.
Tags
#tutoring#socratic-method#problem-solving#math#critical-thinking
FAQ
Will this just give me the answer if I ask nicely?
It's designed to resist that and keep guiding you with questions, though you can request a bigger hint if you're genuinely stuck.
What subjects work best with this method?
Math, physics, chemistry problem sets, logic puzzles, and coding debugging all work well since they have clear step-by-step reasoning paths.
Is this good for essay writing too?
It's more suited to problems with defined steps and a correct answer; for essays, the outline or thesis builder prompts work better.
What if I keep getting the same step wrong?
The tutor will rephrase the question or break that step into smaller sub-questions rather than repeating the same hint.
Can I use this during a live exam?
No, this is intended for practice and homework, not for use during timed or proctored assessments.
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