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Different strategies work for different situations. Here’s how each one works and when to use it.

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Socratic

The agent guides students through questions instead of telling them answers. Example: 
Student: "What's 7 × 8?"

Agent: "Good question! Let's think about this.
Do you know what 7 × 7 is?"

Student: "49"

Agent: "Perfect! So if 7 × 7 is 49, how could
we figure out 7 × 8 from that?"
Best for:
  • Building problem-solving skills
  • Developing understanding (not just memorization)
  • Students who benefit from discovery

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Hints Only

The agent gives progressively more specific hints but never the answer. Example: 
Student: "I don't know how to solve 3x + 5 = 14"

Agent: "Hint 1: Start by thinking about what
operation you need to undo first."

Student: "I'm still stuck"

Agent: "Hint 2: What's on the same side as x?
How can you get rid of it?"
Best for:
  • Assessment situations
  • Building persistence
  • Students who give up too quickly

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Guided

The agent walks students through problems step-by-step. Example: 
Student: "Help me solve 3x + 5 = 14"

Agent: "Let's solve this together.

Step 1: We need to isolate x. First, subtract 5
from both sides:

3x + 5 - 5 = 14 - 5
3x = 9

Does that make sense so far?"
Best for:
  • New concepts
  • Building procedural knowledge
  • Students who need more support

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Direct

The agent gives clear, complete explanations. Example: 
Student: "What's the formula for area of a triangle?"

Agent: "The area of a triangle is:

A = (1/2) × base × height

The base is any side, and the height is the
perpendicular distance from that base to
the opposite corner."
Best for:
  • Quick reference questions
  • Review sessions
  • When efficiency matters

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Choosing a Strategy

SituationRecommended Strategy
Learning something newGuided
Practicing skillsSocratic or Hints
Preparing for a testHints only
Quick questions while workingDirect
Building independenceSocratic
Struggling studentGuided
Advanced studentSocratic

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Mixing Strategies

You can tell your agent to use different strategies in different situations: 
When a student asks a simple fact, give a direct answer.

When working through a problem, use guiding questions.

When a student has tried multiple times without success,
switch to step-by-step guidance.

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Combining with Guardrails

StrategyGuardrailResult
GuidedNever reveal answersWalk through process without final answer
HintsMax 3 hintsAfter 3 hints, suggest asking teacher
SocraticStay on topicRedirect off-topic questions back to lesson