The Socratic approach
Most AI tools answer your question. The Safua tutor asks you one back. It’s built on the Socratic method — a teaching approach where the mentor guides you to discover the answer yourself through a sequence of questions. Research consistently shows that active recall produces stronger, more durable learning than passive explanation. The tutor never reveals the answer directly. After three exchanges without progress, it gives you a hint — still framed as a question.Standard vs Socratic mode
Every lesson has an AI tutor panel. You can toggle between two modes:| Standard Mode | Socratic Mode | |
|---|---|---|
| Style | Direct explanation | Guiding questions only |
| When stuck | Explains the answer | Gives a hint question |
| Best for | First encounter with a new concept | Testing and deepening understanding |
| XP bonus | — | +10 XP per session |
What the tutor knows about you
The tutor has memory of your past interactions. It tracks:- Skills you’ve struggled with
- Skills you’re strong in
- Questions you’ve asked before
- Your preferred explanation depth
AI Code Review
When you submit a lab, the Code Review agent analyses your code and returns:- Overall score — 0–100
- Correctness — does it produce the right output?
- Style — is it readable and Pythonic?
- Efficiency — is there a better approach?
- Inline comments — appear directly in the Monaco editor
| Glyph | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 🔴 Red | A hint — something needs fixing here |
| 🔵 Blue | A Socratic question — think about what this does |
| 🟢 Green | Praise — this is well done |
Tips for getting the most out of the tutor
- Answer before asking. The tutor builds on your responses — give it something to work with.
- Say “I don’t know” explicitly. It will give you a targeted hint rather than repeating the question.
- Explain it back. Start with “Let me try to explain this…” — the tutor will correct misconceptions.
- Ask “why” not just “how.” The tutor is better at building understanding than generating code to copy.
- Submit early. Don’t wait for perfect code. Submit, read the feedback, iterate. That’s the workflow.