Homework Help
Be the parent in the room. Let Cowork be the tutor.
Your kid brings home math on a topic you haven't thought about in twenty years. Or science you never learned the way the school teaches it now. Or a writing assignment on something you'd like to think about for an hour before you respond, but homework needs done before bath.
The Kid Project you built (with the kid factsheet loaded) already knows your kid's grade, learning style, and what she struggles with. Cowork uses that to meet her where she is. You stay the parent — the one who sits with her, encourages, hands her the snack, and decides when she's done for the night. Cowork handles the subject-matter explanation.
What this isn't.
Cowork isn't a homework-doer. If you ask for "the answer," Cowork will hesitate — and you should too. The goal of every homework ask is for your kid to understand the thing she's working on. If you notice the explanation drifting toward "here's the answer, copy it," tell Cowork: "Pull back. Walk her through it; don't give her the answer."
Explain the concept so you can teach it.
The everyday version: your kid is stuck on a concept, and you want Cowork to explain it to you so you can be the one talking her through it. Open the Kid Project (or the right kid's subfolder in your shared Kid Life Project) and ask.
Cowork gives you the explanation calibrated to your kid's grade and your kid factsheet's notes about how she learns. You get the "places kids her age usually get confused" map, which is what teachers know that parents often don't. Sit down with your kid; teach her using what Cowork gave you.
Variant — kid uses Cowork directly.
If your kid is old enough and you'd rather she ask Cowork herself (with you sitting next to her), the prompt changes slightly:
Then hand the laptop over. You stay nearby; Cowork tutors.
Walking through a problem together.
For when she's mid-problem and stuck — she has the problem in front of her, and what she needs isn't the concept (she gets the concept), it's help working through this specific question. The ask is a little different: structure the walk-through so she's still doing the thinking.
Cowork gives you the first step. You ask your kid that question. He works on it. You report back what he came up with. Cowork responds with whether that's right and what the next step should be. The conversation goes back and forth until he's solved it.
If Cowork's first step is too big, push back.
Cowork's first attempt sometimes skips a beat — assumes the kid sees something she doesn't. If your kid stalls on the first step, tell Cowork: "That step is too big — she doesn't see what to start with. Break it into something smaller." Cowork rescales. This is the iteration habit applied to teaching.
When you're not at the kitchen table.
The whole workflow above works from your phone too — via Dispatch. Carpool line, waiting room, mid-grocery, doesn't matter. Two common cases.
Your kid texts you a photo of the problem.
Easiest case. Photo of the homework page, sent to your phone. Forward it through Dispatch:
Cowork reads the photo, explains the specific problem. You call your kid back and walk him through it.
Your kid is on the phone asking you a concept question.
Kid texted "what's photosynthesis again" because she has a quiz tomorrow and you're stuck in line at the bank.
Cowork drafts the four-sentence version. You copy and text it. Mia stops feeling alone in studying. You stay in line at the bank.
Next: Build a Full Lesson on Any Topic.
Homework help is reactive — kid brings home an assignment, you respond. The next lesson is proactive: have Cowork generate a complete lesson on any topic your kid is learning (or about to learn, or just missed in class). One of two cool-win lessons sitting back-to-back in this module.
Continue to Build a Full Lesson on Any Topic →