Hey there,

AI’s potential as a learning assistant and personal tutor has always fascinated me. Whether it’s solving math problems or explaining organic chemistry, the latest AI models can act as a support structure for learning about complex topics. This week I wanted to explore Gemini’s Guided Learning feature. I put Guided Learning to the test and asked all kinds of questions about coding, history, and science and found that this new feature fundamentally changes the experience from just getting answers to actually understanding them.

What Exactly is Gemini's Guided Learning? 

The Guided Learning feature changes the way users interact with the Gemini app by altering its behavior. Instead of the traditional question-answer chatbot loop, Guided Learning will help lead you to the solution through dialogue and questions instead of just giving you the answer. This feature utilizes the Socratic method which is the teaching method where students are asked open-ended, probing questions to help them better understand a subject. 

Core Capabilities: 

• Complex Problem Solving: Breaks down complex, multi-step problems into more manageable steps.

• Topic Exploration: Enables users to explore broad topics by gauging their knowledge and choosing an appropriate starting point. 

• Adaptive Learning: Gemini tailors the complexity and language of responses to fit your academic level. 

• Moves from Recall to Learning: Turns simple answers into a learning experience by exploring the “why”. 

How to Access Guided Learning

Guided Learning is available to all users (paid and free), but is only available through the Gemini App. Getting started is easy, just click the “Tools” menu and select “Guided Learning”. Then you can ask your question or describe what you need help with. 

Helpful Use Cases

Guided Learning truly shines when you're tackling complex, multi-step tasks. Here are a few real-world examples I tested: 

• Writing a paper: Guided Learning is a versatile tool. Here I’m using it to help write a scientific paper based around air quality in the Bay Area. The model knows that starting an essay can be difficult so it tries to zero in on what specifically I want to cover. Even here, Gemini is getting the user involved instead of just writing a first draft. 

• History Questions: Being someone who loves learning about history, I’ve been experimenting with this use case the most and it's been great. In the example below I asked Gemini to explain a historical event. It immediately asked clarifying questions to help better gauge what information I want to learn about.

• Coding Questions: Guided Learning can also be applied to coding questions. In this example I asked Gemini to explain recursive functions to me. It broke the topic down and was also able to create example functions that it thoroughly explained. 

My Thoughts

So, is Guided Learning actually better than a standard chatbot? Definitely. While simply being given the answer is sometimes wanted and expected, it can also lead to more confusion depending on the complexity of the question. Having to think critically about the problem deepens your understanding in a way that just reading the final answer can't.

Next time you're asking Gemini a question, I’d suggest trying out Guided Learning mode to see if you find the process helpful. While I won’t be using it everyday, this feature will definitely become a normal part of my tech stack.