Teaching and tutoring
Create a gradual sequence of practice tasks
Move from a version learners can do toward the target task. Change one demand at a time, such as the number of steps or the amount of help provided. This makes it easier to investigate a difficulty when it appears. State the support available at each stage.
A text to start with
The skill is [skill] for [learner group]. Learners can currently do [easiest version]. Write [number] practice tasks that move toward [target version]. Each task should add exactly one new demand compared with the one before. For every task, state the new demand, which supports stay in place, and how learners or I can check the answer. Keep every task on this skill only.
Example request. Change the details to fit your situation.Practice sequence tracker
Skill: [ ] Starting task learners can do: [ ] Target version: [ ] Task: [ ] Demand added compared with the previous task: [ ] Support provided: [ ] Support reduced, if any: [ ] Answer and method for checking: [ ] Other skills required: [ ] Repeat for each task; leave change fields blank for the starting task. First point where learners needed help: [ ] What they found difficult: [ ] Intermediate task or support to try: [ ]
Jumps and unrelated skills
Compare each task with the previous one and identify what changed. If several demands increase together, consider an intermediate step. Look for additional skills the task requires: a dense passage in a calculation exercise may make it harder to tell where a learner needs help. State which supports remain available and why. Solve the tasks yourself, then check whether the proposed answer checks are usable at this level. Confirm that the final task matches the target you set.
Ask another agent to check the result
Compare each task with the one before it and flag any that changes more than one demand. Identify tasks that depend on a skill outside the stated target. Solve each task and report any answer-check method that learners could not use alone.
Find where learners stall
Give the tasks to a learner or a small group and note the first task where they need help. That point shows where an extra step may be needed. Insert an intermediate task there and try again. Record which supports you removed so a later group can start at the right place.