How do I use Brian for mathematics?

With Brian, you can:

Brian can be used to prepare for class, after class, or for exam preparation.

See: Types of use of Brian

Math exercises can be presented either as an AI dialogue or a quiz.

As an AI Dialogue

To create an AI dialogue, you can work with the chatbot or use a template. In Pro mode, this can then be fine-tuned. If the task is based on an existing worksheet, the worksheet can be uploaded during creation using the chatbot. In Pro mode, you can also provide the worksheet as context in the internal instruction by copying and pasting it.

Chatbot:

Internal Instruction:

Tip: For math exercises, the AI model for the AI dialogue should be switched to the Advanced Reasoning model.

See: AI Dialogue: Concept and Creation

As a Quiz

To present math exercises as a quiz (i.e. as multiple-choice questions), it is best to start with a text that explains how to solve a particular problem. This can be uploaded or written by AI. The section 'How can I use Brian to introduce a new topic conceptually and explain solution steps'? below, explains how to do this in detail.

Once the text has been created, the "Add Questions" function can be used to create math exercises. Simply instruct the AI to math exercises relevant to the topic. It is often helpful to provide an example question for the AI to follow.

Example:

"Create math exercises that match the topic.

Example question: 6y=3x-9. Correct answer: x=2y+3.

See: How do I add questions to an existing quiz?

Tip: With the "Add Questions" function, math exercises can also be added manually.

Introducing New Topics

A quiz is well suited for this. You can either use the option "Use Existing Materials" (if a text is available) or "Create New Materials" (if there is no existing text). See: What are my options when generating a quiz?

Tip: To assess students' understanding of new concepts, an AI dialogue can also be used, for example, based on the templates "Explain Concept" or "Open-Ended Questions."

Explaining solution steps

If the goal is to introduce the steps the students should follow when solving a problem, this can be done in the quiz mode. Select the option "Create New Materials" and instruct Brian’s AI to offer a step by step guide.

Example instruction to the AI to practice solving linear functions:

"Explain what a linear function is and how to solve for x. Do this step by step. Use y = 4x + 4 as an

example. Provide additional examples and solve them step by step for x. The division should work

out evenly."

After the AI's initial suggestion, the text can be manually adjusted or refined by the AI.

Examples of revision instructions:

Tip: It’s useful to copy the AI’s first suggestion into the teaching assistant (via copy/paste). This allows you to later refer back to parts of the first version and combine them with later versions. See: How do I use Brian's teaching assistant?