Four moves, in order
STEP describes how a session moves from you doing the thinking to the student doing it. As you go through the four moves, your support shrinks and theirs grows.
Show
Model a similar problem, not theirs, and think out loud as you work.
You do most of the thinking.
Try
The student works their own problem. You ask questions instead of giving answers.
They hold the pencil; you give the smallest hint that keeps them moving.
Explain
The student teaches it back to you in their own words.
You ask "why" and "how do you know."
Prove
The student solves a new problem on their own and checks it.
You stay quiet and watch.
Move forward when the student shows they're ready, not when the clock says so. If they get stuck on something new, it's fine to step back to Show.
Say this, not that
Small changes in wording keep the thinking with the student.
Guide-on-the-side habits
- Ask before you helpFind out what they know and what they've tried.
- Wait five secondsSilence after a question is thinking time, not a problem to fix.
- Smallest hint firstGive a bigger hint only if the smaller one didn't work.
- Let them hold the pencilIf you're writing, you're doing the work.
- Step in, then step outHelp when they're stuck, then hand it right back.
- Teach what's missingIf a skill they need isn't there yet, teach it first. Struggling without the tools isn't productive.
A math scenario
A student in a college algebra course comes to the learning center stuck on a homework problem. Here's how one session could go.
Solve: 3(x + 2) = 2x + 11
The student says, "I don't know where to start."
Show
Tutor"Let me work a similar one out loud, and then you'll try yours. Here's 2(x + 3) = x + 10. First I distribute the 2 to both terms inside the parentheses."
Tutor"Then I check it: 2(4 + 3) is 14, and 4 + 10 is 14. Both sides match."
Why it works: the tutor models on a different problem, so the student still has their own to solve.
Try
Tutor"Your turn. Go ahead and start."
Tutor"Walk me through your first line. What does the 3 multiply?"
Student"Oh. The x and the 2."
Why it works: the tutor didn't say "you forgot to distribute." One question let the student find and fix the mistake.
Explain
Tutor"Why did you subtract 2x first?"
Student"To get all the x's on one side."
Tutor"How could you tell if 5 is right?"
Why it works: explaining the "why" shows whether the student understands the steps or just copied a pattern.
Prove
Tutor"Try this one on your own. I'll just watch."
Tutor"You distributed, got the x's together, and checked your answer, all without me."
Why it works: a new problem, solved alone, is the best sign the student can do it on the next homework set.
Help students use AI between sessions
Most students will use AI on their homework. A good prompt turns it into a guide on the side too, instead of an answer machine. Share this with students and have them paste it into any AI chat, replacing the last line with their own problem.
Be my math tutor, not my answer key. Before you help, ask me what I've tried. Give me the smallest hint that keeps me going, one at a time. Don't solve my problem or give the final answer, even if I ask. If I'm missing something I need to know, teach it on a different example first. When I get an answer, ask me to explain why it works, then give me a similar problem to try on my own. If you're not sure about something, say so. My problem: 3(x + 2) = 2x + 11
How it should play out with the scenario
- The AI asks what the student has tried before it helps.
- The student shares 3x + 2 = 2x + 11, and the AI asks a question like "What does the 3 multiply?"
- After the student finds x = 5, the AI asks why it works, then offers a similar problem to try alone.
That mirrors your own moves at the table. AI tools don't always follow instructions, so treat this as what the prompt is designed to do, not a guarantee.
Test it before your session. Run the prompt yourself with the scenario problem so you know how the AI behaves.
Teach the redirect. If the AI gives away the answer, the student types Remember, hints only. That small habit is a big part of using AI well.
Can your center set up a shared tool? A Google Gem or Microsoft Copilot agent can hold these instructions permanently, so students just open a link instead of pasting a prompt they might edit or skip.
Reference card
Print this and keep it at the tutoring table.
STEP: Be the guide on the side
Your goal is to make yourself less necessary.
Show. Model a similar problem out loud.
Try. They work theirs. You ask, don't tell.
Explain. They teach it back to you.
Prove. They solve a new one alone.
STEP comes from a longer paper grounded in Vygotsky's zone of proximal development and the research on scaffolding. It's an approach Lane Freeman developed and is still testing, so try it, adapt it to your students, and notice what works.