Free live webinar · Grades 6–12 math
When AI can do the homework, what should math teachers assign instead?
A working session on the First Broken Step: a routine for seeing where each student’s reasoning breaks and responding with a question, not the answer. Use it tomorrow, with or without AI.
- Thursday, November 12, 2026
- 4:30 pm ET · 1:30 pm PT · 60 minutes
- Online, recording for all registrants
Homework · Problem 7
Simplify (x + 2)² − (x − 2)²
Four students, one problem. Which one do you know the most about?
Simplify (x + 2)² − (x − 2)². Two students are wrong for different reasons. One is right and shows nothing. Now that any answer is a photo away, this is every homework assignment. We’ll work through it together.
Ari
Wrong(x² + 4) − (x² + 4)
= 0
Answer: 0
Bea
Wrongx² + 4x + 4 − x² − 4x + 4
= 8
Answer: 8
Cam
Right, no work8x
Answer: 8x
Dev
Right(x² + 4x + 4) − (x² − 4x + 4)
= x² + 4x + 4 − x² + 4x − 4
= 8x
Answer: 8x
What you’ll leave with
What a correct answer still tells you
How AI changes what homework shows about understanding, and what it doesn’t.
The First Broken Step
Find the line where a student’s reasoning first breaks, and know what kind of break it is.
Feedback that makes students think
A four-part routine with sentence starters, so you respond with a question instead of the answer.
Homework that shows thinking
Six practical changes you can make to one assignment this week.
Tomorrow’s lesson from tonight’s homework
A planner for the day one problem breaks the whole class.
Six questions for any AI homework tool
A checklist to evaluate what you’re offered, ours included.
Free preview · The First Broken Step Kit
Find the first broken step. Teach there.
A wrong answer usually has one first broken step. Everything after it is a consequence. Find that step, and you know what to teach. Then respond in four parts.
Step 1 correct
Step 2 correct
Step 3 first broken step ← teach here
Step 4 consequence, not a new mistakeThe full kit (homework redesign checklist, reteach planner, AI homework policy guide and the six-question tool checklist) is emailed to everyone who registers.
Part 1
See
What did the student actually write?
“Here’s what I see you did…”
Part 2
Credit
What reasoning is already correct?
“You correctly…”
Part 3
Break
Where is the first broken step?
“Look again at line __.”
Part 4
Ask
What one question restarts their thinking?
“What happens to ___ when you ___?”
The hour, minute by minute
0–4 min
Welcome
A quick poll: how has AI changed homework in your class?
4–12 min
What a correct answer tells you now
What recent research says about students, AI and math practice.
12–20 min
Four students, one problem
We read real-looking student work together.
20–27 min
The First Broken Step
The framework, and the four-part feedback routine. You’ll try it in the chat.
27–32 min
Redesigning homework
Six moves, and what AI should not do.
32–48 min
One class, one problem, one night
How a teacher can run this routine for a whole class with MathSense, including where the AI isn’t sure.
48–52 min
Try it in two weeks
A simple plan for one class, and a note for department leads.
52–60 min
Your questions
Live Q&A. Everyone gets the kit and the recording.
Who’s presenting
The MathSense AI team
We build tools that read students’ handwritten math work. We’ll show what we learned, including where AI gets it wrong.
A practising math teacher
Guest presenter, announced soon.
Is this for you?
- Grade 6–12 math teachers who assign written homework
- Math department heads, instructional coaches and specialists
- Curriculum and math leads (principals welcome too)
Probably not the right session if
- You want a tour of AI grading features
- You teach K–3, where written multi-step work is rare
- You’re a parent looking for homework help (a session for families comes later)
Save your free seat
- Thursday, November 12, 2026
4:30 pm ET · 1:30 pm PT - Live online. Everyone who registers gets the recording.
- The First Broken Step Kit, free.
- One-hour certificate of attendance for live attendees.