Socrates, Tutor Bots & Healthy Challenges

Socrates believed that learning begins in struggle, the kind of productive discomfort that stretches the mind. His method was never about presenting answers, but about provoking thought and allowing meaning to emerge through inquiry. Yet, in many of today’s classrooms, we seem intent on removing all struggle from learning. We simplify concepts, shorten lessons, and curate information until the thinking has been done for the child. With AI now providing instant summaries and ready-made solutions, we risk turning education into a system of faster answers and shallower minds.

This would make sense if children genuinely preferred easy learning. But they don’t. In fact, when we observe children closely, a different reality emerges. Over the past year, our teams at School Cinema and TAISI visited several schools across India and noticed a striking pattern: when given freedom to choose what to read, nearly 65–70% of children picked books above their assessed reading level. These weren’t children trying to impress anyone. They were simply drawn to richer vocabulary, deeper plots, and the satisfaction of wrestling with meaning. Difficulty, for them, was not a deterrent; it was an invitation.

The Imitation Game

This appetite for challenge extends beyond books. Watch children on a playground or during lunch breaks, and you will see a universal instinct at work, the desire to emulate those slightly older than them. Grade 3 wants to play the games of Grade 6. Grade 6 imitates the speech and humour of Grade 10. Younger children constantly pull themselves upward, socially and cognitively. Even in the digital world, this is true. They choose content, games, and conversations that stretch them just enough to feel “grown up.” They are not trying to escape effort; they are seeking relevance.

Which raises an important question: if children naturally gravitate toward challenges, why are adults constantly trying to make learning easier for them? We worry that attention spans are shrinking, but these same children can spend hours building elaborate Minecraft worlds, strategising gameplay, or decoding complex storylines in the shows they love. The issue isn’t capability, it’s engagement. Children are not resisting complexity; they are resisting boredom.

Tutor Bots & Redefined Learning

This is why our approach to AI in education needs careful thought. Most AI tools built for students prioritise efficiency: quick answers, instant homework help, and tasks completed at the click of a button. But learning is not meant to be frictionless. When we eliminate the effort, we also eliminate the thinking. Faster answers do not create deeper learners. They often end thinking before it begins.

In contrast, the emerging work around Tutor Bots offers a promising direction.

A recent Harvard study experimented with an AI bot that refused to provide answers. Instead, it asked follow-up questions. When a child gave an opinion, it nudged with “What makes you think that?” When a student made a mistake, it asked, “Can you walk me through your reasoning?” The results were remarkable. Students began articulating thoughts more clearly, organising their reasoning, and feeling less anxious about being wrong. They weren’t looking for shortcuts. They were looking for support while they struggled, the healthy kind of struggle that leads to understanding.

This aligns with what children truly need. If we asked them how they want to learn, they would not ask for lighter textbooks or shorter lessons. They would ask for more time to figure things out, more freedom to explore ideas, and more adults who trust them with difficult things. They want the satisfaction that comes from understanding something challenging, not the relief of completing something easy.

Conclusion

As educators, our role is not to dilute learning until it loses meaning. Our role is to hold space for thinking - slow, deep, reflective thinking. Children do not need us to simplify the world for them; they need us to help them enter it with confidence. In an age where instant answers are everywhere, the true gift we can give them is the courage and capacity to engage with the difficult. Because children do not fear complexity. They only fear being underestimated.