The first new mode in Claude Code is called Explanatory. When people use it, Claude will explain why it made certain decisions while coding, recreating the dynamic of a senior developer narrating their thought process to a junior developer. — AP Photo/Richard Drew, File
Anthropic’s Claude is getting a side gig as a tutor. The company has launched new modes for its two consumer-facing platforms, Claude.ai and Claude Code. The modes will enable Claude to not just answer questions and write code, but also structure its outputs to teach users through a process Anthropic refers to as guided discovery.
The company originally released a learning mode in April, but it was available only to university students and faculty with Claude for Education memberships. In late July, OpenAI released a similar feature for ChatGPT called study mode.
Using Claude.ai, Anthropic’s ChatGPT-like website and mobile app for casually interacting with its AI models, users will be able to enable the learning mode by selecting it from a dropdown menu of various styles. According to Anthropic, Claude will use a “Socratic approach” to guide users through challenging concepts instead of immediately giving answers. If you’re a student using Claude to help with your homework or studying, this could be a useful feature.
Beyond that option, Claude Code, Anthropic’s tool for software development with AI, will feature two learning modes. Anthropic’s models are famed for their coding ability, and have given rise to a generation of startups pioneering a new method of software engineering called vibe coding. These new learning modes in Claude Code are designed to help developers learn more about the fundamentals of software engineering while building applications with Claude.
The first new mode in Claude Code is called Explanatory. When people use it, Claude will explain why it made certain decisions while coding, recreating the dynamic of a senior developer narrating their thought process to a junior developer.
When in the second mode, referred to as Learning, Claude will actually leave key sections of the code undone and direct human developers to fill in those sections themselves. Once a user fills it in, Claude will judge the code and give feedback.
People can put both Claude Code learning modes to work by updating Claude Code, running/output-styles in your terminal, and selecting between Default, Explanatory, and Learning styles. – Inc./Tribune News Service
