Headwork

Guides

Teachers: assign the attempt, not just the answer

You cannot reliably detect AI, and you do not have to. Make the attempt part of the assignment: students hand in their first try and what changed, alongside the final answer. It takes one worksheet, it works with or without AI, and it moves the conversation from catching to thinking.

Why the attempt is the thing to grade

A finished answer no longer tells you who did the thinking. An attempt does: it has wrong turns, half-ideas and the student's own words. The research supports the order too. In a classroom study of 42 students, "reflection first" (think, then consult the AI) gave the biggest drop in over-trusting AI answers (Islam and others, AIED 2026). In a large school trial, an AI that gave hints avoided the exam penalty seen with one that gave answers (Bastani and others, PNAS, 2025).

The class routine

  1. Attempt, alone, five to ten minutes

    In class or at home, on paper or on the worksheet. A guess, a plan, a first paragraph, or a clear statement of where they are stuck.

  2. Consult

    A classmate, the textbook, you, or an AI if your policy allows it. If AI is used, the student gives it the attempt and asks for hints.

  3. Revise and note what changed

    Two lines: what I changed, and why. This is the part students cannot outsource without it showing.

  4. Hand in all three

    Attempt, final answer, what changed. Give credit for the attempt being real, not for it being right.

Print the try-first worksheet

For longer writing

Ask students to draft somewhere that keeps a history, and to be ready to walk you through it. The free writing pad records on the student's own device how a draft was produced (typed, pasted, time, sittings) and can make a one-page summary. It is not an AI detector and it does not prove identity. It gives you both something concrete to talk about, which is usually what a fair conversation needs.

Ages. Check which AI tools your students may use. ChatGPT is for 13 and up, with parental permission under 18. Claude's terms require users to be 18 or older. Follow your school's policy first.

Classroom plan: request early access

We are shaping a Classroom plan with teachers: the routine above as ready-made materials and, later, managed settings for school devices. There is no price yet. Tell us what you teach and what would help, and we will write back.

Questions

Does this stop students using AI to cheat?

Nothing stops a determined student. It makes copying less useful, because the attempt and the "what changed" lines carry the marks, and it gives honest students a simple way to show their work.

Does it add marking time?

A little. Most teachers mark the attempt as done or not done, and read "what changed" only when the final answer raises a question.

Can I use the worksheet without any AI at all?

Yes. The "consult" step works with a classmate, the textbook or you. The routine is about order, not about AI.

Looking after devices for a whole school? See Headwork for schools: install it on managed Chromebooks and set the rules from your admin console.