Andrew Cantarutti on Classroom Habits of Attention in the Age of AI

Today, we have an increasing store of research to evaluate the claims of educational tech. Where does it assist or upend our goals as a school? Where does it support or bypass our students' intellectual sovereignty? Can it be used constructively? This week on HeightsCast, writer and educator Andrew Cantarutti shares with us the research on digital tools, and especially AI, in K-12 education. In passionate detail, he also lays out how a school can cultivate the habits of attention by its curriculum, pedagogy, character, and even the physical school building. Chapters: 3:05 Cantarutti's background 5:27 The lay of the digital land in education 8:38 Attention: a capacity that can grow—and shrink 12:35 A school's mission and the habits of attention 20:08 School schedules, school spaces 23:35 Four cognitive skills for your lesson plans 34:14 The research on AI and education 38:47 Teachers' AI use 43:26 Constructive ways to engage with AI 50:47 Whether you can teach critical thinking 53:26 Promises of AI vs. the goals of education 58:05 Rethinking the structure of class time Links: The Walled Garden, Andrew Cantarutti's Substack Students in an AI World: Prosper, Prepare, Protect, Brookings Institute report, January 14, 2026 Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt in Essay Writing, MIT Media Lab, June 10, 2025 Instructional Illusions by Paul Kirschner, Carl Hendrick, and Jim Heal The Film Students Who Can No Longer Sit Through Films, The Atlantic, January 30, 2026 Alpha School: AI-Driven Education Coming to a School Near You, The New York Times, July 27, 2025 Also on the Forum: ChatGPT Holds These Truths to be Self-Evident by Mark Grannis AI and the Take-Home Essay featuring Dr. Matthew Mehan The Freedom to Form Bonds: Mindfulness and Attention featuring Kevin Majeres Digital Minimalism: Creating a Philosophy of Personal Technology Use featuring Cal Newport Featured Opportunities: The Art of Teaching Boys Conference at The Heights School (May 6-8, 2026) – waitlist Teaching Essentials Workshop at The Heights School (June 22-26, 2026) Convivium Conference for Teaching Men at The Heights School (November 2026) – link coming soon