EPISODE · Dec 9, 2025 · 51 MIN
Chat2Learn: Using Simple Conversation Prompts to Boost Early Childhood Development
from The Pie: An Economics Podcast · host Becker Friedman Institute at UChicago
Large gaps in language skills between children from different socioeconomic backgrounds emerge early and persist throughout schooling. In this episode, Ariel Kalil, Professor of Public Policy at UChicago's Harris School, discusses her research on "Chat2Learn," a technology intervention that sends open-ended conversation prompts to parents' phones. The low-cost behavioral nudge increases vocabulary, encourages back-and-forth conversation, and fosters curiosity in young children.
What this episode covers
Large gaps in language skills between children from different socioeconomic backgrounds emerge early and persist throughout schooling. In this episode, Ariel Kalil, Professor of Public Policy at UChicago's Harris School, discusses her research on "Chat2Learn," a technology intervention that sends open-ended conversation prompts to parents' phones. The low-cost behavioral nudge increases vocabulary, encourages back-and-forth conversation, and fosters curiosity in young children.
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Chat2Learn: Using Simple Conversation Prompts to Boost Early Childhood Development
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