Learning That Sticks: Attention, Memory, and AI

This episode of Cool Cat Teacher Talk focuses on a challenge many teachers face right now: keeping student attention strong while navigating the rise of artificial intelligence in classrooms. We explore how learning science, memory strategies, and thoughtful AI use can help students focus, remember more, and think more deeply. With insights from Blake Harvard and Mary Ehrenworth, this conversation connects research-backed teaching practices with real classroom needs. If you want practical ways to strengthen learning without losing the human heart of teaching, this episode is for you. What You'll Learn In this episode, you'll learn how to: Use retrieval practice, spaced repetition, and pretesting to strengthen student memory Apply formative assessment and feedback to move students from "I heard it" to "I can do it" Reduce distractions and design classroom routines that protect attention Support reading, vocabulary, and writing while keeping thinking student-centered Use AI as a learning tool and thought partner without replacing student effort Episode Link Show notes and resources: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/attention2026