What a New Study Tells Us About AI and Learning

In this episode we explore a simple question for classrooms using AI: Should students think first and use ChatGPT later?We connect research to a seventh-grade poetry classroom where students drafted on paper before using AI-supported tools.Topics covered:Why “better work with AI” is not the same as learningThe difference between performance and transferable skillWhat happens when students go straight to ChatGPT for answersWhy “think first, AI later” may be a stronger classroom modelHow teachers can structure AI use without banning itWhy assignment sequence matters as much as assignment policyThe risks of AI-assisted brainstorming at the very start of student workSources:https://carlhendrick.substack.com/p/the-monthly-dispatch-whats-new-in-a9a https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10648-026-10118-7