"The Empathetic Edge" is about choosing presence over productivity and curiosity over certainty. Inside: practical wisdom for the messy, complicated, beautiful work of supporting teacher growth. Grateful for everyone who made this possible.
Available now: a.co/d/0Dn9VVb
What kind of expertise are we trying to build? Are we creating tools that make teachers faster at tasks, or better at teaching? The answer will determine everything about how AI shapes education.
open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
My AI adoption advice to districts: start intentionally, move incrementally, lead with pedagogy, and “go slow to go fast.” Build teacher and leader capacity first, and let AI serve instruction; not the other way around. #edusky
Super excited to share that I will be a keynote speaker at the Curriculum x AI Summit 2025 – a free, virtual event designed for public school educators.
You can see the full agenda and register here: www.toddleapp.com/events/curri...
The 4A's text protocol for the AI age. #edusky
Assumption: What's one assumption the AI made?
Agreement: What did AI get right? How do you know?
Argument: What's wrong or missing? What expertise did you need to catch this?
Aspiration: How would you revise the AI response to be accurate?
What moves AI from early adoption to systematic implementation?
#edusky
Read more here: open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
AI's evolution hasn’t been linear or predictable. Breakthroughs come where we least expect them, while “sure bets” stall. That jagged progress offers lessons for how we live, learn, and lead.
open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
I’d love to know how much cognitive work has shifted from creation to curation. We need research on how much time people spend polishing #AI outputs vs developing original thinking. How many of us are stuck in “design fixation,” trapped inside AI’s outputs instead of exploring our own perspectives?
The $100M Wizard of Oz remake for the Las Vegas Sphere is not only an AI triumph but also a case study in how human creativity directs technology, raising urgent questions about authenticity, artistry, and the future of learning. #edusky #AI
Read more here: open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
Math learning needs both inspiration and discipline. Explicit instruction, practice, fluency, and consolidation are essential. But mindset, low anxiety, and valuing mistakes (error correction) matter too. Both are supported by cognitive science. #edusky #mtbos #iteachmath
New research shows students form human-like trust with AI systems, sometimes treating them more like mentors than tools.
Where do we draw the line between helpful and misleading design?
How do we protect students from over-anthropomorphizing AI?
Read more here 👉 open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
I'm speaking at the @solutiontree.bsky.social Effective Coaching Institute in Orlando, September 22-24.
Transform how you coach individuals AND collaborative teams with proven tools and processes.
Register:
www.solutiontree.com/effective-co...
Hope to see you there!
The Empathetic Edge: A Mindful Approach to Instructional Coaching (now available for pre-order)
This book offers practices for staying centered amid chaos, for understanding resistance as communication, and for building trust with overwhelmed colleagues.
open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
Your students are already using AI. Are your policies helping or holding them back?
Drawing lessons from global regulatory models, I explore how local leaders can craft policies that are both structured and adaptable, prioritizing learning over liability. #edusky
open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
Great conversation with Dr. Zach Groshell @mrzachg.bsky.social on his Progressively Incorrect podcast about AI and learning science in education.
Is AI really going to revolutionize teaching, or are we getting ahead of ourselves?
youtu.be/Wpew2dGMh0k?...
What do students think about AI practice problems?
Researchers tested 543 AI-generated physics problems.
Students consistently chose ones with strategic cues without giving away answers, clear formatting requirements, and complete instructions. #edusky
arxiv.org/abs/2508.03085
AI professional development should be designed for adults the way we’d design it for students. Build it as a process, not a presentation. Include space to test assumptions, model thinking, and grow confidence through supported practice.
Neuroscience shows that all novices (regardless of age) benefit from guided exploration, timely feedback, and opportunities to make sense of new ideas (Dehaene, 2020).
Educators are being asked to teach with AI before they’ve had time to truly learn how it works. We often assume adults are naturally self-directed. We offer tools, but not enough time. Resources, but not reflection.
New Stanford study: Students who learned most didn't click most, they clicked better (showed longer pauses, fewer clicks, and more intentional navigation).
EdTech must cultivate critical thinking, pattern recognition, and reasoning through ambiguity.
Read more: open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
Edtech companies building AI around proven pedagogical practices, maintaining educator agency, and demonstrating measurable learning outcomes are seeing stronger school partnerships and sustainable growth. #edusky
Read more here: drlangraad.substack.com/p/the-ai-imp...
New research revealed that students who struggled with "passive" AI chatbots (that only responded when prompted) significantly outperformed those who used "proactive" chatbots (that provided step-by-step guidance) when the AI was removed. #edusky
Post here 👉 open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
Students are using AI for emotional support, creative projects, and academic work, conducting real-time experiments in human-AI relationships. Their insights about what works and what doesn't absolutely must be a part of our framework for AI literacy.
Students aren't just learning to use AI tools, they're renegotiating their relationship with intellectual effort, creativity, and authenticity. They're figuring out peer dynamics around AI use, wrestling with what "my work" means, and developing their own informal ethics around AI.
Proud to endorse fellow Marzano Resources author Julia Simms powerful new book "Guide on the Side: Sequencing Instruction for Self-Regulated Learners."
Well done, Julia! 👏
Find her book here: www.amazon.com/Guide-Side-I...
The question isn't whether students can do better work with AI. It's whether they become better thinkers because of it. #edusky
Students using ChatGPT significantly outperformed others on basic tasks, but 3 weeks later? All advantages disappeared. For complex thinking tasks, AI provided zero benefit. AI implementation strategy matters more than the technology itself. #edusky Read more here: open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
New study: Teachers evaluating identical AI feedback showed significant variation in quality ratings.
We know feedback should be specific, timely, actionable. AI systems also need to account for: lesson context, student readiness, instructional goals.
Read more: open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
New study on AI overreliance. We're not just dealing with AI dependency but accelerated erosion of thinking skills already under pressure. Learning is transformation, not transaction.
drlangraad.substack.com/p/overrelian...
Study: ChatGPT users had lower brain activity and couldn't recall their writing. When we outsource cognitive work, we don't learn. We're not just grappling with AI overreliance but an accelerated erosion of intellectual habits already under pressure. Read more: open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
