Brain First, AI Second: Teaching Writing in the AI Era
Brain first AI teaching: a new MIT Media Lab study shows students who think before they use AI have a clear advantage over those who start with AI. Philip Seyfried — Teachers College, Columbia doctoral student and co-author of AI-Enhanced Literacy — shares the brain-first framework, why AI detectors don’t work, how to monitor AI use in the classroom transparently, and how to build the kind of trust that lets students tell you the truth about how they actually used the tools.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
• Why MIT’s research shows brain-first / AI-second produces stronger writers
• Why AI detectors fail — and what to do instead for academic integrity (with danah boyd’s em-dash story)
• Why you should push AI to your students instead of grading WITH AI yourself — Vicki’s classroom approach
• The “Beautiful Sentence” moment: why human teacher feedback still beats anything an algorithm can give
• Why we shouldn’t anthropomorphize AI — and where beginning teachers should actually start (Phil cites Ethan Mollick’s “Co-Intelligence” + “three sleepless nights” with AI)
Show notes and full transcript: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e934
Today’s show is sponsored by EF Explore America and their STEM Tours. Lead your students on a STEM tour to places on the cutting edge of innovation — coding robots with MassRobotics at MIT, exploring marine ecosystems in Florida’s coral reefs, or sitting down to talk with a former spy in Washington, D.C. Visit efexploreamerica.com/STEM.
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