Episode 1: AI in the Classroom
Updated: Oct 4
A Conversation with Mary Ehrenworth & Philip Seyfried
AI is already part of our classrooms and our students' lives, but using it well requires many of the same literacy skills teachers have always valued. Mary Ehrenworth and Philip Seyfried join us to talk about what AI actually does, why students need to become trainers rather than passive users, and why the most powerful approach may be brain first, not brain only.
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Meet Our Guests
Mary Ehrenworth Mary is an internationally recognized literacy educator, author, and longtime leader at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project. She's written over 30 books, including Pathways to the Common Core, Tackling Complex Texts and, with Philip, AI-Enhanced Literacy translating research into practices teachers can use in the classroom.
LINK to her Website
Philip Seyfried Philip is an educator and technology specialist focused on literacy, teaching, and emerging tech - helping teachers use AI thoughtfully and creatively in the classroom. He's a doctoral student at Teachers College, Columbia University, and works as a Staff Developer and AI/EdTech Specialist with The Reading and Writing Project at Mossflower, where he trains teachers in reading and writing instruction.
LINK to his Website
Their Work Together:
AI-Enhanced Literacy: Practical Steps for Deepening Reading and Writing Instruction Mary Ehrenworth & Philip Seyfried | ASCD, 2025
A practical introduction to using AI thoughtfully in K–12 literacy instruction. Mary and Philip explore how AI can support reading and writing while keeping critical thinking, student agency, and ethical use at the center.
AI and Reading Instruction: Digital Partners for Deepening Comprehension and Discussion in K–12 Classrooms Mary Ehrenworth & Philip Seyfried | Routledge, 2026
Focused specifically on reading, this book explores ways AI can deepen comprehension, discussion, critical thinking, and access. It includes classroom examples, teacher-created tools, AI-student conversations, and practical approaches teachers can adapt across grade levels.
AI-Enhanced Literacies
Mary and Philip's shared website extends the work of their books with resources, ideas, and ongoing thinking about AI and literacy instruction.
From the Conversation -
“It isn't really a conversation about...should we have AI or not AI in learning, but really more of a conversation about when does AI enter the learning process.” — Philip Seyfried After discussing research comparing students who began a writing task with AI to those who gained access to it only after working independently, Philip shifts the conversation from whether AI belongs in learning to the importance of sequencing.
“AI can really steal the learning from us if we just start with it.” — Philip Seyfried
Philip points to emerging research in which students who did the thinking first appeared to use AI differently once they gained access to it, providing support for what Mary and Philip call a “brain-first” approach.
“No one wants more screen time. We just want smarter screen time that's more in kids' hands, that they have more agency over.” — Mary Ehrenworth While acknowledging the need for more paper, books, and screen-free learning, Mary raises an equity concern: schools may also be the only place some students have the opportunity to learn how to use emerging technologies thoughtfully and effectively.
“My goal, my whole goal for you as a teacher, is for you to become more powerful.”
“Cognitive load makes you more powerful. It's like you can't just watch videos of soccer and become a soccer player. You have to get on the field. You have to sweat.” — Mary Ehrenworth
Mary argues that teachers should be more explicit with students about why we sometimes ask them to work without AI: the effort involved in reading, writing, problem solving, and working through uncertainty is itself part of what develops their capacity as learners.
Resources & References
“Deepening Reading Criticality with AI – A Surprisingly Analytical Thought Partner”Mary and Philip have also written a short piece about using AI to push readers toward more perspectives and greater criticality rather than allowing the technology to reduce critical thinking. It was published by Routledge on August 31, 2026.
“Your Brain on ChatGPT: Accumulation of Cognitive Debt when Using an AI Assistant for Essay Writing Task”
MIT researchers compared essay writers using an LLM, a search engine, or no digital tools, finding differences in cognitive engagement, memory, and ownership that raise important questions about when AI enters the learning process.
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