Episode

8 Dec 2025 · 41 min

0:00

In this episode of Class Disrupted, hosts Michael Horn and Diane Tavener interview Lawrence Holt, senior advisor at XQ Institute and the Teaching Lab, about the state of generative AI in K‑12 education. Holt walks through the EdTech Insiders map, which catalogues over 60 AI use‑cases and 300 tools, and highlights three dominant categories: (1) AI‑generated instructional materials, (2) AI‑driven feedback, and (3) AI tutoring. He argues that only feedback is ready for widespread classroom deployment, citing research that AI‑generated feedback can match a median teacher’s quality and that students currently receive far too little formative input. The conversation distinguishes feedback from grading, warning that conflating the two can demotivate learners. Holt critiques current tools for lacking deep instructional context, student‑specific data, and the ability to maintain curricular coherence. He notes that material‑generation tools often produce incoherent “more of the same” content, while tutoring tools, though promising for curiosity‑driven learning, still struggle with scalability and self‑efficacy gaps. Both hosts raise the “5 % dosage problem” – the observation that only a small fraction of students use effective ed‑tech tools for the recommended amount of time – and discuss how AI might help redesign school structures to overcome this barrier. The dialogue also explores the need to move beyond generic chat‑bot interfaces toward vertical, socially aware applications that can listen to classroom discourse, provide real‑time collaborative feedback, and respect privacy. Finally, they contemplate de‑novo school and curriculum designs that embed AI from the ground up, acknowledging market uncertainty but expressing optimism that new models could unlock durable skills and more personalized learning experiences.

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