What does improv have to do with teaching in the age of AI? More than you might think. In this episode, we’re joined by Julie Simons (Applied Mathematics, UC Santa Cruz) and Pedro Morales (Mathematics, UC Santa Cruz) to talk about improv not as performance, but as pedagogy - and, more broadly, a philosophy of classroom life.

In this episode:

• Why active learning may be a stronger response to AI than surveillance or detection tools

• The case for improv as a philosophy of teaching, and why being wrong out loud might be the most important skill we can model for students

• The difference between productive struggle and demoralizing struggle

• Equity concerns around AI access, opt-out students, and who shapes these systems

• The "broken bottom rung" problem: as AI absorbs entry-level jobs, how do students build the experience to eventually reach senior ones?

• The remediation crisis in California: what happened when the CSU and community college systems 

My Robot Teacher is produced with support from the California Education Learning Lab.

My Robot Teacher is hosted by Sarah Senk and Taiyo Inoue, sponsored by the California Education Learning Lab, and produced by editaudio. 

📄 Full transcripts available on Substack: https://calearninglab.org/myrobotteacher/

🌐 More about the show: https://www.myrobotteacher.ai

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