In this episode we explore a simple question for classrooms using AI: Should students think first and use ChatGPT later?

We connect research to a seventh-grade poetry classroom where students drafted on paper before using AI-supported tools.

Topics covered:

• Why “better work with AI” is not the same as learning
• The difference between performance and transferable skill
• What happens when students go straight to ChatGPT for answers
• Why “think first, AI later” may be a stronger classroom model
• How teachers can structure AI use without banning it
• Why assignment sequence matters as much as assignment policy
• The risks of AI-assisted brainstorming at the very start of student work

Sources:

https://carlhendrick.substack.com/p/the-monthly-dispatch-whats-new-in-a9a 

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10648-026-10118-7