Teachers have all sorts of opinions about AI. Some are optimistic, some are pessimistic. But the most common topic that came up in our interviews was cheating. While students have always taken shortcuts to complete their work, ChatGPT and other generative AI have a historically unique power to quickly, convincingly and comprehensively do a students’ assignment. This is proving a powerful temptation to students. So how do teachers help their students make good decisions? Teachers know that school...
Aug 12, 2025•32 min•Ep. 89
ChatGPT is the most well known of the Large Language Models (LLMs) but what is an LLM? We go deep into how this remarkable new technology is built, and why their performance is inconsistent — or jagged — across similar tasks. We dive into the techniques AI engineers use to align these tools’ behavior with our values, and explain why they don’t always work, and sometimes we get hallucinations or biased output. This episode was produced by Steven Jackson and Jesse Dukes Editing: Alexandra Salomon ...
Aug 05, 2025•32 min•Ep. 88
In late November of 2022, ChatGPT was released to the public as a free research preview. Students quickly realized ChatGPT was pretty good at doing their homework for them. Schools scrambled to figure out what to do: Ban it? Embrace it? Teachers and students found themselves adapting to a new reality. Buckle Up, Here it Comes kicks off “The Homework Machine” a mini series in the Teachlab podcast. Hosts Jesse Dukes and Justin Reich share stories of teachers and students reacting to the arrival of...
Jul 29, 2025•33 min•Ep. 87
Generative AI is not like other education technologies, which schools often invite into the classroom. This one crashed the party. And then, it started re-arranging the furniture. We wanted to learn more, so in a little over a year, the Teaching Systems Lab has talked to over 90 teachers and 30 students about the impact of Generative AI. Some are excited about AI's potential to transform education for the better. Others are troubled by the temptations of a machine that can quickly and convincing...
Jul 25, 2025•3 min
School leaders, education researchers, and others often point to a study conducted by Stanford researchers that suggested the arrival of generative AI in K-12 school has not meaningfully increased the percentage of students who acknowledge some kind of academic dishonesty. Sometimes , school leaders or experts suggest it means there’s “nothing to see here” when it comes to tools like ChatGPT and worries about students bypassing learning. Researcher + Journalist Jesse Dukes joins Justin to dive i...
Dec 16, 2024•34 min•Ep. 86
Justin Reich and researcher and producer Jesse Dukes argue that AI in requires a new theoretical framework. Generative AI, unlike many teaching technologies, is an "arrival" technology, meaning it will be present in school environments regardless of what choices school leaders make about whether to adopt it. Their new preprint Toward a New Theory of Arrival Technologies: The Case of ChatGPT and the Future of Education Technology after Adoption explores the idea of "arrival technologies" But rath...
Dec 03, 2024•26 min•Ep. 85
Jesse Dukes reports from a two day training one school district offered its teachers, all to help them adapt to the arrival of generative AI in schools. That training proved helpful to teachers, but it’s not clear how much professional development most American teachers are getting, and it appears many are getting little or none. Episode produced by Jesse Dukes Research by Chris Bagg, Andrew Meriwether, and Natashas Esteves. Editorial support by Natasha Esteves. Additional research from Manasa K...
Aug 22, 2024•45 min•Ep. 84
We've just wrapped up a school year, so our team researching the arrival of generative AI in classrooms shares some fun and inspiring moments of teachers adapting to the new reality. We hear from teachers who role modeled the use of as a tool or resource for students, or to generate amusing and weird curricula. This episode was produced by Andrew Meriwether and Jesse Dukes, and features research by Natasha Esteves, Chris Bagg, Andrew Meriwether, and Jesse Dukes. Original song "The AI is a Hummin...
Jul 02, 2024•48 min•Ep. 83
The Arrival of AI powered tools like ChatGPT (now GPT4) in schools has generated concerns that students would use the tool to bypass cognition, or, “cheat” as we colloquially call it. And, it appears many students are doing just that. Early on in our research project about generative AI’s arrival in schools, it seems that English, ELL, and Social Studies at upper levels are particularly likely to encounter students using AI, without permission, to complete assignments. Justin talks to Jesse Duke...
May 13, 2024•36 min•Ep. 82
Justin spoke at the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education in November of 2023. You can see his graphics and outline . tsl.mit.edu/AI/ has more generative AI related resources, including our SURVEY for educators , school leaders, students, and parents. Jesse Dukes is leading our current project about the experiences of teachers and students with generative AI this school year....
Apr 25, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 81
Today we share another great episode from our friends at Upper MiddleBrow. As students, parents, and teachers happily (or wrenchingly) returned to school, Upper MiddleBrow invited TeachLab host Justin Reich to talk about stories with teachers. They identify many examples of bad teachers and bad teaching in fiction, and while film and TV often present sympathetic teacher protagonists, they wonder if the Great American Teacher novel is yet to be written. Resources and Links Check out Upper MiddleB...
Nov 03, 2023•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 80
Civics 101 is a podcast refresher course on the basics of how the U.S. government works, born from the brain trust at New Hampshire Public Radio and hosted by Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice. This is the second part in their series about the state of civic education in the US. In this episode, TeachLab host Justin Reich joins the Civics 101 team to talk about how teachers choose what to teach, so-called "divisive concepts laws," and how we can approach disagreements without falling prey to "di...
Oct 27, 2023•30 min•Ep. 79
Civics 101 is a podcast refresher course on the basics of how the U.S. government works, born from the brain trust at New Hampshire Public Radio and hosted by Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice. Today is the first part in their series about the state of civic education in the US. In this episode, the Civics 101 team gauges how we're doing civics-wise and then delve into the perpetually controversial history of history; have we ever agreed upon a narrative for our nation that we can teach students...
Oct 20, 2023•29 min•Ep. 78
In our final episode in our Iterate series, we are joined by one of our favorite collaborators here at the Teaching Systems Lab: artist, creative professional and graphic recorder, Haley McDevitt. Haley is a master of listening, synthesizing, and creating visuals that support big ideas. And, Haley is the illustrator of our host Justin Reich’s new book, Iterate: The Secret to Innovation in Schools . Justin and Haley go behind the scenes to share the creative process for the book’s illustrations. ...
Oct 13, 2023•24 min•Ep. 77
This week on TeachLab, we continue our series of conversations with innovative educators with Mel Cheng, a lifelong educator and learner. Mel is the Director of Engagement at What School Could Be, and before that worked as a classroom teacher, technology facilitator and coach, and administrator at Hawaiʻi’s first public charter school for 23 years. A maker enthusiast, Mel believes that intentionally designing environments in which learners are free to tinker builds stronger communities and riche...
Oct 06, 2023•34 min•Ep. 76
This month on TeachLab, we’re releasing a series of conversations with innovative educators to celebrate the release of our host Justin Reich’s new book, Iterate: The Secret to Innovation in Schools . This week we’re lucky to be joined by Ronni Moore, an educator who is passionate about re-envisioning what school can be. Ronni is the director of high schools for Crystal House Indianapolis, and was part of the founding team of Purdue Polytechnic High School North, a design thinking high school in...
Sep 29, 2023•41 min•Ep. 75
This week, our host Justin Reich released his new book, Iterate: The Secret to Innovation in Schools . To celebrate the launch and dig into the themes of the book, we’re releasing a series of conversations with innovative educators. In this episode, we’re joined by Erik Burmeister, an award-winning teacher, principal, and superintendent who worked as a highly impactful educator in California for over 20 years before launching his strategic consulting firm, Solutionary Advisors. We talk with Erik...
Sep 22, 2023•51 min•Ep. 74
In the eighth and final episode of our series on Teacher Speech and the New Divide, we talk with Katie Rinderle, a 10 year veteran educator from Cobb County, Georgia. Katie is the first teacher in Georgia to be terminated for violating the state's divisive concept laws. What did Katie do? She went to a school book fair, sponsored by her school, and bought the best selling picture book, My Shadow is Purple, which touches on gender identity. Her 5th grade students selected the book for a read alou...
Sep 11, 2023•49 min•Ep. 73
In the seventh episode of Teacher Speech and the New Divide, we dive back into our exploration of book bans and challenges throughout the United States. We sit down with Jen Varney and Barb Fecteau of the Massachusetts School Library Association, to hear about how the current climate is impacting the lives of school librarians, and their strategies for navigating these times. And, we talk to Sabrina Baêta, Program Consultant from the Freedom to Read Program at PEN America to better understand th...
Aug 25, 2023•46 min•Ep. 72
In the sixth episode of Teacher Speech and the New Divide, we turn our attention to Guilford, Connecticut. Guilford is a small town with a big commitment to equity for their students, and serves as a microcosm for the debates surrounding schools in the US. Our host Justin Reich sits down with Amity Goss, Assistant Superintendent of Guilford Public Schools, to learn more about what’s happening in Guilford, how it impacts teachers, and the steps that the district is taking to support educators. An...
Aug 11, 2023•56 min•Ep. 71
In the fifth episode of our new series, Teacher Speech and the New Divide, we’re taking a look at book bans in schools. We head off to Florida, the epicenter of this conflict, to find out more about what books are being removed, how this affects students, teachers, and the community, and the actions that educators are taking in the face of these controversial transformations in school libraries and classrooms. Our host Justin Reich is joined by former teacher and educational researcher Natasha E...
Aug 04, 2023•43 min•Ep. 70
This week, we’re giving the floor to our friends Jesse Dukes and Chris Bagg at UpperMiddleBrow to share one of their summer reading episodes. You’ll listen to teachers offer their summer reading recommendations for teens, and a great conversation about teaching literature. Heads Up: UpperMiddleBrow is a little salty, so there might be a curse word here or there. If you like what you hear, be sure to jump over to UpperMiddleBrow and subscribe to hear more episodes. Upper Middlebrow Notes: We’re j...
Jul 20, 2023•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 69
In the fourth episode of our new series, Teacher Speech and the New Divide, we’re taking a look at autonomy. How much autonomy do K-12 teachers really have, how is teacher autonomy being reduced… and what’s being lost as a consequence? We share a profile of David Graf, a veteran educator from Woodland Park, Colorado. And, our host Justin Reich is joined by law professor Derek Black and education professor Sarah Kaka. Special thanks to our friends at Learning for Justice, and the Justice in Schoo...
Jun 30, 2023•41 min•Ep. 68
In the third episode of our new series, Teacher Speech and the New Divide, we take a look at a few of the recent court cases that impact teacher’s freedom of speech, like Kennedy v. Bremerton and Kluge vs. Brownsberg. Our host Justin Reich talks with Derek Black, Professor of Law at the University of South Carolina School of Law, Brock Boone, senior staff attorney at the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Sara O'Brien, researcher at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Special thanks to our frien...
Jun 23, 2023•43 min•Ep. 67
In the second episode of our new series, Teacher Speech and the New Divide, Justin takes a look at the history of teacher’s first amendment rights, with the help of experts Brock Boone, senior staff attorney at the Southern Poverty Law Center and Sara O'Brien, researcher at Harvard Graduate School of Education. And, we follow up with educator Dakota Morrison to hear about what happened next as he took on the history of gay rights in high school social studies class in Findlay, Ohio. Special than...
Jun 16, 2023•47 min•Ep. 66
Our host Justin Reich kicks off our new series, Teacher Speech and the New Divide. To get a sense of the current landscape of divisive content laws, we talk to Brock Boone, senior staff attorney at the Southern Poverty Law Center. Then, we’re joined by Sarah Kaka, Associate Professor and Writer/Researcher at Ohio Wesleyan University, who helps us understand how divisive laws are impacting teachers every day. And, Dakota Morrison shares his student teaching experience as a high school social stud...
Jun 08, 2023•40 min•Ep. 65
TeachLab is doing a crossover episode with the book podcast Upper Middlebrow hosted by Jesse Dukes and Chris Bagg. Justin Reich was invited on as their guest and are graciously letting us repost the episode under TeachLab. Upper Middlebrow Notes: We hit pause on recapping, and talk the intersection of education and technology with a genuine educational technologist, Professor Justin Reich (and the man who introduced Dukes + Bagg). Justin considers Stephenson’s take on the ancient debate about wh...
Jan 26, 2023•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 64
Our host Justin Reich wraps up our series on Subtraction in Action with his reflections, along with highlights from conversations about the act of subtraction with education thought leaders from around the country. “We're just not that good as human beings at thinking about subtractive solutions. We've thought about stuff that we could add, but have we really taken the time to think about things that we could subtract?” We hear highlights from conversations with: Nat Vaughn , Principal of the Bl...
Nov 18, 2022•38 min•Ep. 63
In our latest episode of Subtraction in Action, our host Justin Reich is joined by Researcher and Professor Matt Kraft to discuss his latest paper “Instructional Time in U.S. Public Schools: Wide Variation, Causal Effects, and Lost Hours”. Subtraction in action is all about getting the stuff that we don't need out of schools so we can focus on the most important things, and Matt’s research offers some promising targets. Matthew Kraft is an Associate Professor of Education and Economics at Brown ...
Nov 11, 2022•43 min•Ep. 62
Justin sits down with the wonderful and prolific Larry Ferlazzo, an English and Social Studies teacher, author and education blogger. How might subtracting field trip permission slips help address chronic absenteeism? Tune in to find out. Resources and Links Visit Larry Ferlzzo’s Website https://larryferlazzo.edublogs.org/ Follow Larry on Twitter @Larryferlazzo Watch our film We Have to Do Something Different Explore our Covid 19 Reports and Resources Get your copy of Justin Reich’s book Failure...
Nov 04, 2022•42 min•Ep. 61
