Nathan Lang-Raad, Ed.D
@drlangraad.bsky.social
Educator | Speaker | Author | CEO Raad Education | Innovateur pédagogique l previously worked @NASA | Learn more: 👉🏻 http://drlangraad.com
What kind of expertise are we trying to build? Are we creating tools that make teachers faster at tasks, or better at teaching? The answer will determine everything about how AI shapes education.
open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
The Goal of AI in Education Isn’t Productivity, It’s Better Teaching
As educators, we know that essential questions do more than launch a lesson; they cause us to think.
open.substack.com
October 21, 2025 at 5:26 PM
What kind of expertise are we trying to build? Are we creating tools that make teachers faster at tasks, or better at teaching? The answer will determine everything about how AI shapes education.
open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
My AI adoption advice to districts: start intentionally, move incrementally, lead with pedagogy, and “go slow to go fast.” Build teacher and leader capacity first, and let AI serve instruction; not the other way around. #edusky
October 14, 2025 at 8:40 PM
My AI adoption advice to districts: start intentionally, move incrementally, lead with pedagogy, and “go slow to go fast.” Build teacher and leader capacity first, and let AI serve instruction; not the other way around. #edusky
Super excited to share that I will be a keynote speaker at the Curriculum x AI Summit 2025 – a free, virtual event designed for public school educators.
You can see the full agenda and register here: www.toddleapp.com/events/curri...
You can see the full agenda and register here: www.toddleapp.com/events/curri...
October 10, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Super excited to share that I will be a keynote speaker at the Curriculum x AI Summit 2025 – a free, virtual event designed for public school educators.
You can see the full agenda and register here: www.toddleapp.com/events/curri...
You can see the full agenda and register here: www.toddleapp.com/events/curri...
The 4A's text protocol for the AI age. #edusky
Assumption: What's one assumption the AI made?
Agreement: What did AI get right? How do you know?
Argument: What's wrong or missing? What expertise did you need to catch this?
Aspiration: How would you revise the AI response to be accurate?
Assumption: What's one assumption the AI made?
Agreement: What did AI get right? How do you know?
Argument: What's wrong or missing? What expertise did you need to catch this?
Aspiration: How would you revise the AI response to be accurate?
October 6, 2025 at 8:36 PM
The 4A's text protocol for the AI age. #edusky
Assumption: What's one assumption the AI made?
Agreement: What did AI get right? How do you know?
Argument: What's wrong or missing? What expertise did you need to catch this?
Aspiration: How would you revise the AI response to be accurate?
Assumption: What's one assumption the AI made?
Agreement: What did AI get right? How do you know?
Argument: What's wrong or missing? What expertise did you need to catch this?
Aspiration: How would you revise the AI response to be accurate?
What moves AI from early adoption to systematic implementation?
#edusky
Read more here: open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
#edusky
Read more here: open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
The Instructional Triangle: Why AI Adoption Depends on Curriculum Coherence
The gap between trying AI and trusting it comes down to one thing: Does it strengthen or break the instructional system teachers already use?
open.substack.com
October 5, 2025 at 1:22 PM
What moves AI from early adoption to systematic implementation?
#edusky
Read more here: open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
#edusky
Read more here: open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
AI's evolution hasn’t been linear or predictable. Breakthroughs come where we least expect them, while “sure bets” stall. That jagged progress offers lessons for how we live, learn, and lead.
open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
The Planner's Trap and the Wanderer's Risk: What AI Teaches Us About Living Between Certainty and Surprise
We love our categories: planners versus risk-takers, strategists versus improvisers.
open.substack.com
September 13, 2025 at 8:41 PM
AI's evolution hasn’t been linear or predictable. Breakthroughs come where we least expect them, while “sure bets” stall. That jagged progress offers lessons for how we live, learn, and lead.
open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
I’d love to know how much cognitive work has shifted from creation to curation. We need research on how much time people spend polishing #AI outputs vs developing original thinking. How many of us are stuck in “design fixation,” trapped inside AI’s outputs instead of exploring our own perspectives?
September 1, 2025 at 6:19 PM
I’d love to know how much cognitive work has shifted from creation to curation. We need research on how much time people spend polishing #AI outputs vs developing original thinking. How many of us are stuck in “design fixation,” trapped inside AI’s outputs instead of exploring our own perspectives?
The $100M Wizard of Oz remake for the Las Vegas Sphere is not only an AI triumph but also a case study in how human creativity directs technology, raising urgent questions about authenticity, artistry, and the future of learning. #edusky #AI
Read more here: open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
Read more here: open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
What Educators Can Learn from Hollywood's Biggest AI Experiment
The Wizard of Oz opened at the Sphere this weekend, and I was able to get glimpses from YouTube and other media coverage.
open.substack.com
September 1, 2025 at 5:47 PM
The $100M Wizard of Oz remake for the Las Vegas Sphere is not only an AI triumph but also a case study in how human creativity directs technology, raising urgent questions about authenticity, artistry, and the future of learning. #edusky #AI
Read more here: open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
Read more here: open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
Math learning needs both inspiration and discipline. Explicit instruction, practice, fluency, and consolidation are essential. But mindset, low anxiety, and valuing mistakes (error correction) matter too. Both are supported by cognitive science. #edusky #mtbos #iteachmath
August 24, 2025 at 6:32 PM
Math learning needs both inspiration and discipline. Explicit instruction, practice, fluency, and consolidation are essential. But mindset, low anxiety, and valuing mistakes (error correction) matter too. Both are supported by cognitive science. #edusky #mtbos #iteachmath
New research shows students form human-like trust with AI systems, sometimes treating them more like mentors than tools.
Where do we draw the line between helpful and misleading design?
How do we protect students from over-anthropomorphizing AI?
Read more here 👉 open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
Where do we draw the line between helpful and misleading design?
How do we protect students from over-anthropomorphizing AI?
Read more here 👉 open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
Seemingly Conscious AI in Education: Building Tools, Not Digital People
Responding to Mustafa Suleyman’s urgent warning about Seemingly Conscious AI (SCAI).
open.substack.com
August 24, 2025 at 5:50 PM
New research shows students form human-like trust with AI systems, sometimes treating them more like mentors than tools.
Where do we draw the line between helpful and misleading design?
How do we protect students from over-anthropomorphizing AI?
Read more here 👉 open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
Where do we draw the line between helpful and misleading design?
How do we protect students from over-anthropomorphizing AI?
Read more here 👉 open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
I'm speaking at the @solutiontree.bsky.social Effective Coaching Institute in Orlando, September 22-24.
Transform how you coach individuals AND collaborative teams with proven tools and processes.
Register:
www.solutiontree.com/effective-co...
Hope to see you there!
Transform how you coach individuals AND collaborative teams with proven tools and processes.
Register:
www.solutiontree.com/effective-co...
Hope to see you there!
August 20, 2025 at 7:10 PM
I'm speaking at the @solutiontree.bsky.social Effective Coaching Institute in Orlando, September 22-24.
Transform how you coach individuals AND collaborative teams with proven tools and processes.
Register:
www.solutiontree.com/effective-co...
Hope to see you there!
Transform how you coach individuals AND collaborative teams with proven tools and processes.
Register:
www.solutiontree.com/effective-co...
Hope to see you there!
The Empathetic Edge: A Mindful Approach to Instructional Coaching (now available for pre-order)
This book offers practices for staying centered amid chaos, for understanding resistance as communication, and for building trust with overwhelmed colleagues.
open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
This book offers practices for staying centered amid chaos, for understanding resistance as communication, and for building trust with overwhelmed colleagues.
open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
When Speed Kills Connection (New Book!)
The Case for Empathetic Coaching
open.substack.com
August 16, 2025 at 6:25 PM
The Empathetic Edge: A Mindful Approach to Instructional Coaching (now available for pre-order)
This book offers practices for staying centered amid chaos, for understanding resistance as communication, and for building trust with overwhelmed colleagues.
open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
This book offers practices for staying centered amid chaos, for understanding resistance as communication, and for building trust with overwhelmed colleagues.
open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
Your students are already using AI. Are your policies helping or holding them back?
Drawing lessons from global regulatory models, I explore how local leaders can craft policies that are both structured and adaptable, prioritizing learning over liability. #edusky
open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
Drawing lessons from global regulatory models, I explore how local leaders can craft policies that are both structured and adaptable, prioritizing learning over liability. #edusky
open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
Your Students Are Already Using AI, Is Your Policy Helping or Hurting?
Your students are already using AI.
open.substack.com
August 9, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Your students are already using AI. Are your policies helping or holding them back?
Drawing lessons from global regulatory models, I explore how local leaders can craft policies that are both structured and adaptable, prioritizing learning over liability. #edusky
open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
Drawing lessons from global regulatory models, I explore how local leaders can craft policies that are both structured and adaptable, prioritizing learning over liability. #edusky
open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
Great conversation with Dr. Zach Groshell @mrzachg.bsky.social on his Progressively Incorrect podcast about AI and learning science in education.
Is AI really going to revolutionize teaching, or are we getting ahead of ourselves?
youtu.be/Wpew2dGMh0k?...
Is AI really going to revolutionize teaching, or are we getting ahead of ourselves?
youtu.be/Wpew2dGMh0k?...
S4E38: Nathan Lang-Raad on Learning Science and Artificial Intelligence
YouTube video by Dr. Zach Groshell
youtu.be
August 7, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Great conversation with Dr. Zach Groshell @mrzachg.bsky.social on his Progressively Incorrect podcast about AI and learning science in education.
Is AI really going to revolutionize teaching, or are we getting ahead of ourselves?
youtu.be/Wpew2dGMh0k?...
Is AI really going to revolutionize teaching, or are we getting ahead of ourselves?
youtu.be/Wpew2dGMh0k?...
What do students think about AI practice problems?
Researchers tested 543 AI-generated physics problems.
Students consistently chose ones with strategic cues without giving away answers, clear formatting requirements, and complete instructions. #edusky
arxiv.org/abs/2508.03085
Researchers tested 543 AI-generated physics problems.
Students consistently chose ones with strategic cues without giving away answers, clear formatting requirements, and complete instructions. #edusky
arxiv.org/abs/2508.03085
When AI Evaluates Its Own Work: Validating Learner-Initiated, AI-Generated Physics Practice Problems
Large language models (LLMs) can now generate physics practice problems in real time, yet the educational value of these items hinges on rapid, reliable post-generation vetting. We investigated which ...
arxiv.org
August 6, 2025 at 7:27 PM
What do students think about AI practice problems?
Researchers tested 543 AI-generated physics problems.
Students consistently chose ones with strategic cues without giving away answers, clear formatting requirements, and complete instructions. #edusky
arxiv.org/abs/2508.03085
Researchers tested 543 AI-generated physics problems.
Students consistently chose ones with strategic cues without giving away answers, clear formatting requirements, and complete instructions. #edusky
arxiv.org/abs/2508.03085
Educators are being asked to teach with AI before they’ve had time to truly learn how it works. We often assume adults are naturally self-directed. We offer tools, but not enough time. Resources, but not reflection.
August 5, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Educators are being asked to teach with AI before they’ve had time to truly learn how it works. We often assume adults are naturally self-directed. We offer tools, but not enough time. Resources, but not reflection.
New Stanford study: Students who learned most didn't click most, they clicked better (showed longer pauses, fewer clicks, and more intentional navigation).
EdTech must cultivate critical thinking, pattern recognition, and reasoning through ambiguity.
Read more: open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
EdTech must cultivate critical thinking, pattern recognition, and reasoning through ambiguity.
Read more: open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
The Quality of Engagement
What these students Revealed About Learning AI
open.substack.com
August 2, 2025 at 6:21 PM
New Stanford study: Students who learned most didn't click most, they clicked better (showed longer pauses, fewer clicks, and more intentional navigation).
EdTech must cultivate critical thinking, pattern recognition, and reasoning through ambiguity.
Read more: open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
EdTech must cultivate critical thinking, pattern recognition, and reasoning through ambiguity.
Read more: open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
Edtech companies building AI around proven pedagogical practices, maintaining educator agency, and demonstrating measurable learning outcomes are seeing stronger school partnerships and sustainable growth. #edusky
Read more here: drlangraad.substack.com/p/the-ai-imp...
Read more here: drlangraad.substack.com/p/the-ai-imp...
The AI Implementation Approach Every EdTech Company Needs
Lessons from Academic Research on Deliberate Integration
drlangraad.substack.com
July 27, 2025 at 1:22 PM
Edtech companies building AI around proven pedagogical practices, maintaining educator agency, and demonstrating measurable learning outcomes are seeing stronger school partnerships and sustainable growth. #edusky
Read more here: drlangraad.substack.com/p/the-ai-imp...
Read more here: drlangraad.substack.com/p/the-ai-imp...
New research revealed that students who struggled with "passive" AI chatbots (that only responded when prompted) significantly outperformed those who used "proactive" chatbots (that provided step-by-step guidance) when the AI was removed. #edusky
Post here 👉 open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
Post here 👉 open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
When AI Makes You Work: The Counterintuitive AI Chatbot Design Choice That Improves Learning
Picture two students working on the same challenging academic writing task.
open.substack.com
July 20, 2025 at 4:14 PM
New research revealed that students who struggled with "passive" AI chatbots (that only responded when prompted) significantly outperformed those who used "proactive" chatbots (that provided step-by-step guidance) when the AI was removed. #edusky
Post here 👉 open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
Post here 👉 open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
Students aren't just learning to use AI tools, they're renegotiating their relationship with intellectual effort, creativity, and authenticity. They're figuring out peer dynamics around AI use, wrestling with what "my work" means, and developing their own informal ethics around AI.
July 18, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Students aren't just learning to use AI tools, they're renegotiating their relationship with intellectual effort, creativity, and authenticity. They're figuring out peer dynamics around AI use, wrestling with what "my work" means, and developing their own informal ethics around AI.
Proud to endorse fellow Marzano Resources author Julia Simms powerful new book "Guide on the Side: Sequencing Instruction for Self-Regulated Learners."
Well done, Julia! 👏
Find her book here: www.amazon.com/Guide-Side-I...
Well done, Julia! 👏
Find her book here: www.amazon.com/Guide-Side-I...
July 18, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Proud to endorse fellow Marzano Resources author Julia Simms powerful new book "Guide on the Side: Sequencing Instruction for Self-Regulated Learners."
Well done, Julia! 👏
Find her book here: www.amazon.com/Guide-Side-I...
Well done, Julia! 👏
Find her book here: www.amazon.com/Guide-Side-I...
Students using ChatGPT significantly outperformed others on basic tasks, but 3 weeks later? All advantages disappeared. For complex thinking tasks, AI provided zero benefit. AI implementation strategy matters more than the technology itself. #edusky Read more here: open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
The Next Phase of AI in Education: Moving from Performance to Learning
Another study challenges our assumptions about AI tools in education.
open.substack.com
July 14, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Students using ChatGPT significantly outperformed others on basic tasks, but 3 weeks later? All advantages disappeared. For complex thinking tasks, AI provided zero benefit. AI implementation strategy matters more than the technology itself. #edusky Read more here: open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
New study: Teachers evaluating identical AI feedback showed significant variation in quality ratings.
We know feedback should be specific, timely, actionable. AI systems also need to account for: lesson context, student readiness, instructional goals.
Read more: open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
We know feedback should be specific, timely, actionable. AI systems also need to account for: lesson context, student readiness, instructional goals.
Read more: open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
What Teachers Disagree About When They Disagree About AI
New Research Reveals the Hidden Complexity of Quality Feedback
open.substack.com
July 5, 2025 at 6:42 PM
New study: Teachers evaluating identical AI feedback showed significant variation in quality ratings.
We know feedback should be specific, timely, actionable. AI systems also need to account for: lesson context, student readiness, instructional goals.
Read more: open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
We know feedback should be specific, timely, actionable. AI systems also need to account for: lesson context, student readiness, instructional goals.
Read more: open.substack.com/pub/drlangra...
New study on AI overreliance. We're not just dealing with AI dependency but accelerated erosion of thinking skills already under pressure. Learning is transformation, not transaction.
drlangraad.substack.com/p/overrelian...
drlangraad.substack.com/p/overrelian...
Overreliance on AI
What a New Study Reveals About Students and AI Overuse
drlangraad.substack.com
July 2, 2025 at 8:11 PM
New study on AI overreliance. We're not just dealing with AI dependency but accelerated erosion of thinking skills already under pressure. Learning is transformation, not transaction.
drlangraad.substack.com/p/overrelian...
drlangraad.substack.com/p/overrelian...