Mr Barton Maths Podcast #216 AI in Education with Barbara Oakley
Mar 18, 2026
Barbara Oakley, distinguished engineering professor and learning-science author behind Learning How to Learn. She explores AI as a research partner and personal tutor, the risks AI poses for assessment, and how it can boost lesson planning and teacher development. She also discusses using frequent low-stakes testing, building foundational fluency, and the ethical challenges of AI in classrooms.
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Episode notes
Test More In Person To Counter AI Homework Help
- Test students more frequently and in-class to ensure they retain knowledge without access to generative AI.
- Use low-stakes, in-person assessments because homework and take-home tasks can’t reliably show what students actually know.
Foundational Knowledge Is Essential For AI Critique
- Oakley stresses that students must internalize foundational knowledge so they can critically evaluate AI outputs.
- She gives examples like medication dosing and multiplication tables where internal knowledge prevents dangerous or sloppy acceptance of AI answers.
Use AI To Automate Fluency Practice
- Use AI to support fluency-building practice by keeping tasks at the correct level and gamifying repetition.
- Leverage adaptive AI drills to build automaticity (like times tables) rather than abandoning rote practice for novelty.
