November 9, 2026
Cultivating Curious Minds in the Age of AI
Decades of research tell us that learning is grounded in experience, human connection, and deep engagement. Whether you’re a young learner or an adult trying something new, relying on a tool to complete a task before you’ve developed foundational skills undermines the learning process itself.
In the first of a series exploring AI and education on Hooray For Monday, we hear from Jason Gray, head of Capitol Hill Day School in Washington, DC, discuss how schools decide which innovations to embrace, where to be cautious, and what to preserve about how children learn and develop.
Jason draws an important distinction between the process of learning and the product. AI can help educators explore ideas and develop lessons. But for young learners still building foundational skills, shortcuts take away valuable learning experiences that get in the way of critical thinking, curiosity and discovery.
As Jason puts it, “I don’t think we should try to make learning more efficient.”
Children learn through play, exploration, relationships, and struggle. Those experiences take time — lots of time — and they’re essential to learning.
Jason also raises a larger question: What is education ultimately for? He recalls an eighth grader who described what they would take away from school: learning how to be in community with others.
It’s a reminder that education is about more than getting the right answer. It’s about cultivating curious, thoughtful people.
One thing to consider this week
Consider lessons where students work toward an answer or finished product. Where does the most important learning happen: in the answer or the process? Does technology deepen students’ thinking, or could it shortcut their learning?
This week, try giving students more time to work through a challenging question before offering a hint or tool. Notice what they discover.
Here’s to a week of nurturing curiosity, making room for struggle, and remembering that learning takes time.
Eric Hollister Williams Communications & Marketing Advisor
Resource of the Week
During our conversation, Jason shared several articles, podcasts, and researchers that have helped shape his thinking about technology, education, and child development. These resources offer varying perspectives on how innovation can be in service of learning — not all believe it can be.
Perspectives from school leaders (Blog)
- What Are Humans For? (Chris Balme): A reflection on what makes us human and what that means for education.
Podcasts on technology and learning (Podcasts)
- Rethinking School in the Age of AI: A Center for Humane Technology conversation about AI, education, and what children need to thrive.
- The Digital Delusion: A National Association of Independent Schools podcast on digital technology, the developing brain, and student learning.
Hooray For Monday is an award-winning weekly publication of Center for Inspired Teaching, a social change nonprofit organization that champions the power of curiosity and is dedicated to transforming the school experience from compliance-based to engagement-based. Inspired Teaching provides transformative, improvisation-based professional learning for teachers that is 100% engaging – intellectually, emotionally, and physically.
