AI, Executive Function, and the Classroom

Suzanne RogersBlog, Classroom Management, Innovation

Article Summary

AI is changing how students interact with learning, but its biggest impact may be on executive function.
This post explores how increased AI use can reduce opportunities for students to practice essential executive functioning skills like cognitive flexibility, emotional regulation, response inhibition, and working memory. Drawing on the work of executive functioning specialist Jodi Ridzi, it offers practical ways educators can intentionally support these skills while still using AI thoughtfully in the classroom.

  • AI is influencing how students learn and interact.
  • Executive function skills are foundational to learning and independence.
  • Many concerns about AI are actually executive function challenges.
  • AI tools often remove productive struggle and friction.
  • Key skills at risk include flexibility, regulation, inhibition, and working memory.
  • Naming executive function skills builds student awareness and metacognition.
  • AI should support learning, not replace human interaction.
  • Intentional design helps balance AI use with skill development.

AI, Executive Function, and the Classroom

As educators, we’re hearing more and more about how artificial intelligence is shaping childhood and learning. In fact, a recent Economist article suggested that AI is “rewiring childhood.” That phrase stuck with me—not because it felt alarmist, but because it reflects what many teachers are already seeing in classrooms.

At the same time, much of the conversation around AI in education focuses on tools, efficiency, and access. What often gets overlooked, however, is the impact AI has on how students develop the skills they need to learn and function independently.

This is where executive functioning comes in.

Much of the thinking in this post is informed by the work of Jodi Ridzi, a special education teacher and executive functioning specialist. Her reflections helped me connect broader concerns about AI to the day-to-day executive function demands students face in classrooms.

Executive Function Is Core to Teaching and Learning

First and foremost, executive functioning skills are not optional. They are foundational.

According to Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child, executive function includes the mental processes that help students plan, focus attention, remember instructions, regulate emotions, and adapt to change.

Because of this, executive function shows up constantly in classrooms—often whether we name it or not. Specifically, these skills influence:

  • Task initiation and completion

  • Student engagement and behavior

  • Group work and collaboration

  • Response to feedback

  • Independence and perseverance

As Jodi Ridzi emphasizes, many concerns being raised about AI—such as students avoiding disagreement, struggling with frustration, or preferring predictable interactions—are not motivation issues. Instead, they are executive function challenges.

 

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Executive Function Skills AI Doesn’t Ask Students to Use

While AI tools can be helpful, they often remove the very conditions where executive function develops. With that in mind, drawing from Jodi Ridzi’s work, it’s worth examining which skills students may not be practicing when AI becomes a primary interaction.

Cognitive Flexibility

To begin with, cognitive flexibility allows students to revise thinking, accept feedback, and adapt when expectations change.

In classrooms, this often looks like:

  • Revising writing

  • Adjusting to new directions

  • Collaborating with peers who think differently

However, AI tools tend to agree, adapt instantly, and remove disagreement altogether. As a result, students lose opportunities to practice flexible thinking.

Emotional Regulation

In addition, learning is inherently emotional. Students experience frustration, disappointment, and uncertainty on a regular basis.

As Jodi Ridzi points out, emotional regulation develops through navigating those feelings—not by avoiding them. When AI interactions always say “yes” or remove friction, they also remove opportunities for students to practice managing emotions.

Response Inhibition

Similarly, response inhibition—the ability to pause, wait, and think before acting—is a constant classroom demand.

Teachers see this skill at work when students:

  • Raise their hands

  • Wait their turn

  • Listen during discussions

  • Manage impulses

By contrast, AI interactions operate entirely on a student’s timeline. Consequently, there is little need for self-control or turn-taking.

Working Memory in Learning Contexts

Finally, working memory allows students to hold information while completing tasks, following directions, or participating in discussions.

Although AI tools allow students to restart or re-prompt endlessly, classrooms do not—and shouldn’t. That cognitive demand is part of meaningful learning.

Why Naming Executive Function Skills Matters

Given all of this, one of the most practical takeaways from Jodi Ridzi’s work is the importance of naming executive function skills in real time.

Rather than saying:

  • “Try harder.”

  • “Be patient.”

We can instead say:

  • “You’re using cognitive flexibility right now.”

  • “That’s emotional regulation.”

When we do this consistently, several things happen at once. Specifically, naming skills:

  • Makes learning visible

  • Builds student metacognition

  • Normalizes struggle

  • Supports SEL and MTSS frameworks

What This Looks Like in the Classroom

To put this into practice, consider a familiar scenario. A student becomes frustrated when group expectations change mid-activity.

Rather than addressing only behavior, we can reframe the moment as learning:

“Your brain is working hard right now. You’re using cognitive flexibility because the rules changed, and emotional regulation because that’s frustrating.”

Over time, as Jodi Ridzi explains, these moments help students recognize what executive function feels like—which, in turn, builds awareness and growth.

Creating a Shared Executive Function Language

As this language becomes more common, school culture begins to shift.

Instead of labeling students as:

  • “Defiant”

  • “Lazy”

We begin to recognize:

  • Flexibility challenges

  • Working memory overload

Importantly, this reframing—central to Jodi Ridzi’s approach—reduces stigma and allows educators to respond instructionally rather than reactively.

Balancing AI Use with Executive Function Development

At this point, it’s important to be clear: this is not about eliminating AI. Instead, it’s about being intentional.

Moving forward, educators can:

  • Use AI as a tool, not a replacement

  • Explicitly name executive function skills

  • Teach students what AI does not practice

  • Design learning that requires collaboration and discussion

  • Model executive function thinking aloud

Why This Matters Now

Ultimately, the Economist asked whether AI is disrupting childhood simply by doing what it’s designed to do. In schools, we’re seeing that disruption not in content knowledge—but in skill development.

Students still need:

  • Disagreement

  • Waiting

  • Adaptation

  • Reflection

These moments are not inefficiencies. Rather, they are how executive function develops.

AI can support learning. However, it cannot replace the human interactions that build the skills students need beyond school.

Thanks to the work of Jodi Ridzi, we’re reminded that when we intentionally name and prioritize executive functioning, we give students more than information—we give them self-awareness.

Attribution

This article is informed by and adapted from the work and writing of Jodi Ridzi, special education teacher and executive functioning specialist. Her insights on AI, childhood development, and executive functioning provided the foundation for this reflection.

Article Recap

  • Executive function is essential to teaching and learning.
  • AI can unintentionally reduce opportunities to practice these skills.
  • Cognitive flexibility, emotional regulation, inhibition, and memory matter.
  • Naming skills makes learning visible and reduces stigma.
  • Shared language shifts school culture.
  • AI should be used intentionally, not automatically.
  • Human interaction is still essential for skill development.

About Suzanne Rogers

Suzanne M. Rogers is an accomplished, passionate, technology-inspired educator, experienced conference presenter, and yoga enthusiast. She is the Assistant Director of Public Relations at LISA Academy Public Charter Schools. In addition to her 20 years of work in education, Suzanne also serves on the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts Educator Advisory Board, the UCA Executive Advisory Board, the UCA MAT Program Advisory Board, and the SAU ERZ Advisory.

Suzanne’s passion for education and her community is evident in her involvement in these organizations, where she works tirelessly to support students and educators. As an #ArmyMom and former #AFbrat, Suzanne brings a unique perspective to her work, understanding firsthand the sacrifices made by military families. Suzanne exemplifies dedication, expertise, and commitment to excellence.