SWPR Group

The presence or absence of screens is not the ultimate indicator of the quality of experiences. Instead, cognitive neuroscience tells us children need to do the hard work of actively retrieving what they know, exercise the skill they’re learning, engage in the right amount of productive struggle, and receive timely feedback.

Dr. Ran Liu developed her understanding of learning science at Carnegie Mellon University, where she contributed to the decades-long Project LISTEN research. In this episode of EdTech Insiders, host Alex Sarlin talks with Dr. Liu about how the intelligent reading tutor from Amira Learning draws on this interdisciplinary research project.

“When most people hear , they picture generative AI or large language models,” Dr. Liu says. “But not all AI is that. The most foundational student-facing AI in our product at Amira uses a large collection of specific, purpose-built, non-commercial models that are built in-house and really designed to fit a pedagogical experience that we want to create for kids to read out loud and to receive the just-in-time feedback and support that they need.”

This episode goes deep into the science—and we’re here for it! Much appreciation to our partners at Amira Learning and to Dr. Liu for making their extensive research approachable for everyone.

Hear the full episode at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1877869/episodes/19423122, starting at 59:45. For an experience that engages more of your own cognitive muscle, click on the transcript tab to read along.

Week in Edtech 6/24/26: Anthropic's $150M AI Workforce Push, Europe's AI Literacy Framework, $27M Social Media Lawsuit, EdSurge's Decline, AI Backlash, and More! Feat. Dr. Ran Liu of Amira Learning & Antonio Pietri of PowerSchool - Edtech Insiders Join hosts Alex Sarlin and special guest host Daniela Pico, Head of Platform at Forum Ventures, as they discuss the AI backlash, workforce transformation, AI literacy, social media regulation, and the evolving future of education technology.✨ Epis...