Episode 331: Erik Parsons

6 snips

Aug 3, 2025

Erik Parsons, known as The PhDad on TikTok, dives deep into the intersection of education, research, and parenting. He critiques the compliance-driven nature of many classrooms, advocating for a model that prioritizes collaboration and agency. Discussing the role of play and improvisational theater, Erik emphasizes the need for student discourse to reimagine learning environments. The dangers of over-relying on technology, like AI, are explored, calling for a balance between innovation and critical thinking. Ultimately, he challenges us to rethink if we’re preparing learners or mere performers.

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INSIGHT

Behaviorism vs Developmentalism

Behaviorism in education focuses on compliance and managing student behavior to produce expected outcomes.
Developmentalism centers on social learning through interaction, play, and giving students agency over their learning.

ANECDOTE

Flexible Environment Reduces Behavior Issues

Giving students flexible options like standing desks and social discourse reduces behavior issues.
Allowing agency and comfort supports learning over strict behavior management.

ADVICE

Use Tech to Assist Learning

Ask students if the technology they're using genuinely enhances their understanding and learning goals.
Guide students to use devices in ways that are assistive rather than distracting or maladaptive.

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Learning, Agency, and EdTech | Erik Parsons

In this episode of My EdTech Life, I reconnect with the brilliant Erik Parsons, better known as The PhDad on TikTok, for a bold conversation on what really matters in education. We dig into behaviorism vs. developmentalism, and how too many classrooms are still operating on compliance over collaboration.

From Chromebooks as babysitters to the over-promise of AI-powered personalized learning, we question the transactional mindset that keeps students locked out of agency. Erik shares how improvisational theatre, playground culture, and student discourse can reshape how we think about learning and how the classroom should feel more like a community than a factory.

We also break down the risks of cognitive offload when students rely on AI to do the thinking for them. Are these tools helping or harming? What does it really mean to teach with students, not to them?

Whether you’re a K-12 teacher, higher ed faculty, or policy maker, this episode challenges you to stop, think, and ask yourself: Are we preparing learners or performers?

00:00 – Welcome Back, Erik Parsons: The PhDad Returns
02:45 – The Story Behind "The PhDad" and TikTok Content
06:00 – Behaviorism vs. Developmentalism Explained
12:30 – The Power of Play, Agency, and Classroom Discourse
18:00 – What Developmentalism Looks Like in a Tech-Rich Classroom
24:00 – Are We Managing Students or Empowering Them?
30:00 – When Tech Becomes a Distraction Instead of a Tool
35:15 – Rethinking the Teacher's Role in EdTech
38:30 – Improvisation in Learning: From Theater to Classroom
43:00 – Personalized Learning or Programmed Learning?
48:20 – What Happens When Students Only Care About the Grade
51:00 – The “Banking Model” of Education and Why It Fails
55:00 – The Real Dangers of AI: Cognitive Offload and Student Dependency
01:01:00 – Supporting Neurodivergent Students with Ethical AI
01:05:00 – Final Thoughts: From Performers to Learners

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