AI That Learns From You: The Future of Teachable Agents in Education with Adam Franklin

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In this special episode, Alex sits down with Adam Franklin, our very first guest on EdTech Insiders, who returns three years later with an exciting new venture.

Adam is a former high school history teacher turned edtech entrepreneur. He previously taught at YES Prep Brays Oaks HS in Houston, TX and coached the varsity soccer team. Adam earned a masters degree in Learning, Design, and Technology from Stanford GSE in 2016 where he also served as a researcher and writer for the Stanford History Education Group. In 2017, he joined Nearpod, then a Series A startup, to help lead the content arm of the business where he stayed through their $650M acquisition by Renaissance in 2021. In early 2024, Adam left Nearpod to join the Teaching Lab Studio as a fellow to build out innovative products at the intersection of AI and Education, with StudyBuds, a teachable agent practice platform, being his primary focus.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. How AI-powered teachable agents help students learn by teaching.
2. Why AI can boost engagement and deeper learning in classrooms.
3. The limitations of multiple-choice assessments and AI’s role in fixing them.
4. How AI can co-create with students instead of just giving answers.
5. Why venture studios like Teaching Lab Studio are investing in AI-powered learning.

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:01:18] Adam Franklin’s journey from teacher to edtech founder.
[00:06:46] How teachable agents create interactive student practice.
[00:12:39] Training AI to “not know” and learn from students.
[00:16:56] The Pokémon effect—why students love training AI characters.
[00:22:57] Why students outsource thinking and how AI can change that.
[00:31:23] StudyBuds aligns with curricula to support teachers.
[00:37:20] Inside Teaching Lab Studio’s unique edtech venture model.
[00:44:48] The future of AI in education and multimodal learning.

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🎉 Presenting Sponsor:

This season of Edtech Insiders is brought to you by Starbridge. Every year, K-12 districts and higher ed institutions spend over half a trillion dollars—but most sales teams miss the signals. Starbridge tracks early signs like board minutes, budget drafts, and strategic plans, then helps you turn them into personalized outreach—fast. Win the deal before it hits the RFP stage. That’s how top edtech teams stay ahead.

This season of Edtech Insiders is once again brought to you by Tuck Advisors, the M&A firm for EdTech companies. Run by serial entrepreneurs with over 25 years of experience founding, investing in, and selling companies, Tuck believes you deserve M&A advisors who work as hard as you do.

Chapters

1. AI That Learns From You: The Future of Teachable Agents in Education with Adam Franklin (00:00:00)

2. Adam Franklin’s journey from teacher to edtech founder. (00:01:49)

3. How teachable agents create interactive student practice. (00:07:17)

4. Training AI to “not know” and learn from students. (00:13:33)

5. The Pokémon effect—why students love training AI characters. (00:17:50)

6. Why students outsource thinking and how AI can change that. (00:23:51)

7. StudyBuds aligns with curricula to support teachers. (00:32:17)

8. Inside Teaching Lab Studio’s unique edtech venture model.
 (00:38:14)

9. The future of AI in education and multimodal learning. (00:45:42)