Will teachers go extinct?

The modern classroom’s most powerful feature is the modern teacher. Let’s get this out of the way first: an effective modern teacher uses technology as a tool, thinking more about teaching and learning than about technology.  When planning a lesson, he or she starts with the learning target. What do students need to know and be able to do? My colleague Shannon’s work as an online science teacher is focused on helping individual students meet learning targets — as is mine when I opt to use blogging software or other technological tools in my literature classroom.

That said, our roles are changing. In “TEACHING 2030,” we highlight trendlines already influencing public education. For example, students and teachers are navigating a transformed learning ecology linked to technological developments and the needs of 21st century employers. We are responsible for preparing students to determine fact from fiction in the mega-information age, and for readying them to create, communicate, and collaborate in a global marketplace. This requires us to learn too, and thankfully.

We now have access to powerful new tools to improve our teaching. The tools we use daily are drastically different than they were even five-10 years ago — and they can do a great deal to help us improve our practice. We can better manage and analyze student data. We can motivate students by connecting them with practical, real world applications of content standards: inquiry-driven research, Skyping with experts, or creating digital products. And swarms of teachers are using social networks and online tools to find mentors, solve problems, identify resources, and share their expertise. 

Brick-and-mortar schools will continue to be important to student learning. Many experts predict that economic and societal instability will intensify in our country, even as the global marketplace evolves. If we are to help all students succeed, we will likely need to invest schools as year-round, 24/7 hubs of learning. Teachers in brick-and-mortar schools will bridge online and offline learning, while also connecting students and their families to community services.

Many changes lie ahead for our students, our schools, and our profession. But I can promise you this: a caring, effective teacher — who is willing to learn and adapt — will never go extinct.