http://www.startribune.com/farmington-chanhassen-high-schools-try-going-without-substitute-teachers/343250462/
This article focuses on the possibilities of going without substitute teachers but instead giving students time to work on independent projects. It was interesting to read how each side crafted their arguments to suit their situation.
The head of the TOC agency (tasked with giving TOCs work) made it sound that independent learning time was not educationally sound and they needed supervision and guidance.
A substitute teacher used parents’ wishes for face-to-face guidance to discount the initiative.
The administration touted cost savings and the cultivation of independence in the students. One administrator also called TOCs babysitters.
The key to this initiative is that each student is assigned a digital device to work on. Therefore, if there is independent learning time, they can go to work on those devices. Another consideration is that they must have one or several online-based assignments already if they know to go to the commons and work on them. The worries about supervision and misconduct are probably not a big issue because there is always a teacher or counselor nearby to keep watch (the commons is right beside the administrative offices).
Other than it puts TOCs out of work, it seems like a positive initiative if the supports are in place for effective learning (technology, prior guidance, etc.) They haven't gone as far as replacing the regular teacher yet, but I can see the role of the teacher beginning to change in this scenario. The teacher becomes more of a learning coach than an instructor.
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/creative-destruction-ongoing-relevance-teachers-don-wettrick
This article was more about teachers becoming irrelevant to education. With all the information available at our fingertips, teachers are no longer needed to deliver content. The term creative destruction, was coined by German sociologist Werner Sombart, who defined it as:
The process of industrial mutation that incessantly revolutionizes the economic structure from within, incessantly destroying the old one, incessantly creating a new one.
Simply put, innovation is destroying jobs. So will innovation soon render teachers irrelevant in education? The author explains various ways in which teachers will continue to be relevant. He suggests that it all depends on how we view the teacher’s role. I liked two of the points he mentions specifically:
… how do we justify a "factory model" classroom when very few of these jobs exist?
Do we place a priority on memorizing facts and figures?
I think these are two of the questions we are asking in today’s curriculum development initiatives. We are trying to teach students the skills they need to acquire the information and knowledge necessary for their future careers. Some of these careers don't even exist yet! I don't see teachers becoming irrelevant any time soon. I do, however, see their place in education changing and becoming more supportive in nature.
However, if we are teaching students to be creative and innovative, are we teaching ourselves out of a job? :)