Is there still a role for "disciplines" in a post AI school environment

Disciplines should become relics of the past. Like ‘ancient philosopher” past. Not to say they aren’t an interesting group of themes by which to curate our knowledge. And not to say that we throw the knowledge out - it’s that studying by subject orientation limits a learners capacity to understand the interconnectedness of everything. Disciplines or subject areas in schools joust and jockey to emphasize their individual importance. Schools sometimes label themselves based on disciplines. A science focus school for example. And so if education was just about knowledge consumption then maybe disciplines are ok. Where disciplines fail is when you attempt to question big topics or engage an inquiry based method. It’s not possible to interrogate information and form an adequate response when you look at a problem through a single discipline lens. For example you cannot form a complete understanding of climate change when you look at it through purely a biology lens.

I believe it is about starting with thinking about what we believe we achieve in classrooms and measuring this against what the true outcomes of our efforts are; the things our students take away from our interactions with them and vice versa. Good teachers, effective teachers give students the experience of rewarding and balanced human relationships and mentoring. They engender team work, self care and inclusion. In terms of content and subject matter, this may be our focus but the lessons are about the quality and meaning of interactions.

Honestly don’t even think it’s about post-AI education - this has been a need for a very long time. It’s heartening to see educators striving for this more and more. Just hope the administrators and decision makers catch on soon.

Interesting question. The introduction to connectivity in the classrooms (with devices & web) transitioned the teacher from being The fount of all knowledge to the facilitator who connected students with the information they needed. This disruptive tech will have a similar impact. However, the teacher will become the guide who teaches the critical thinking skills at the forefront to then link to the information. Our learners will still need to be discerning users of data and the teachers who adapt will be the ones who will help our students navigate🫶

Many of us eschew the cultural baggage that comes with the label "teacher" - I like Erica McWilliam 's invocation of Meddler in the Middle.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/44028783_Teaching_for_creativity_From_sage_to_guide_to_meddler