How would you like to teach yourself, rather than have teachers? According to the UK1's Department of Education and Skills, students will teach themselves in the schools of the future. This means that there will be no more problems such as finding enough teachers.
Estelle Morris, the UK Education Secretary, opened the 2002 Educational Technology Conference2 in London recently. To start the conference, she presented a video3 showing a computer-generated4 model5 of the school of tomorrow.
Greater use of computer technology and classroom assistants will help students develop their own way of learning, Morris said. She added that this is a more exciting, as well as a more interesting, way of learning.
At the same time, teachers will be “freed from their traditional6 role7 as the source8 of all knowledge.”
Children of all abilities will “form the curriculum9 around their individual10 needs.” They will “learn in their own time, at their own speed and in their own environment11.”
At home or at school, they will follow their learning programmes12 by looking at online13 libraries and watching lessons by world-class teachers and subject experts14.
Instead of going on field trips, students will use virtual reality15. If they do not understand something, they can ask other students— “take part in virtual communities16 with learners with similar17 needs”—or e-mail their teachers. They will hand in their work electronically18 to be “auto-marked.”
The classroom of the future is fast becoming a reality.
And the Department of Education will soon produce a guide to help schools adapt buildings for new technology, Morris said. These ideas are based on the UK government's plan to create an education system that provides students with a strong grounding19 of knowledge and skills at primary school level and provides the chance for students to develop their individual skills at secondary school level.
Morris said that enabling students to follow study programmes to their own needs means that, in a class of 15-year-olds, some could be starting university learning while others were still learning to read and write.
（From 21st Century）
你觉得自己教自己而没有教师在场的学习是何情形？据英国教育与技术部透露，未来的在校学生将自己教自己。这就意味着师资不足等问题将不复存在。
英国教育部秘书爱丝特尔·莫里斯最近在伦敦主持召开了2002年教学技术年会。会议伊始，她放了一段影像，演示了由计算机生成的未来学校的教学模式。
莫里斯说，计算机技术与教学助手更广泛的应用可以协助学生开发形成各自的学习方法。她还说，这种学习方法不仅更加有趣，而且更易使人兴奋。
同时，教师将会“从知识源泉这一传统角色中解脱出来”。
各个能力不同的孩子将“按照个人需要编制课程表”。他们的学习将“由自己安排时间，自己控制进度，自己选择环境”。
无论在家里还是学校，他们都可通过查阅在线图书并观看世界一流的教师和有关专家所讲授的课程，按学习计划学习。
学生实习不需外出，而是通过虚拟现实实习。如果有什么不懂的问题，他们可以请教其他学生——“与那些具有类似需求的学习者一同参与虚拟社区活动”——或者给教师发电子邮件。他们将以电子邮件的方式交作业并被“自动评分”。
这种未来课堂正在快速走向现实。
莫里斯说，英国教育部很快就要制作一套指南来帮助学校改装教学大楼，以便适应新的技术要求。这些新观念的提出起源于英国政府创立一种新型教育系统的构想。这种系统旨在使学生们在小学阶段掌握扎实的基础知识和基本技能，在中学阶段开发个人技能。
莫里斯说，让学生根据自己的需要按计划学习的意思是：在一个年龄为15岁的班里，一些学生可能已开始学习大学课程，而其他学生却仍在学习识字和阅读。
1. UK（＝United Kingdom）联合王国，英国
2． conference n．会议
3． video n．录像
4． generate v．产生
5． model n．模型
6． traditional adj．传统的
7． role n．角色
8． source n．来源
9． curriculum n．课程
10． individual adj．个人的
11． environment n．环境
12． programme n．课程
13． online adj．在线
14． expert n．专家
15． virtual reality 虚拟现实
16． community n．社团，社会
17． similar adj．相似的，类似的
18． electronically adv．通过电子邮件
19． grounding n．基础教育，基础训练