The concept of gradually scaffolding performances within the classroom, while increasing student autonomy along the way is not a new one. In fact I have seen this described in a variety of pedagogical models (gradual release of responsibility; I do, we do, you do; and the workshop model). In essence, each of these teaching structures are asking students to do more and more of the work on their own as they gain increasingly complex knowledge and skills.
While I believe a sequence of performances leading to increased autonomy to be a beneficial one; I also feel it can become a way of disguising traditional classroom learning, especially if the work being asked of students does not ask them to "stretch their minds." With that said, I also believe that the utilization of new technologies and increasingly autonomous performances that are connected to target goals could be a source for transformational change within the classroom. Unfortunately, incorporating new technologies into their pedagogical toolkit is no small task for the typical classroom teacher. This problem becomes further complicated when teachers must first learn the new technology themselves and then guide their own students through how to use the technology.
I would suggest that if this way of learning is to occur teachers need to receive their own sequence of professional development performances that allow them to learn the new technologies and how to teach them (when necessary) to their students.
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