Education technology should expand teacher agency, not narrow it

The signal

Teachers need structure: curriculum, schedules, assessment requirements and shared resources. They also need professional room to select methods, examples, pacing and responses to learners. Technology can support either side of that balance.

What the evidence asks us to notice

• Editable output protects professional judgement.
• Transparent curriculum links support accountability.
• Rigid workflows can misread legitimate variation as error.
• Autonomy works best with strong preparation and collaboration.

The Asmbly lens

Asmbly should organise the work around teaching while keeping the teacher able to change the plan and record why the classroom needed something different.

A necessary limit

Autonomy should not be used to abandon teachers without resources or support. Freedom and system responsibility have to coexist.