Disrupting Class: Clayton Christensen

Disrupting Class offers an unusual perspective on innovation in education, with much of the thinking coming from outside education. Christensen considers what innovations education needs, and how these can be achieved by learning from major shifts in the business world, i.e. through disruptive innovations.

In his view, what is wrong with education is that it is monolithic: it requires students to move at a common pace through material which is aimed at a mind-set which is the generally accepted approach within a particular field. Students are grouped according to their age, and with greater or lesser success, work their way through a fixed curriculum at a set pace which probably does not suit most of the class members. The teaching itself is also not conducive to learning for all. For example, Mathematics teachers tend to think in the same way, because they have come through a system which has rewarded them for being able to think like their teachers, and so they are not very good at teaching other than in the same way themselves. Teachers are not usually open to other approaches which might incorporate other learning styles and intelligences.  This is contrary to the assertion that all students are different in terms of their strengths and weaknesses, and so would benefit from a pace and approaches which suits them specifically.

The solution to this situation is for each student to create a unique package for themselves out of various online courses or modules which are suited to their level and learning style. The role of the teacher would, in this kind of learning, be that of a facilitator who assists with the choice and implementation of these modules so that the student can derive the most benefit.

1: Watch this video: Clayton Christensen: Disrupting Class (4:58):

You can also read this article from the New York Times:  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/03/education/edlife/online-education-as-an-agent-of-transformation.html?_r=0

2: What do you think about this solution?Do you think that school needs teachers, classrooms, etc? Join the discussion group called 2.8 The Virtual School and share your thoughts on this.

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