Disrupting Class
by, Clayton M. Christensen
First, I would like to clarify that this book is not about disruptive students or keeping your class on task; instead it is about disrupting the current set up of the education system to improve it for student-centric learning and state budgets. Currently, schools are set up in such a way that standardizes the way of teaching versus customizing education to complement the way individual students learn. The book discusses the fault in education that it requires students to think in one particular way which may be difficult for certain students. This style frustrates students because it makes content inaccessible to students that have strength in other intelligences or different learning styles. Instead, there needs to be a shift to students-centric, or centered, learning that awakes intrinsic motivation in our students. This shift, according to Christensen would be best brought about in a disruptive style.
The disruptive model is a model that has been demonstrated in business time and time again. The disruptive model includes creating a product that caters to the non-consumption market. It creates something that fills a need that the market did not know they had. In the case of education it is a flipped classroom where technology is the main source of content and the teacher acts as a mentor to each individual student. The main aspects of the disruptive model emphasize the use of the product and to be cost effective. Since the product caters to a non-consumption market, the quality of the product is not competing with anything else; this allows the new product to be cost effective. It takes a little while for the market to catch on but once it catches on, the consumption rockets, creating an "S-curve" of consumption.
It is important for the disruptive model to take place because school's have been using the same type of teaching and applying it to new standards and jobs that the states and nation is requiring the school system to fulfill. The new expectations and jobs and new technology tools demand a new way of teaching, but still, schools are implementing old methods to new material. What schools have been doing is "cramming" new technologies into old styles of teaching, instead of reinventing classrooms and using the technology to compliment the way students learn individually. Cramming the technology into the existing classrooms does not work because it is not fully benefiting from the new features. Technology allows for classrooms to be individualized and create custom learning experiences for students.
Why not teach students in the way that best works for them? There are many reasons; teacher's job security, fear of change, unions etc... All of these factors combine to create a resistance to shifting into student-centric learning environments in our schools. Student-centric learning changes the face of education in ways that benefit students for the futures they are going to be using their education in. At the beginning of this book I was understanding and supportive of the disruptive model, however, as the book went on to discussing how to integrate and use technology to benefit our students, I felt as if there was a step missing to flip and disrupt the current style of teaching. All of the ideas and changes are beneficial and would positively change the current school system; the step I feel that is missing is flipping the classroom to student-centered learning before integrating the technology.
Right now, many classrooms are set as teacher-centered instruction. Just now in our educational world, educators are beginning to see the benefits of student-centered learning. This shift needs to take place before technology can be fully integrated into our school system as the central form of education. This shift needs to happen first because as teachers shift their classrooms to be more student-centered they will naturally begin to see and use the benefits of technology to help them succeed in customizing their students' education. This will integrate technology naturally into the classrooms and disrupt the current education system.
Hi Alyssa, I definitely agree with you that there needs to be a disruptive model that takes place in the school in order to teach today's students. Many of today's students grew up around technology and are very comfortable with it, so why not use it to their advantage? I think incorporating technology into schools is a necessity. I know a pair of 4 year olds who both know how to use an itouch. One of them regularly plays computer games and can set up his Wii gaming system. I didn't even learn how to use a computer until 5th grade! These 4 year olds are digital natives so I think by incorporating technology they will learn content a lot better. I still think teachers are really important but technology can definitely help the teacher in their teaching and students in their learning.
ReplyDeleteHi Alyssa. I like what you said about classes needing to be student centered instead of teacher centered. I completely agree with this. I do think that this is partially what the book was trying to say though. In other words, integrating software and computers into the curriculum should go hand in hand with changing the focus of classrooms to be more student centered. I'm not sure that one needs to come before the other either. In fact, it seems to me though as using computers and software at the same time as we are chaning our assessment philosophies might be easier as we are employing tools that make the process easier.
ReplyDeleteHello Alyssa, you arrived at a point I struggled with in the reading. It seems student centered-learning is so clearly beneficial yet there is so much hesitation towards change. It is curious why there has not been this type of "revolution." There are the economic and culture factors, which make me wonder if this is really possible. I liked your initial breakdown of the word disruption, because it shows the temperamental nature of the school system. From the text, and your analysis, I got to think more about the struggle of helping students and sticking with older methods and curriculum.
ReplyDeleteAlyssa, nicely done! I feel like we all see our students from a very personal level, so looking at the whole system, especially as an economic system seems pretty foreign. I think we all can see that the student-centric approach is the right way to go, but I think your comment about the teachers and their fears of job security, is completely true. There are a lot of teachers out there who are going to resist change. There are a lot that will embrace it, too. But I feel the swing teachers are the ones pivotal to change. These are the teachers that agree with the cause but are hesitant to utilize it in their classrooms.
ReplyDeleteWell put Alyssa, I feel I understand the book better now that I've read your blog. I like your initial clarification that the book is not for disruptive students, I wondered that myself. I agree that the shift to student-centered learning needs to take place before technology can truly be integrate; teachers often fight change, keeping their class archaic and ineffective.
ReplyDeleteHi Alyssa! Great post! Although, I'm not sure I agree that we need to change teaching styles before we can incorporate more technology. I think that technology can help push teachers into that direction. If we have tablets at each student's desks then good teachers will naturally find more student center activities to teach and engage students!
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