Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns

by Clayton M. Christensen, Curtis W. Johnson, Michael B. Horn

Selected as one of the "Best Books on Innovation, 2008" by BusinessWeek magazine Named the "Best Human-Capital Book of 2008" by Strategy + Business magazine A crash course in the business of learning-from the bestselling author of The Innovator's Dilemma and The Innovator's Solution … "Provocatively titled, Disrupting Class is just what America's K-12 education system needs--a well thought-through proposal for using technology to better serve students and bring our schools into the 21st Century. Unlike so many education 'reforms,' this is not small-bore stuff. For that reason alone, it's likely to be resisted by defenders of the status quo, even though it's necessary and right for our kids.
We owe it to them to make sure this book isn't merely a terrific read; it must become a blueprint for educational transformation."
--Joel Klein, Chancellor of the New York City Department of Education “A brilliant teacher, Christensen brings clarity to a muddled and chaotic world of education.”
--Jim Collins, bestselling author of Good to Great According to recent studies in neuroscience, the way we learn doesn't always match up with the way we are taught. If we hope to stay competitive-academically, economically, and technologically-we need to rethink our understanding of intelligence, reevaluate our educational system, and reinvigorate our commitment to learning. In other words, we need “disruptive innovation.” Now, in his long-awaited new book, Clayton M. Christensen and coauthors Michael B. Horn and Curtis W. Johnson take one of the most important issues of our time-education-and apply Christensen's now-famous theories of “disruptive” change using a wide range of real-life examples. Whether you're a school administrator, government official, business leader, parent, teacher, or entrepreneur, you'll discover surprising new ideas, outside-the-box strategies, and straight-A success stories. You'll learn how

Genres: Education, Business, Nonfiction, Teaching, Economics, Technology, Buisness

288 pages, Hardcover

First published May 14, 2008

About the author

Clayton Magleby Christensen was an American academic and business consultant who developed the theory of "disruptive innovation", which has been called the most influential business idea of the early 21st century. Christensen introduced "disruption" in his 1997 book The Innovator's Dilemma, and it led The Economist to term him "the most influential management thinker of his time." He served as the Kim B. Clark Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School (HBS), and was also a leader and writer in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was one of the founders of the Jobs to Be Done development methodology.
Christensen was also a co-founder of Rose Park Advisors, a venture capital firm, and Innosight, a management consulting and investment firm specializing in innovation.

Reviews

[LB · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strange to be reading this book, whose theme is built on the foundation that instruction needs to be highly individualized because students learn differently, right after Why Students Don't Like School which makes it clear that everyone learns in basically the same way. In Disrupting Class, Christensen briefly cites Gardner, and moves on. In the latter book author Daniel Willingham, a cognitive psychologist, thoroughly backs up the statement that we all learn in essentially the same way, debunking some of Gardner's work.

While I have subscribed to the idea that we all learn differently during all of my teaching career, Willingham's argument is the stronger of the two--by far.

Christensen's attitude makes this book difficult to tolerate. He comes off as a maverick-y outsider who had a brilliant vision that no one else saw. He wrote that his colleagues came to him and asked him to use his business superpowers to analyze the problems in education. And Christensen thinks he has the answer.

It's important to note that chapter 2 is definitely worth reading. He describes the history of education in this country in a unique and worthwhile way. He also explains the disruptive innovation theory. I learned a great deal.

However, I've just finished Chapter 4 and am feeling like no other part of the book is worth the time to read. I'm not ready to quit the book yet, but I don't know how much more of this ride I can sit down for. The state of best practice instruction today is not as he describes it: monolithic. And his understanding of assessment in schools is not accurate. We don't test after the unit and shrug if students don't do well. We test before, during, and after a unit of study. Our assessments are variable and frequent. And with RtI, we are able to provide support for students who struggle.

Learning is a social activity. It is best done with people--classmates and teachers--not computers. "No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship." I agree with this idea of James Comer, but I don't think he had the HAL 9000 in mind.

[Leah Sciabarrasi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book serves as a map for me- it helps me to see where we have been, where we are, and the path we need to take to get to where we want to be. The authors clearly point out that everyone is wired differently, and we are doing a disservice by not providing students the opportunity to learn through different methods, with different styles, and at different paces. One thing is clear, this doesn't mean that anyone is stupid.

There is one implementation that can help service this model- computer based learning. Now, up until now we haven't been using it correctly- we have only been using it to service a present model. We need to restructure it to service a new model- modular architecture. Basically, students would follow a "Toyota Assembly Line Training" style- they cannot move on until they have mastered the task. And they have to spend the same amount of time they took to learn it to practice it before they can move on.

We need to dump textbooks- they are developed by experts with one intelligence for non-experts with multiple intelligences.They are filled with 100s of pages that will never be read- and they usually don't include multiple perspectives, multimedia, or interactivity.

The authors also discuss the issues that we have to contend with- student mobility, immigrants, low-income families, and how to help heal these issues, not just bandage them up.

[Kate · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolutely terrible. The one thing I learned from this book: If you're going to write a book about the American educational system and how to "fix" it, make sure you learn how it currently works. Otherwise, you end up looking like an idiot.

[A.D. Hoang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Không chỉ Giáo dục Việt Nam, mà Giáo dục toàn cầu đã trở nên bế tắc. Không phải chỉ mấy năm gần đây, mà từ cả trăm, cả ngàn năm rồi. Bất kể ở bán cầu nào của thế giới, bất kể trang thiết bị lạc hậu hay công nghệ tối tân và sự tài trợ như vũ bão, thì người ta vẫn kêu gào về Giáo dục thảm thiết như nhau cả. Nếu không tin rằng đọc câu chuyện ở Mĩ, Phần Lan hay Pháp mà cũng giống như chuyện ở Việt Nam, thì bạn không nên đọc cuốn này.

Clayton M. Christensen là Giáo sư Kinh doanh tại Harvard Business School, người nổi tiếng với học thuyết “Disruptive innovation - đổi mới đột phá” (trong cuốn sách đầu tiên, cùng tên), và sau này là cuốn sách “The Innovator’s Dilemma - Thế lưỡng nan của nhà đổi mới”, được mệnh danh là một trong những tư tưởng có ảnh hưởng nhất tới giới kinh doanh đầu thế kỷ 21.

B.Horn là học giả, diễn giả về chủ đề tương lai của giáo dục. Ông làm việc với nhiều tổ chức để cải thiện cuộc sống học đường của từng đứa trẻ. Curtis W.Johnson là một giáo viên, hiệu trưởng, sau đó là người đứng đầu một cơ quan nghiên cứu về mối quan hệ với các khối công (phục vụ cho việc tư vấn chính sách), và rồi lãnh đạo Education Evolving (Tiến hoá Giáo dục), một mạng lưới của các nhà phân tích chính sách và hoạt động giáo duc.

Kinh nghiệm giáo dục của Horn, Johnson kết hợp với cách tiếp cận của Christensen đã làm nên thành công cho cuốn sách này. Hai tuyệt chiêu của Christensen: Disruptive (đột phá) và Dilemma (lưỡng nan) đã được mở rộng sang sân chơi giáo dục. Cách thức đổi mới giáo dục được gợi ý từ việc vận hành tổ chức một cách hiệu quả nhất. Các nhóm “liên chức năng”, nhóm “hạng nhẹ”, nhóm “hạng nặng”, nhóm tự quản… hay những động thái tái cấu trúc học thuật… đều là sự thực hành những phương thức quản trị tinh gọn và tiên tiến nhất.

Đây xứng đáng là sách gối đầu giường cho mọi nhà giáo dục, đặc biệt là các nhà quản lý giáo dục.

[Joshua · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is an idea I've been hearing over and over again in many different contexts, and this book brings it up again in the context of education.

It has been said that there is no perfect Pasta Sauce.... For years the companies that produce past sauce had been trying to perfect the single perfect pasta sauce through extensive research and taste testings, and to then market it accordingly. Of course, we not realize that there are, in fact, three! Regular, Spicy, and Extra Chunky. A full third of the population had been hankering for Extra Chunky pasta sauce for years, and no one had bothered to provide it for them.

One premise of "Disrupting Class" is that this same mistake has been perpetuated through decades of educational research. There are, of course, many different kinds of learners -- yet education research continues to search for the perfect school environment, instructional methodology, etc. Our problem is that we are still, over 100 years after the invention of the local school house, teaching with a one-size-fits-all approach. Each school should be able to accommodate all of its students, we often assume -- but, this is simply never the case.

First, we much divide students by their learning modalities, then allow each child to learn in the ways that that child learns best. (And rarely is this method the lecture.) The book proposes the future of computer software as a solution to this differentiation problem -- a point of view I am naturally very fond of -- by allowing the student to guide him/herself through an interactive, online curriculum at their own pace, using the student's preferred methodology, with Teacher as tutor and guide, instead of lecturer.

Secondly, the book (with it's principle author coming from the business world) borrows from the author's previous theory of Disruptive Innovation, applying those ideas to this future of a software-based education system. It says, in a nut shell, that innovation comes from products that first apply to needs that are not met by the entrenched industry. For example (I think I have this example right), the Macintosh began as a personal gaming machine. Had it attempted to directly compete with the existing minicomputers of the age, it would have been crushed, but instead it went after a previously non-existant market. As the Macintosh matured, it expanded its utility until it eventually lead to the destruction of all the mincomputers (which is why most people have probably never heard of a minicomputer).

In the case of education, the idea is that it will never change it's methods regardless of how much technology is thrown at it because it is too institutionally entrenched. No matter how many computers we put in classrooms, they are just a new kind of paper, or a new way to do research -- they do not change the WAY that students learn, or the WAY in which teachers interact with their students (although this is just beginning to change).

The book points out that many high schools throughout the country (especially small rural ones) are using software to provide courses that they simply do not have the teachers to support (AP courses are at the top of this list). It contends that, as the software continues to improve, schools will be using it more and more to augment their curriculum. Eventually, the software will reach a point that educators bring it into their classrooms to replace the existing instruction little by little.

It is a very interesting point of view that the book suggests, one that I'm inclined to hope for. There are various charts and tables of data to support the idea that software is a disruptive innovation in education, and suggestions as to how to encourage this transition. All in all, a very interesting read -- though I find it's predictions a little overly optimistic overall.

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

REALLY liked it! And so I remember them in their words, here are their 5 major messages in the book (which they sourced with great stories and studies):

1. Few reforms have address the root cause of students' inability to learn. And most attempts have not been guided by an understanding of the root reasons for why the system functions as it does or how to predictably introduce innovation into it. Without this guidance, we've been destined to struggle. This also means, however, that we now have an opportunity for great progress.

2. School reformers have repeatedly tried to bash the system and confront it head-on. A major lesson from our studies of innovation is that disruptive innovations does not rake root through a direct attack on the existing system. Instead, it must go around and underneath the system. This is how disruption drives affordability, accessibility, capability, and responsiveness.

3. If we acknowledge that all children learn differently, then the way schooling is currently arranged--in a monolithic batch mode system where all students are taught the same things on the same day in the same way--won't ever allow us to educate children in customized ways. We need a modular system.

4. Some of the places with the highest potential to circumvent the system and create a new, modular education system that facilitates customization are emerging online user networks--the equivalent of the autonomous business until we describe in Chapter 9. When the decision-making process for what is adopted in schools is centralized, as it currently is, there are so many powerful political and other forces at play that it makes change and customization nearly impossible. But user networks will democratize development and purchase decisions to the end users in the system--students, parents, and teachers. Smart people will do smart things if we just enable them to do so.

5. Finally, to the extent administrators and school leaders want to implement these changes, they have to use the tools of power and separation. Using these tools is easiest in the chartered and private school sectors. This means that school committees and government officials need to view themselves as not being responsible for the specific schools that exist in their jurisdictions; rather they are responsible for educating the children in those areas. Systemic reform requires a systemic view--one that includes all schools. If indeed the charter for educators is to eliminate poverty by leaving no child behind, the homes in which children's fundamental learning capacities are forged are critical as well.

I love their emphasis on student-centric learning and on how technology can power it--if we both get out of the way and shape the way!

[vorthys · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's some outstanding stuff in here, but it's surrounded by an awful lot of hand waving.

[Duong Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christensen có hai từ khóa làm thành thương hiệu: Đột phá (Disrupt) và Lưỡng nan (Dilema). Ông đã mang hiểu biết của mình về hai từ khóa này khai sáng không biết bao nhiêu nhà đổi mới, nhà kinh doanh, nhà lãnh đạo khắp nơi bốn biển. Nay đến lượt giáo dục.
Giáo dục toàn cầu lâm vào khủng hoảng, không riêng gì Việt Nam. Ngay cả ở một nơi đầy rẫy các sáng kiến, các công nghệ tối tân, các nhà khoa học sáng chói, các sáng chế có thể bán tỉ tiền, các nhà cải cách với đầy đủ đam mê, với đầy đủ các mạnh thường quân sẵn sàng rót tỉ đô để làm lợi cho quốc gia, dân tộc, thì giáo dục vẫn cứ là lĩnh vực thường xuyên hát bài "vũ như cẫn".
Chương 9 là một chương đặc sắc. Không phải vì nó là chương cuối cùng (final) mà là chương tận cùng của quan điểm(utlimate). Đó là chương có giá trị toàn cầu. Đọc chuyện ở Mĩ như là kể chuyện Việt Nam, chuyện Phần Lan mới nổi, hay chuyện Pháp già nua. Các nhà giáo, các nhà đổi mới năng nổ đến mấy, uyên bác cỡ nào rồi cuối cùng đều va phải cái thứ mà mỗi nơi gọi tên một kiểu, chỗ thì "tổ chức", chỗ thì "cơ chế", chỗ thì "hệ thống". Mọi ý tưởng đều tắc ở đấy.
Christensen, một lần nữa, chỉ ra những sáng kiến từ cách thức vận hành các tổ chức hiệu quả bậc nhất, từ những lí thuyết tổ chức sáng giá nhất hiện nay để mong góp phần thiết lập những "hạ tầng" cho đổi mới. Từ các ý tưởng về nhóm "liên-chức-năng", các "nhóm hạng nhẹ", "nhóm hạng nặng", light-weight manager, đến việc tái cấu trúc học thuật, các nhóm tự quản. Tác giả không che giấu ý định mang những tư duy của những Guru quản trị như Immelt, Welch hay những thực tiễn hay từ Toyota để công phá vào bức tường kiên cố nhất của sự trì trệ trong giáo dục.
Sách gối đầu giường của các nhà cải cách giáo dục và các nhà giáo mọi cấp.
Sách tham khảo đặc biệt cho cộng đồng công nghệ và đặc biệt là những người đang nỗ lực truyền bá Agile. Chương 9 là một chương quảng cáo cho Agile rất nhiệt thành, dù không nhắc đến 1 lần cái tên đó. :-)

[Vicki Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very good book until the last chapter where it seems to draw a conclusion that the only way to fix education is with charter school type approaches. For example, we could all have a perfect house with an unlimited budget to build a new one but eventually it would show faults! We can't just build new houses. Although Hercules cleaned out the Agean stables- if they didn't remedy their ways it would fill up with filth again. Sometimes we don't step out of the box- we create new boxes! Perhaps all of the education options should learn to collaborate? Use technology to link up.

So, great book, I just disagree with conclusion.

[Maliza 4cambodia · Rating 2 out of 5]

My notes while reading parts of the book.
The book gave a great chapter preview that helped me understand the book.

Chapter 1- gave Gardner’s multiple intelligences - I am linguistic and intrapersonal. And talked about project based learning as highly motivating because students can synthesize what they are learning .
The chapter talked about the challenges with standardization that was inspired by efficient factory systems that emerged in industrial america. As well as teachers who desire to teach to their MI strengths and preferences.

In the next chapters, it talks about the disruption from monolithic instruction to a modular, student centric approach by using software as an important delivery vehicle.

Chapter 7 - most school reforms , the focus is on the schools. Why aren’t schools performing as they should? When we ask why aren’t students learning? We might see things others have yet to perceive. The challenge is student motivation is a problematic barrier to improving student learning. Teachers and parents “offer” education but many students aren’t buying what is being offered. The problem of motivation customers to buy what companies are selling is not a problem unique to education. Over 75 percent of all new products launched into their markets fail.

What jobs are students trying to do? They want to feel successful and make progress and they want to have fun with friends. Activities such as drama or athletic teams which are mechanisms for making progress and feeling successful are considered extra-curricular instead or curricular.


Providing FEEDBACK. To students is often delayed because exams are every couple of weeks. However this is essential!!

I finished my study by taking photos of the summary pages- which restated 5 major points from the book.

[Maren · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book about ten years ago and I think much more of it went over my head the first time. It helps that some of the predictions have played out and I've seen them in real life, and I've learned more about these concepts from other sources, so this was a good way to summarize again in my own head what I've learned and experienced.

I skimmed the cheesy stories at the beginning of each chapter and most of the business examples because I'm already familiar with Clayton's disruptive innovation theory. Maybe it's just me, but the authors are in business applying their theories to education, but as an educator I actually understood the business example better after I'd read the education counterpart, so the organization of the book didn't really fit my framework.

It was also heavy on education administration/policy and I'm a classroom teacher at heart so it was more meta than practical for me.

Maybe I should disclose he is my cousin, and I have always thought he is amazing, so that probably biases my review. ;-)

[Cheri]

I want to preface this comment by saying that “Disrupting Class” by Christensen, Horn, and Johnson does a good job of pointing out flaws in our current education system and proposing alternate solutions. For the most part, I agreed with the points they were making. However, I want to center this review on one quote from their book that I believe represents a major flaw in their proposed course of action:

“Innovative chartered schools should be attempts to match school types to fit students’ circumstances. If framed in this way, we will eventually be able to say, ‘If a student comes from a certain background and has these life circumstances, then that student should attend this type of school that is designed to work with and fit that particular circumstance’” (211).

The model that the authors are proposing runs the risk of segregating students based on their backgrounds as well as learning styles, thus depriving them of the opportunity to interact with students who learn in different ways. I believe that the result of such rigid segregation is stagnation. I also wonder how schools are supposed to determine students’ learning styles. Do students simply take a test in grade school that will determine their learning style for the rest of their schooling? This runs the risk of students never being exposed to different learning styles or other ways of thinking. How are they supposed to learn how to work with others with diverse talents and abilities if they have only ever interacted with one type of learners? How are they supposed to grow as individuals if they are never provided with opportunities to stretch and push themselves?

I agree that our current education system is in need of some disruptive innovation. However, I also believe that the specific model that the authors are proposing is problematic. As people who are invested in this topic continue to search for ways to improve our education system, I believe that we can improve it and help our children to learn in ways that are useful to them as individuals without segregating them from others who may learn differently. The key is to work together, building on everyone’s unique contributions and recognizing that each talent has its own unique value.

[Jacqui · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clayton Christensen offers a believable and intuitive approach to fixing our staggering American educational system. In a nutshell: people learn in different ways (no surprise here; it's a well-documented theory). Teachers too often teach one way (or two or three--the point being, teachers standardize. I understand. I've been a teacher most of my life. One of us and many of them in a classroom). His solution: Use 21st century technology and Web 2.0 to individualize lessons to suit needs.

That's where the problem starts according to Christensen. Schools throw technology at their problems in hopes software, hardware, internet websites, will fix their shrinking test scores. Every technology teacher I know agrees with the author that this approach is flawed and frustrates both students and teachers. Technology is a tool, to be wielded with a skilled hand.

Christensen gives teachers permission to disrupt class--shake it up! See what's going on. Here are some of my favorite ideas:
1) If the addition of computers to classrooms were a cure, there would be evidence of it by now. There is not. Test scores have barely budged. 2) Why haven't schools (with so much emphasis on technology) been able to march down this path (of student-centric learning)? ...because they have crammed the new technologies into their existing structure... 3) The world of education is one in which there is little agreement on what the goals are, let alone the methods that are best-suited to achieve them. 4) Public schools have been improving steadily, since 1900, but society moved the goal posts ...changed the definition of improvement...

I'd recommend this to any teacher intent upon integrating technology into their core curriculum.

[Brent Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good exposition of Christensen's "disruptive innovation" theory - explaining how initially annoying products grow to take over markets and throw out older established companies. This book applies the theory to schools and education, with mixed success.

I got the clear impression that these authors were outsiders to the culture and complexity of schools and educational theory. So it's great to have their theory applied to the problem, but a little shaky in the details. For example, they say that "online" learning will soon come to dominate school curriculum - within fifteen years or so. They talk about flexible, self-paced online learning, but their data and projections are mostly based on fixed-paced courses offered online. So exactly what they're advocating and prognosticating isn't very clear. Kind of fuzzy.

The first four chapters are very clear and compelling, because that's where the authors are on their firmest footing, introducing the basics of their theory. Chapter six is another strong one, talking about the importance of the first months and years of children's lives. Chapter 7 was all but incomprehensible - talking about causal and correlation research and "descriptive" versus "prescriptive" research. I'm a professor and expert in this area, and Christensen strikes me as idiosyncratic and somewhat naive about what research and inquiry are all about. He's a Harvard professor, so I must be wrong!

I am using this text right now with a mixed group of K12 educators and corporate trainers. Our response has been positive - with both sides learning more about how the other side views things. Good text for discussion and exchange of ideas.

[Jeni Enjaian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have many thoughts and opinions about this book related to Christensen's view of education and his overall knowledge of education but I will limit myself since such a rant would likely exceed the character limit.
It is clear from the beginning that Christensen knows almost nothing about how a classroom operates much less an entire educational system. He spends the majority of the book waxing eloquent about the benefit of disruptive innovations, supplementing this eloquence with examples from the business world that do not quite explain how the innovation disrupted the current system. He lacks examples that actually explain the point he attempts to prove.
He also sets great store by technology as the be-all-end-all, even claiming in 2008 that by 2019, 50% of all high school classes would be online. In 2018, one reads that claim and snorts in derisive laughter.
To top it all off, Christensen spends a great quantity of the book declaring that computers and other digital technology will be the thing that completely and finally disrupts the educational system creating personalized, individualized learning. Then, at the end of the book when he describes some schools that have implemented technology in innovative ways, as he describes in the beginning of the book, he goes out of his way to say that these schools are examples of sustaining innovation, not disrupting innovation which disproves his whole theory.

Christensen should stick to business which it is clear that he knows and leave education to people who know a thing or two about education.

[E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating look at disruptive innovation in education

The very real value of this useful and, at times, pleasantly surprising book comes from the way the authors apply their expertise in innovation to the field of education. By approaching public education’s crisis with new eyes – and conceptualizing education as a product or service like any other – Clayton M. Christensen (The Innovator’s Dilemma), Michael B. Horn and Curtis W. Johnson provide insights that escape the tired loops of argument that often define discussions about public education. These writers’ obvious willingness to look in new directions for learning innovation is matched by their genuine concern for everyone involved in education. However, they do seem a bit idealistic, as they focus so strongly on the pedagogical and conceptual aspects of education that they seem to skim over other concerns, like logistics and budgets. The authors acknowledge the legal monopoly governing public education without really addressing the social weight and inertia of such a monopoly. In fact, they seem to believe that positive disruption is almost inevitable. getAbstract recommends this thoughtful book to anyone interested in social change and education, and – not tangentially – in how new technologies affect societies.

[Christiane]

I heard him speak on this issue in March 2012 and he made me see teaching in a new way. Some of his most memorable insights are:

"Online learning is a technological core that can take education into a higher market"

“In higher ed, there wasn't disruption until now because colleges moving up emulated those above. Online learning changes this."

“What's going on in the low end of education today (online learning) is tomorrow's (system of) education."

"If you're trying to deploy a new technology in the main market, then you got to combine the best of the old and the best of the new."

"We need faculty members who do great research AND change lives."

"Motivation is a common problem. How do we motivate?"

"The job of children is to feel successful. That's their motivation. Schools don't all do that."

"The lower end of teaching is delivering content. If that's online, teachers can tutor, engage, and go up-market."

"God didn't say that it should take four years to complete a degree."

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd actually give this book a 3 because it's business-speak, a style of writing I loathe; but if I do that, no one will read it. Full of useful, common-sensical observations and some excellent suggestions for radically altering US schools (they use the word "revolutionize," though I refuse to; their ideas are good but not THAT good), they advocate school change through computer technology and, more importantly, by applying the lessons of change in the computer industry. What I can't tell is whether their book is actually too late--as in, they are only reporting what is already happening, rather than recommending new strategies, in which case the title should read "How Disruptive Innovation HAS Changed the Way the World Learns." Nevertheless, the closing chapters are must reads for anyone who still supports teachers unions.

[edh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The authors posit that the reason why traditional schooling fails so many is that by nature, the structure of schools encourage standardization rather than customization (and customization is what produces truly effective learning environments). Using available data, they predict that in the next 10-12 years fully half of all high schoolers will attend classes online in order to maximize the marketplace's ability to offer them opportunities not available in the traditional face-to-face format. They predict that this move will accelerate in response to tightening budgets and teacher scarcity - most likely, core courses in math and reading will continue to be taught locally in person... but most "elective" type courses will be begin to be taken online.

[Josh Steimle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book isn't just about fixing the educational system, it's about how the educational system will be fixed. It's not so much a question of if, but when, because it's inevitable. The question is whether you want to fight the transition or ride the wave and help it along, because although people will be fighting it, thinking that it's a bad thing, in the long run it's going to be good for teachers, administrators, politicians, entrepreneurs, parents, and especially students. If you're involved in the educational system, which almost everyone is somehow or other, this book is a must-read, except that they just came out with an updated version so read that one instead.

[Elaine Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Even bought it for my team because I believed it would give them some insight into some of the current thinking and movements in K-12 education. The book discussion went well and we've expanded that discussion to other groups in the company. I'm hoping there will be continuing reverb as we think about what moved us in this book.

[Zack · Rating 2 out of 5]

The second half of the book was too business related for my intentions. I appreciated the idea and the passion for online classes, but I don't think the curve has caught on as much as the author hoped. I believe higher education is even further behind the curve then K-12.

[Anapilar]

Long time ago, when I was in the credential program my main professor advised my class to never substitute and not to read anything to do with education. She believed that we were all able to get employment therefore we should not settle for a substitute job. When it came to reading educational related materials, she said that for the most part we would be disappointed in the reading, mad about the reading but most of all dishearten because most writers on education paint a dark picture that would just leave us feeling like we either don’t know what we are doing, or that we are doing a terrible job. The Disrupting Class by Clayton Christensen, Curtis W. Johnson & Michael B. Horn, has done basically what my professor said it would. The book has left me feeling like I don’t matter, my career does not matter, and that I have failed every student that has come thru my classroom door.
Clayton M. Christensen is a professor of business administration at the Harvard Business School, who is the architect of Disruptive Innovation Theory that is used in marketing. He is also a religious leader in the Mormon Church. Curtis W. Johnson is a Senior Fellow at education evolving a Minnesota-based group for education reform for open enrollment for public school choice or Charter Schools. Michael Horn; “speaks and writes about the future of education and works with education organizations to improve the life of each and every student”, an interesting quote from his biography at aeispeakers.com. Especially when he earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he meet Christensen, and has no teaching experience. Christensen states at the beginning of the book that his parents were both teacher, but that he has no dealings with public school/education until he was approached by Charter School pioneers Graba, Wolk, Johnson and Kolderie, furthermore Christensen states that these men “have dedicated their lives to the improvement of our schools” (p.26). Unlike most “education” books that are written from an insider’s perspective this book is written from outsider’s perspective. They use all of their “business” modalities to criticize and try to propose a fix to the educational system.
The book begins by stating the usual things that everyone discusses about what is wrong with our educational system. Such as lack of money, but he then points out that the U.S.A. spends more money per student on average than other countries, but our student often perform at or below the level of other countries. Another culprit is not enough computers but that is not the case, districts have been purchasing computers more and more. They also point to Unions, but these are not present across the country so no they are not the problem either. They do mention poverty and increase in ESL students and these are increasing across the spectrum, and they never again discuss this, which I think it is a very important factor. Their thesis for the book is “to expose more fundamental root causes for why schools struggle to improve” (p.67).
Their main focus throughout the book is that the educational system is too generalized and standardized in the way we teach and test. But they never state that the only way to get into Harvard from High School is to have a very high score on your SAT, at least a score of 1540. The book is all about customizing learning, thru computer modules. In these modules students would learn at their own rate, moving from a “monolithic” model to “student-centric” model. Teacher’s become the professional learning coaches that monitor and help students as they move along in these computer modules.
“If student-centric technology remains on this trajectory, what might the classroom of the future look like? Students filter into their room. Chemistry workbenches, complete with such things as test tubes, reagents, pH meters, and a bomb calorimeter, greet them. The students conduct experiments in which they measure the effect of changes in the pressure, volume, and temperature of gases. They record their experiments in their lab workbook, and the teacher grades them and returns the workbook to the students.
This might not sound too different from the everyday happenings many of us recall from chemistry class, but there is a big difference. This all takes place in the Virtual ChemLab. The classroom of the future is, in this case, present and accounted for.”
Excerpt From: Clayton Christensen, Curtis W. Johnson & Michael B. Horn. “Disrupting Class, Expanded Edition: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/QSDTD.l

Although they propose such scenario for “resource-constrained schools in isolated rural areas or impoverished urban ones” (p.408). I don’t see how this would be a solution for those students aspiring to become Doctors/Nurses and other health professionals.
“If children are motivated to learn, and if we enable each one to learn effectively, we will have an education system with a great performance record.”
Excerpt From: Clayton Christensen, Curtis W. Johnson & Michael B. Horn. “Disrupting Class, Expanded Edition: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/QSDTD.l

Having computer modules for students to learn at their pace and motivation, won’t solve the dilemma of motivation for all students. Their concept is based on industry and how to motivate adults that their livelihood depends on their paycheck. On adults that have for the most part matured and others depend on their success. Our students have not learned all these skills. They are also going on the assumption that somehow computers are the answer to all the problems in education. This may be the case, and for many such as us in this course, computer learning works. But is best suited for college level courses and even then the student has to be intrinsic motivated. Having computer courses in High School for courses that are not offer with a teacher, or because there is no high demand makes sense and they work because those students are intrinsic motivated.
“While new and different schools scramble to serve students who were never the ideal customers for the traditional public schools, most educators find themselves at an intersection of unprecedented change and necessary choices. It is their dilemma to resolve.”
Excerpt From: Clayton Christensen, Curtis W. Johnson & Michael B. Horn. “Disrupting Class, Expanded Edition: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns.” iBooks. https://itun.es/us/QSDTD.l

In conclusion they spend way too much time talking about disruptive innovations in industry, but they never give straight answer to their thesis of solving the educational disarray that we have according to them. The above quote is from the final chapter of the book, and the problem was ours at the beginning of the book and by the end its still ours. I personally think that they need to step into the classrooms and see the disruptive innovations that are happening in the trenches.

[Arfan Ismail · Rating 3 out of 5]

For those of us who have spent time working in the private sector there's always the question of how relevant standard industry business concepts are to the education sector. Well this book tries to present at answer. Clayton Christensen is well known for his work on innovation and disruptive technology. His basic thesis is that disruption occurs in every industry so education should be no different. There are a number of reservations with this approach. First and foremost education generally serves as more than a product, it is a fundamental constituent of society. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, it is outcome related. This is where the real challenge is, since determining improved outcomes in education requires a deep and profound understanding of education itself and this is what Christensen is lacking. A central part of the book is based on Howard Gardners theory of mulitple intelligences. Gardner's theory, in it's widespread and not the more nuanced reading, has been widely disredited. Christensen's appears to take the disrecredited version of Gardner's theory and makes it the central pillar of a drive for innovation in education. This doesn't work, and he misreads the literature and presents what is a very superficial reading of classroom pedagogy.

This book was first published in 2008 and it feels dated as you read it. The technology it references are now old and it lacks any overarching prinicples that could present and a more timeless reading.

Given the changes that are resulting as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, disruption in education appears necessary. It can only come though if one understand how people learn and what effective and outstanding teaching and learning looks like. This requires a deeper understanding of education that Christensen can offer in this text. Whilst I think one can benefit from reading this book, it's not a game changer.

[Thanh Nhàn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hiếm có một cuốn sách nào mà đề tài giáo dục được đề cập một cách toàn diên, có chiều sâu và nhiều sự sinh động như vậy. Trong Disrupting Class, các tác giả đã xuất phát từ sự phân tích bất ổn trong hệ thống giáo dục Hoa Kỳ và những khó khăn của nhà trường để chứng minh nhu cầu đột phá trong giáo dục. Các tác giả tiếp tục khơi lại cuộc thảo luận về giáo dục và học tập, áp dụng lý thuyết nổi tiếng của Clayton M. Christensen về cải cách mang tính đột phá.
Thông điệp chính của cuốn sách chính là sự đột phá – một lý thuyết miêu tả cách con người tương tác và phản ứng, cách hành vi định hình, cách văn hóa tổ chức hình thành và ảnh hưởng đến các quyết định. Cuốn sách đã nêu rõ đề xuất về cải cách và tái cấu trúc, những mô thức để giúp hiện thực hóa giấc mơ về giáo dục cho những ngôi trường trong thế kỷ XXI. Cùng với những mẫu chuyện đời thực ở từng chương, người đọc cảm thấy các vấn đề và giải pháp trở nên gần gũi và hiển hiện. Dù là người lãnh đạo trường học, công chức Chính phủ, doanh nhân, giáo viên hay phụ huynh học sinh, bạn cũng có thể tìm thấy ở đây những ý tưởng mới lạ, ngạc nhiên, những chiến lược chưa từng có trong sách vở, và những câu chuyện thành công đầy ấn tượng. Với nhiều chiến lược rõ ràng và khả thi, cuốn sách cho độc giả thấy rõ cách tận dụng công nghệ để tùy chỉnh việc học tập cũng như việc đưa công nghệ máy tính và giảng dạy là cần thiết cho giai đoạn tiếp theo của cải cách trường học.

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[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two stars is generous.
Christensen starts out by talking about Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences, and posits that the next big thing in education will be software that can give each student a learning experience that is tailored to their individual learning styles. He makes some big assumptions about where that kind of technology and breadth of curriculum will come from. In fact, he doesn't have any guesses about where those things will come from. He is just confident that they will show up shortly.

If anything, I think this book has done a lot of damage to the field of education. Christensen envisions schools where the computers do all the content delivery, and teachers are just there to act as tutors or coaches. It makes me wonder how much experience the author has with children or teens (or people in general). Some people think this method would be awesome, because schools could just hire nice people to do the tutoring/coaching job. Actual trained professional teachers would no longer be necessary. And we could pack a lot more kids into a classroom. Lots of money to save!!

I came away from this with big questions about the author's experience with people, with students, with technology, and with education and learning theory in general. He was just way out of his element with this one. He should have stuck with actual business, rather than getting into a state run system that is free to everyone.

[Vincent Tsao · Rating 3 out of 5]

Christensen applies the learnings from Innovator's Dilemma to the education system in the US. Overall, the book does a good job of laying out 1) the history of education that has led us to the current emphasis on standardization, 2) the structural challenges against reform, 3) differences in learning styles, 4) how to drive disruption, and 5) why innovation in other industries provides a roadmap for education. Driving student-centered learning is at the crux of the proposed disruption, and technology has been an underutilized tool. Computer-based learning can customize content for individual students and offer access to content that isn't available in schools. In the future, students should be able to find the exact content they want, delivered in the way they learn best. Teachers will be guides and mentors, instead of being the primary channel of delivering content.

However, content is somewhat repetitive by way of overlapping topics. The fictional example of a school that made up 20% of the book wasn't value-adding. In general, there seemed to be a lack of specificity in the text. Everything is fairly high-level, and there aren't specific strategies or solutions. Nor is there a deeper discussion on what is working or has worked so far. The book is a good overview of how and why we can disrupt education, but not necessarily a toolkit for actually doing so.

[Mark Gazica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books that has a bunch of words but not much to say. Publishers need to stop publishing books that could just have easily (and often more effectively) been a long form paper or article. The authors of this book have a valid premise (i.e. not all children learn the same way, technology is not being properly applied to education, the market economy can't permeate the barriers of education, etc.) but it gets lost in a bunch of business jargon repurposed from one of the author's older works on business structuring. The resulting book is a hodgepodge of random information that only seems to hit around the topic at hand instead of addressing it head on.

[Trent Mikesell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm distrustful of people in business who want to provide solutions to education. We already get plenty of ideas and solutions from people who have never worked in education. And, no, despite popular belief, having attended high school does not give you any knowledge about how to improve education. That said, I think he has some good ideas here. He is also very complimentary to teachers and acknowledges labeling them as the problem will only backfire. I actually see a lot of this disruptive education in my online work with BYU Idaho and BYU Pathway. Our problem in public education is having the freedom to break out of a long tradition.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting thoughts about student-centric learning and the future of technology in classes. One shocking thought was that with a “flipped classroom” as students learn in videos online at home and review with peers/teachers at school, there is actually a possibility of much larger classes as schools take advantage of the blended learning model. Other topics included leadership tools to create change, explicitly teaching students the habits and systems they need to be successful, and educational research. Thought provoking and a good read for my teacher friends!