Tuesday, July 9, 2013

There's a lot that I'm still learning


One of my good friends is in Japan right now doing some studying.  His name is Caleb. Recently he suggested an article that had a commencement address from none other than Clayton Christensen.  Christensen related extensively to the ideas he proposed in his book Disrupting Class that he published a few years ago.  I began reading the book and realized that THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR.  Caleb and I always talk about education whenever we get together, from a desire to change the institution of education.  Christensen doesn't address all of our concerns because he takes a forward looking approach to suggest where education is going and where it should go.  

Christensen's role in business focuses on disruption and innovation, which is a futuristic business science.  His suggestions throughout the book analyze the lack of innovation within education and proposes solutions to do so.  I find his theory plausible, and it will likely happen as he predicts.  What he proposes, however, is not a change in education material but rather a change in education style.  It is the difference between creating a new language and just adopting a new alphabet.  Instead of changing what is being taught, he is suggesting how to change how it is taught.  Intriguing for me, since I've been wondering how to do what I want to do.  I know the material that should be change, and with Christensen's help, the methods for doing so are becoming much clearer: using technology.  

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