Disrupting Class Responses

Chapter 1: Why Schools Struggle to Teach Differently when each Student Learns Differently

1. Explain the difference between interdependence and modularity.  How is education currently organized?  

The difference between interdependence and modularity is simple. Interdependence occurs when the way one component is designed and made depends on how another component is designed and made, and vice versa. This requires that each piece only be used with the specific piece that it was intended to be used with. This requires customization and is more costly than modularity, which is essentially the idea that products or pieces are not proprietary and can easily be swapped in or out with other pieces that are made to a preset specification. Modularity is flexible and allows for easy modification. Christensen uses the examples of Windows vs Linux to illustrate interdependence and modularity respectively (32).

Eduation is currently organized  in a highly interdependent structure. It is laced with four major types of interdependency:

1. Temporal - you cant study this in ninth grade if you did not study it in seventh
2. Lateral - You can't teach certain foreign languages a certain ways becuase you would have to  change the way English grammar is taught and changing the way grammar is taught without changing other aspects of how English is taught.
3. Physical: the physical way schools are built limits them.
4. Hierarchical - Mandates that contradict each other, school officials, unions, and curriculum are all nested in this type of interdependence. 

Chapter 2: Making the Shift:  Schools meet Society’s need

2. Explain the disruptive innovation theory.  What does this have to do with schools?

"The disruptive innovation theory explains why organizations struggle with certain kinds of innovation and how organizations can predictably succeed in innovation (45). Essentially, this theory states that a disruptive innovation is a product that is not as good a its products already on the market. Because it is not as good a certain set of customers cannot use and a second, new set of customers is brought into the fold because they can afford and use the disruptive product which was not the case for the original product. Ultimately, the disruptor catches up to the original technology and surpasses it.

The way that this relates to schools is that schools are essentially monopolies without competition. Therefore, there is very little opportunity for a disruptor to be introduced. However, the schools do have to deal with disruptors in that society often requires schools to change to meet new demands. So as the schools attempt to meet the new demands, or disruptor, they are essentially "rebuilding and airplane while flying. (52). Christensen then discuss the jobs that education has had in our history:

1. Preserve the Democracy and inculcate democratic values
2. Provide something for every student
3. Keep America competitive
4. Eliminate poverty

Chapter 3: Crammed Classroom Computers

3.  Why doesn’t cramming computers in schools work?  Explain this in terms of the lessons from Rachmaninoff (what does it mean to compete against nonconsumption?)


Cramming computers in schools does not work because like the examples we have tried to use them as a disruptor but the implementation has been in the old model. This is counter to how disruptors work, they start off and work best in new models where all the disruptor has to do is be better than nothing. Essentially we have put the computer in competition with the teacher, so the computer has not been introduced as a disruptor where it has competition which stifles its ability to fully act as disruptor. 


Chapter 4: Disruptively Deploying Computers

4. Explain the pattern of disruption.

1. The pattern of disruption initially competes against non-consumption creating a "new plane of competition"(96). This new product often has a period of incubation on the S curves flat portion early in the process. Then the technology improves while simultaneously the costs are reduced. Then as the technology of the new product improves and eventually approaches that of the existiing prduct the world flips and leaves the older product on the short end of the stick. Eventually, the curve flattens again as the new product reaches market dominance.

5. Explain the trap of monolithic instruction.  How does student-centric learning help this problem?

1. The monolithic trap of instruction is that the teacher is unable to customize instruction. They are trapped in a system that has them trying to teach to the masses with little or no customization what so ever. The teacher simply tries to reach as many students as possible using the same techniques without much change. By using student-centric learning the student starts to receive instruction that is software driven and able to deliver in a manner that is customized for the students learning styles.

Chapter 5: The System for Student-Centric Learning

6. Explain public education’s commercial system.  What does it mean to say it is a value-chain business?  How does this affect student-centric learning?


Public Education's VAP is a system of creating and delivering and assessing learning material:

1. Producing and distributing textbooks and instructional materials
1. These products are designed by and taught to the dominant intelligence
2. Marketing and development
1. this step even more than the previous cements the system in monolithic, large scale products (130).
3. The remaining steps vary between monolithic and customization. Most of the instruction is monolithic with customization done when possible, but not often. Then moving back to testing in a monolithic manner. 
4. The last step is teacher training which is likely done in a monolithic manner.

This affects student-centric learning in a negative way in that the system does not allow for it to occur often enough and continues to operate in a monolithic manner. While this system works for some and aims to serve the dominant intelligence it lacks the flexibily needed to fully reach all of our students.