25 Trends Disrupting Education Right Now

by Terry Heick

Disruption doesn’t sound like a pretty word, but in the long run, it can be a beautiful thing.

Disruption is about shifting power.

Eroding patterns.

Breaking the system.

In education, this can come from the most unlikely of sources. While brilliant folks struggle to their marrow every day to conjure ideas that will transform education, in other cases, it just seems to happen out of nowhere.

In these cases, small moves via modest platforms create large ripples.

It isn’t always from the most powerful technology, the most noble intents, or even the best ideas that disrupt. In fact, it is impossible to predict what will allow something to “catch”–there are simply so many moving parts.

So we’ve created a scale. This scale visually demonstrates the inherent disruptive potential of recent and current education initiatives or technological advancements.

It is not meant to be exhaustive, and it’s absolutely subjective, but maybe we’ll be lucky enough that it might spark a conversation.

And it is through informed conversation that more disruption can grow.

Note that this is not intended to be an evaluation of the quality of each of these initiatives. In that way, it’s not suggesting that “smartphone integration” has more educational value than MITx. Rather, it is strictly a look at the potential of that initiative to disrupt existing systems.

Re-balance power.

And catalyze new learning forms.

More Disruption

1. The Internet 

2. New Learning Models

3. Informal & Self-Directed Learning Platforms  

4. BYOD/Smartphone Integration

5. MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses)

6. Service-Based Learning/Place-Based Education

7. Growth of “Homeschooling”

8. Flipped Classroom

9. Project-Based Learning

10. iTunesU

11. Learni.st/MentorMob

12. TED-Ed

13. 1:1 iPads

14. MITx/EdX and OCW

15. Social Media Integration

16. 1:1 Laptop programs

17. MIT OpenCourseWare

18. Non 1:1 laptop-iPad programs

19. Apple Textbook Initiative

20. Professional Learning Communities

21. Teach for America

22. Charter Schools

23. Gender-Specific Classes

24. Race to the Top

25. Common Core Adoption (i.e., one set of national standards)

Less Disruption

Would love any feedback, re-ordering, or blatantly-missing initiatives on our facebook page, or here in the comments.