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 innovatio...

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...

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 se...

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.

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 tea...

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...

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 "...

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.

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, debunki...

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

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 t...

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

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! Per...

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 w...

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 whet...

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’ circ...

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

Fascinating look at disruptive innovation in educationThe 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 th...

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 wou...

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. T...