2009 Summer Blog Post!

If you are like me, I look forward to the long days of

summer to catch up on my reading. I enjoy all types of

genre and particularly love to share “good reads” with my

friends and colleagues.

I would like to pass along a book that I highly recommend

entitled, DISRUPTING CLASS--How Disruptive

Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns, by

Clayton M. Christensen. I’ve actually had this book in my

personal library since it was released in 2008. I was

delighted to see that it was included in the July 13, 2009

issue of TIME Magazine in an article entitled, “Fifty Books

that Make Sense of Our Times,” and I highly encourage all

people interested in the future of education to read it.

Those of you in business may recognize author Clayton

Christensen for his best selling book The Innovator’s

Dilemma which transformed the way business looks at

innovation. In this book, Christensen, a Professor of

Business at Harvard, applies his theory of disruptive

innovation to education. The key premise of DISRUPTING

CLASS is that our schools need to customize education to

match the way each child learns best. In other words, our

schools’ focus on standardization of teaching methods

(commonly, a teacher lecturing and all students using the

same book) has limited the potential of many of our

students to learn. Christensen contends that improving

education therefore calls for a movement away from

standardization and the movement toward a student-centric

approach through the use of technology.

Christensen points out that schools have for many years

added computers and, most recently “smart boards” to their

classrooms, but this “cramming new technologies into

existing structures” is not the answer. Rather, technology

must be used to address different learning styles and be

used in “project based” or inquiry learning. Moving to a

student-centric approach to education is “disruptive”

because a totally new model of education results.

This is such an exciting time in education! I’m proud that

the hallmarks of our curriculum at Holy Family Academy

include differentiated instruction and inquiry learning.

Our teachers are skilled at adjusting the curriculum to the

learners rather than expecting the students to modify

themselves to the curriculum. Our Web 2.0 lessons (see

my Spring entry) used technology to teach and connect

students 25 miles away.

I encourage you to read DISRUPTING CLASS then re-visit

our school website. I think you’ll find “disruption” in

progress!

Have a great summer!

Dr. Gretchen Ludwig

If you would like to view this blog in PDF format:

Click here to open the adobe pdf newsletter!