Tony Wagner

Wagner is a Harvard professor whose passion is cultivating and seeking innovation in American schools, preschool through higher ed. Using examples of exemplary students, teachers, schools, countries (here's Finland again), and parents, Wagner's profiles augment his stance that our educational system needs to change in order to feed the minds and imaginations of the next generation of innovators. The book is an innovation in and of itself as well; over 60 unique videos are embedded within the show more (e)book, embedded within the print edition (QR codes) or available on his website. show less

Provocative view of the impact of technology on education. The authors question whether learning foreign languages or memorizing calculus rules have any great value when your smart phone can do them better than you (and is learning at a much faster rate). They call out the SAT and AP tests as useful primarily as sorting mechanisms for college admissions -- proof that you can excel in "hard" courses. They applaud the self-directed approaches to learning common in pre-K and elementary show more settings, such as Montessori and Reggio Emilia, and lament that these approaches peter out in middle school and are rare to find in high school and college. show less

Innovation is important to our economy. There are fewer routine jobs, and more jobs that require problem solving and an innovative focus. In [Creating Innovators], Tony Wagner uses dozens of case studies to explore how parents, teachers, and employers can help young people develop the capacity and passion for innovation. Wagner casts his net widely. He focuses not only on innovation in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), but also on social innovators, and show more he draws the conclusion that all innovators benefit from play, passion, and purpose. He suggests that traditional educational systems often discourage innovative thinking and that radical changes are needed to create innovators. He recommends learning that is focused around solving real problems in collaboration with others in an empowering environment.

The basic ideas in this book were not new to me. I've done some research on innovation in the workplace and am aware of the factors that support innovation and those that squelch it. However, I was fascinated by the specific examples of schools that are trying radically different approaches to create innovators. It is these examples that will stick with me and shape my own approach in the classroom.

I also commend Wagner for partnering with video producer Robert A. Compton to develop videos clips that can be accessed by scanning the QR codes throughout the book. I didn't always interrupt my reading to watch the videos as the QR codes appeared in the text, but I was happy to see a book about innovation using an innovative approach to its content. show less

Wagner investigates what schools should be teaching for 21st century workers. More emphasis of communicating, cooperation, analysis and critical thinking and much less emphasis on information and multiple guess testing. I especially like his point that schools today kill native curiosity and we really need to foster life-long learning, now more than ever.