Sir Ken Robinson has another TED Talk that you might find interesting. Both this and an earlier talk on schools killing creativity are humorous and in the 18-20 minute range. He is also the author of The Element –How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything.
In the more recent TED Talk he shares his belief that we need a learning revolution; that we need to disenthrall ourselves from the ideas that we take for granted related to education. He suggests that the current view of education is one of linearity. We start here, end here, and are then set for life if we attend college. It is a system obsessed with getting kids to college at the same time. The system is also one of conformity; it is one of batching people based on an industrial/manufacturing model.
He contends that we need to move from a fast food model of education (linear) to a more organic model because life in today’s world is far from linear. Going to college and getting any degree no longer brings with it the options that it once provided. In an organic model we would create conditions under which all students would flourish. The curriculum would be personalized to meet the education needs of all students.
In his 2006 talk he suggests that creativity is as important as literacy and should be treated as such. One of his points is that as children age we begin to educate them progressively from the waist up followed by a focus on their heads and slightly to one side. Since the public education systems of the world came about to meet the needs of an industrial age they are built on focusing on preparation for success in that world. So what were important are those subjects that prepared you for work. You wouldn’t do music or art because that wouldn’t lead to a job.
The system was also predicated on academic ability which dominates our view of intelligence. This results in many highly talented and creative people who do not see themselves as intelligent because of their experiences in schooling. He claims that these views of intelligence are arcane and need to align with today’s world. His thoughts are similar to what Daniel Pink shared in his book A Whole New Mind.
I enjoyed both talks and believe that they validate our Classroom 10 journey and our belief that we need to provide options for young people that include opportunities for learning in the arts. We need to create environments where passion can be nurtured for both students and adults. Though we are on this journey and have much yet to accomplish, I don’t believe that we are a model for the systems he is describing in these two talks. We have a vision that embeds much of what he believes. Getting to the personalized, organic education model, however, is far removed from our work. Perhaps he has some suggestions that might emerge in alter talk or book.
This passion thing is huge. We know that students will spend time on those things that they are passionate about. We also know this to be true for adults in our system. How can we capture this to provide fuel for our journey? This might be one of those posts to spend some time on if we get some comments, and passion might be a place to start.
In the more recent TED Talk he shares his belief that we need a learning revolution; that we need to disenthrall ourselves from the ideas that we take for granted related to education. He suggests that the current view of education is one of linearity. We start here, end here, and are then set for life if we attend college. It is a system obsessed with getting kids to college at the same time. The system is also one of conformity; it is one of batching people based on an industrial/manufacturing model.
He contends that we need to move from a fast food model of education (linear) to a more organic model because life in today’s world is far from linear. Going to college and getting any degree no longer brings with it the options that it once provided. In an organic model we would create conditions under which all students would flourish. The curriculum would be personalized to meet the education needs of all students.
In his 2006 talk he suggests that creativity is as important as literacy and should be treated as such. One of his points is that as children age we begin to educate them progressively from the waist up followed by a focus on their heads and slightly to one side. Since the public education systems of the world came about to meet the needs of an industrial age they are built on focusing on preparation for success in that world. So what were important are those subjects that prepared you for work. You wouldn’t do music or art because that wouldn’t lead to a job.
The system was also predicated on academic ability which dominates our view of intelligence. This results in many highly talented and creative people who do not see themselves as intelligent because of their experiences in schooling. He claims that these views of intelligence are arcane and need to align with today’s world. His thoughts are similar to what Daniel Pink shared in his book A Whole New Mind.
I enjoyed both talks and believe that they validate our Classroom 10 journey and our belief that we need to provide options for young people that include opportunities for learning in the arts. We need to create environments where passion can be nurtured for both students and adults. Though we are on this journey and have much yet to accomplish, I don’t believe that we are a model for the systems he is describing in these two talks. We have a vision that embeds much of what he believes. Getting to the personalized, organic education model, however, is far removed from our work. Perhaps he has some suggestions that might emerge in alter talk or book.
This passion thing is huge. We know that students will spend time on those things that they are passionate about. We also know this to be true for adults in our system. How can we capture this to provide fuel for our journey? This might be one of those posts to spend some time on if we get some comments, and passion might be a place to start.
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