I watched this video yesterday and it completely blew me away.
Do yourself a favor and WATCH IT!
This man is honest, funny, a straight up genius and his accent is awesome.
Sir Ken Robinson – Schools Kill Creativity
“Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we’re educating our children. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence.”
Should we all be doing what we love? Yes. Is school the only way to get us there? No. We need to educate people in a way that promotes creativity and passion in our work so that we don’t end up bitter and miserable. Life’s too short.
Thanks to my twitter peeps @shawmu and @knealemann for bringing this to my attention 😀
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Creativity & Passion are the two most important thingsto keep in mind throughout our careers, so that we aren’t miserable. I agree.
I watched this video a while ago and was shocked by all of his great points. This video is interesting enough because of the content but I recommend this version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U which provides fun animation in addition to his great speech. Check it out!
I agree, watched this when I was on a teaching course last year. Have spent most of my son’s educational life preventing him form becoming ‘normal’. Next year he’s off to a progressive school!
This animated version is incredibly thought-provoking.
Regarding the educational system here in America there are two observations I have settled into over the many years.
1. Education always needs reforming.
2. America has achieved its greatness with the existing educational system.
Making these two observations doesn’t mean that I think education doesn’t need reforming nor do I believe that the current system is totally broke down. But looking back on my own academic experiences… many things could have and should have been a lot better.
I watched the video and this fellow is correct in his observations and urgings for educational reform. The problem with all the “reformists” is that there’s not a lot of people talking about how we actually go about reforming education when so much is tied to budgetary restraints and public policy for equal education to all. It’s easy to speak about the current system being broke and needing replacement with a system that proposes more creative direction with less emphasis on college being the end result… but I am unaware of any grand plan on how to replace the existing system. From my vantage point the biggest problem in changing education is parental acceptance. Each and every parent wants their child to have all the great educational opportunities to go to college in order to get that big grab at economic success and social stature. Trust me when I say that no parent is likely to support an educational system that says, “Well, Mr. & Mrs. Jones, your child has been tested and it’s been determined that college would not be in his best interest, but rather he should go to a trade school.” Even if we build an educational system that favors more what the student themselves enjoy (like the “fireman” example in the video), parents are still going to object, saying that “How does any child know what is good for them at that age. I’m their parent and I want them to go to college first, then they can decide what they want to do.” Reform, while necessary, is not going to be easy to implement.
“Never let school interefere with your education.” – Mark Twain
I read that years ago on a poster in middle school, and have never forgotten it. School is only one of many tools in the toolbox – don’t let it be your only one! LIFE is full of opportunities to learn, grown and thrive…school can absolutely make us forget those.
the education system is the way it is “by design”. “the system” doesn’t want right-brained, creative people running amuck, as this would promote freedom of thought, and thinkers are much more difficult to control. if they wanted to change the system, they could. the resources to do so are endless, they simple aren’t interested in a society of free-thinkers, which could potentially shift some of the wealth into the hands of more commoners…surely can’t have that. 🙂
keep searching, there are a lot of individuals out there who are awake to this fact.
Here, here to creativity and it’s tie to intelligence and a complete education. IMHO creativity in school is a source of mental well-being, too. How many musicians, actors, artists say they were “saved” by creative arts classes in school?
Reblogged this on Uncharted Plan and commented:
Amazing to think what could be if more people tapped into and pursued passions. His analogy of shifting the educational model from industrial to agricultural is SPOT ON! Wow…what if we stopped “batching people” as he says, and stopped imposing the same centralized educational approach on every student, and instead focused on creating the conditions for organic development? Well said! Thanks for sharing Kayla. TED Talks are awesome!
This is so crazy, I was going to do a post on this talk when I first heard it-it was so interesting! I really have to say that I love reading your posts.
This is so crazy, I was just going to do a post on this talk! Haha I love TED. As always, I love reading your posts.
Great sharing there Kayla
if I may share some stuff on the topic:
http://pascalbeauchesne.wordpress.com/2011/01/16/psychology-of-creativity-2/
http://pascalbeauchesne.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/creative-strategist-role-of-the-future/
We are shifting gears, our passions are what guides us, they are our main tools in the uncertain future that we are living. Keep up the optimism, things will change. Be the change maker you desire to be.
pascal. ++
My son wants to be a photographer….at 13 bought his own camera and is now on his fourth…….do you know how many people have told him….Make that your hobby and get a real career….(well in a round about way)….talk about treading on our childrens dreams! He is now in year 12 and fingers crossed will be doing photography and design at Uni next year…….because that is his passion.
I would love to see children inspired and interested in learning…..some of my children’s teachers already know this and teach amazingly….my kids rave about these teaches and their classes….the rest are “boring”.
I discovered that like a year ago and it blew my mind. I loved it! We really need to reform education because it is not working. The few teachers that I have had that are just incredible and teach completely differently from what most do I remember the most and I remember what I was taught. Everyone else, I don’t even remember what they taught.
Reblogged this on the preeminent litterateur and commented:
Love this video!
I have been preaching creativity since I entered the classroom. We do have schools dedicated to the expression of creative thinking, but it is the federal government that is standing in the way of us helping “raise” children who are creative. I say “raise” because on any given day, we do as much or more “raising” children than some of the parents do. If you want to change that, you have to change the parents, guardians, etc. We can only do so much. When children come into my classroom, they know they are respected and that their teacher wants them to succeed in life and live a morally good life.
Now we’re talking. So, what did you take from that? Education is a good thing. The right education is the best thing. How do you get that? That’s the real question. How do you get the people who are just living day to day without any desire to learn to see the light?
Man, it’s a tough question with no real answer other than keep trying. That’s what is so great about TED. It opens your eyes to the possibilities.
Thanks for sharing. I hadn’t seen that one.
This is an amazing video and Sir Ken writes some amazing books. Check out The Element. What can we as teachers do to take back our classrooms? What can those in the communities we serve do to support the creative work? Reform is not enough. It would be reorganizing the deck chairs on the Titanic. We need transformation to move education out of the dark ages of the Industrial Age model our schools were designed for and into the 21st Century. A new conversation is needed and it has begun. Well done!
Reblogged this on VickyColas.com and commented:
I always enjoy videos from TED.com. This one is very interesting.
I must say that I do find this topic very interesting. it does mirror how people are now thinking once they get though school, that it was a waste since they could not get a job. which was the beleive and the promise most were lead to beleive. And to top that off they now have moutains of school loans to repay and they still need work. you start off on the bad note. I do beleive that education is important how ever, I also believe and think that the way we are learning needs to be ajusted. For the new age and for the current students or lets call them people, I do believe that every one learns things in different ways. What motivates us? you, him, her. How do we build creativity back into the system? Creativity is very important and motivation and self awarness, and being an individual with in a group.
These in my opinion are what is lacking in the current systems in the world. The view or the practice is too narrow with regards to how one is to think, act and to be. We don’t teach what is the purpose of learning that is to think, and not be lead. if one would look at a band for example. Each band member has a role and a purpose. and each is an individual but acting in a group. learning is fun and productive informative, creative. it is a motivation to be better, to learn more, to produce with the group wonderful music, with out any stimulus of monetary gain. which is also a problem with in the culture. Free thinking is a stimulus in it self.
But we are indoctrinated with it in all parts of our lifes. Sameness. oh boy let me stop now for I go to far. but very good topic.
And I love that others are thinking of a new way. it give hope a purpose and purpose to the idea. What is creativity? to think on, to bring forth something new, something different,something used in another way; with purpose function,with the desire to be apart of the living experience. Smile. it’s just my thoughts. Thanks.and sorry to intrude.
In September I did a similar post on this same guy, in his youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zDZFcDGpL4U
Reblogged this on Teacher as Transformer and commented:
This is a great TED speech by Sir Ken Robinson. It is about the 4th or 5th time I have seen it or a variation on the speech. If we are killing creativity amongst children and the high point of creative thought is in Kindergarten, what do we need to do to make schools and learning a space of creative learning and expression? The time has arrived for a true conversation about learning in the 21st Century.