Ken Robinson takes a humorous approach in explaining the downfalls of our education system toward the creative student. He gives examples that show how we define intelligence, and where our flaw in this definition lies. Bold statements are made such as, "We need to radically rethink our idea of intelligence", and that "Education goes deep with people, like religion or money." He speaks on the capacity of children to be innovative, and to take chances.Ken believes that, "creativity in education is as important as literacy", take a few minutes if you have the time and find out why. Our education system teaches students that it is wrong to make mistakes, and because of this, we are killing the creativity before it has a chance to expand the minds of those who will one day lead our society. This reminded me of a quote that I have seen often on the internet, and that I try to remember when I am working with students that can't seem to grasp a concept.
There are many factors that need to be considered when we think upon intelligence. People can be "smart" in so many different ways, so why do we as a society put a label on intelligence?
This is great! I really like the video. The last time I had the opportunity to watch it I only watched the first half but this time around I was able to finish it!
ReplyDeleteEvery kid (person) is a genius in their own way. I have had students who really struggled in the classroom and miserably failed at standardized tests but if you needed help fixing some piece of equipment in the room they had it down! Once I even had a student who kept notebooks full of gaming code but on paper they were below grade level. This is an important idea to remember as an educator!
I love Ken Robinson, and I think he makes quite a few valid points about education and creativity. Too many teachers today still view education as a process by which teachers are the source of knowledge and students are an empty vessel to be filled with this knowledge. By doing this, we are stifling our ability to progress as a society. If we are just imparting the current body of knowledge, we are not inspiring students to create new knowledge and understandings. I told my students the other day that teachers are not fail proof and that I often make statements that are based on my opinion and see it is their job to challenge my opinion as often as they can. Some of them looked at me in horror because "the teacher knows everything, and we know nothing." I'm now going to make a point of making completely baseless, outrageous statements just to startle my students out of complacency into a realization that their knowledge and creativity are just as valuable as mine.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, for another great Ken Robinson talk, check out this one. It's my favorite! http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_changing_education_paradigms