Sunday, November 25, 2012

TED Talks - Sir Ken Robinson: Do Schools Kill Creativity

Rating ****

"If all the insects were to disappear from the earth, within 50 years all life on Earth would end. If all human beings disappeared from the earth, within 50 years all forms of life would flourish." Sir Ken Robinson believes that humans cannot go on as we have for the past century or so. Drastic changes must be made on how children are prepared for the future, and if we do not adapt quickly, there will be serious consequences.

Of all minds, it is a child’s mind that is most curious, fearless, and unimaginably creative.
Sir Robinson accuses the world’s education system of a terrible crime; squandering these valued qualities. It is from these such qualities that the greats like Plato, Socrates, and Mozart came from.

The great progress that has been made in technology and the exponential growth in population has created inflation, not necessarily in the economy, but in education. Suddenly, degrees aren't worth anything. It used to be that if you had a degree, you had a job. That isn’t the case anymore. And it must be rectified. In addition, as world issues become more complex the children of today will be the ones that will face these problems. This means that we cannot continue educating them the way we always have, with this hierarchy in subjects that leaves the arts, and physical education at the bottom. Nowadays, these subjects are just as important as literacy. As children get older they are progressively being educated from wais up, and to one side. “Our task is to educate their whole being, so they can face this future.” 

Drama, dance, and subjects like outdoor education are should be encouraged, because the skills gained (problem solving, understanding group dynamics, leadership, thinking “outside the box”, etc.) in such courses are just as valuable and applicable, if not more, than times tables, and grammar laws.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY)

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