Some Words from Ken Robinson, Educator

I have been doing some research lately on pedagogy. I have come beyond this series of TED talks by Sir Ken Robinson which are fascinating (if you lot're into this stuff)! He is a British educator living in L.A., who has been called a creativity expert. He'south written some books and has a blog, just I haven't read those (yet). I've but listened to him talk. He is gifted speaker who has profound insight into the issues of our educational organisation here in the US and other countries in the Western globe. He is also very funny!

Hither are a few of my takeaways and favorite quotes from the talks that accept made me think securely well-nigh the important role of the instructor and how difficult that job tin can be. Sir Ken says that:

"Educational activity is a creative profession."

Teachers are mentors, they are there to stimulate, provoke, engage, and facilitate learning. Merely because of the amount of standardized tests that have been mandated by our government, teachers — rather than excite curiosity — are having to be compliant. He goes on to say:

"1 part of education is to awaken and develop creativity. Instead, nosotros have a culture of standardization."

I feel that I take just began to wrap my head around the testing outcome. I have iii kids in the public school system. One is in high school, i is in middle school, and one is in uncomplicated school. I worry almost my centre schooler the most considering she is the one who least fits the mold of "student". Her natural talents accept get lost because she is working so difficult at just keeping upward. School is hard for her and nosotros are trying to figure out why it'due south and then hard. Merely when we do figure it out, I feel that it's not just our responsibility at dwelling house to develop her passions and talents, it has to be a joint effort with her school. We need to work together to develop her inventiveness (which she has in spades) and focus on her strengths.

Sir Ken says:

"We are educating children out of their creative capacities."

I dream of a school system where theatre and singing (my daughter'south passions) are every bit every bit important as math. Sir Ken goes on to say:

"Many highly talented, brilliant, creative people retrieve they're not. Because the thing they were practiced at at schoolhouse wasn't valued or was actually stigmatized."

My thoughts exactly!

Then Sir Ken Robinson said this in ane of his talks:

"Curiosity is the engine of achievement."

To evoke curiosity in children is the gift of a good instructor. Still, it has go very hard for teachers to observe plenty fourth dimension in their day to dig deep into the field of study matter in an exciting way. They are stuck "educational activity to the examination". With my daughter (that creative middle schooler), I feel that the rush of the schoolhouse solar day and the cramming in of work has left her feeling disconnected with her teachers. Not only that, sitting downwards all mean solar day with the lack of body move has been a huge detriment. She is a kinesthetic learner who needs to motion to acquire. She now calls school "prison". She's lost her curiosity, and this breaks my centre.

Am I to tell her that this is it? I wish I didn't have to, simply we don't have the means to send her to individual school so we really practise have to brand things work within the public school organization. Her struggles volition be part of her story, I suppose. They will shape her into whoever she might become. For improve or for worse.

What I actually want, though, is for things to be different. For her school experience to be something that I've merely read about. Like in Finland, for example. They created a brand new school system from scratch twoscore years ago. They began to base their education on equality so that they could make sure to develop anybody'south potential. They realized that children demand more just academics. In Finland, their schoolhouse days are shorter, their outdoor play is longer (75 minutes per twenty-four hour period), they teach life skills classes throughout the day (similar cooking, sewing, health and sports) and have a heavy focus on the arts. There is simply one standardized test at the age of 16, and they take a 93% high schoolhouse graduation rate.

It gets fifty-fifty more interesting. In Finland, 43% of kids who graduate high schoolhouse go to vocational school, and there is no stigma attached to this path. Finland says that they are investing in their children. Their economic system needs all types of people and that everyone has worth.

But the real reason for Republic of finland's success is establish in their teachers. Teachers in Republic of finland are viewed with the aforementioned regard equally doctors and lawyers. In fact, 25% of students cull to get into the didactics profession, but but well-nigh 10% get accepted into the Master's program. Teachers also get a high level of back up in the classroom, and they are allowed to create their own curriculums and even their ain grading systems. Information technology is this autonomy and freedom that not simply allows for creativity, but helps them build strong relationships with their students because they are focused on developing their strengths.

I know people here are sometimes weary of the Finland vs. U.s.a. comparison, especially because Finland is a modest state with socialistic characteristics (all education including college is free). But I do think in that location are some lessons that tin be taken away from their remarkable progress. As Sir Ken put it so eloquently, as he compared the success of a schoolhouse system to that of agriculture:

"With organic systems, if the conditions are right, life is inevitable. Information technology happens all the fourth dimension. You have an surface area, a schoolhouse, a district, and you change the conditions and give people a different sense of possibility, a unlike prepare of expectations, a broader range of opportunity, you cherish and value the relationship betwixt teachers and learners, y'all offering people discretion to be creative and innovate in what they exercise – schools that were one time bereft spring to life."

He believes that change is possible, but at that place needs to be a movement. If plenty people move, it can be a revolution!

Which brings me to the quote above, the one most treading softly. I love this one because it reminds me that there is a world in which our children live that nosotros know very little well-nigh. It'south a globe in which they dream near their future. We might know their dreams, simply nosotros might not. Maybe they don't even know them yet. Maybe they are merely building memories and finding their passion. What nosotros practise know is that information technology is a creative earth, because humans are inherently artistic. I mean, we all create our ain lives, don't we? And every life is different and unique. No 2 are the aforementioned.

Our educational system, however, is based on sameness. It follows a linear path rather than an organic one. Sir Ken says:

"The reason then many people are opting out of pedagogy is considering it doesn't feed their spirit, their energy or their passion."

Feeding the spirit is such a wonderful phrase. It reminds me of why I intendance and then much nearly "the arts" and "creativity" in school. Sir Ken goes on to say this other poignant judgement:

"The arts aren't only important because they amend math scores, they are of import considering they speak to parts of children's beingness which are otherwise untouched."

How very true.

Sir Ken is known best for this quote (it has been traveling about Pinterest and Facebook lately):

"Creativity is as important in eduction as literacy."

Do you concur?

There is a reason I proceed to put out art supplies and invitations to create in my home, and it's to remind my kids that in this house nosotros value creativity as much as academics. Maybe even more than. It'southward the all-time I tin can practise to feed their spirits, and to assist them understand that their lives are not typical. Their lives are original.

Here are Sir Ken Robinson's TED talks, in social club:

Do Schools Kill Creativity? (2007)

Bring on the learning Revolution (2010)

How to Escape Teaching's Death Valley (2013)

Thanks for reading this, and please comment if you have anything to add or share.

xo, Bar

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Source: https://www.artbarblog.com/words-from-ken-robinson/