Ken Robinson - Inspiration and Food for Thought

I have recently visited a school who have taken a lot of inspiration from the TED Talk by Ken Robinson titled: How to escape education's death valley.

Watching it gave me a lot to think about - both in terms of my practice, the practices occurring within my current school and the practices that are occurring nationwide.  Below are notes that I took from this speech and that will influence the way that I continue to teach.

Human beings are naturally different and diverse:

The problem with education arises when education is being based on conformity and focuses on acknowledging children’s achievements against a narrow curriculum -  STEM. For the curriculum to provide opportunities for children to flourish it needs equal weighting also applied to the arts, humanities and physical education.  Research has proven that children prosper when they are provided with a wide curriculum that recognises all their talents.

Curiosity

If a parent or educator can light the spark of curiosity children will learn naturally.  Curiosity is the engine of achievement.  Teaching aligns with this as teaching is a creative profession – within each day an effective teacher may ake on the roles of mentor, stimulator, thought provoker, and someone who engages others.  When this is true it is important that educators continue their own learning and developing their own curiosity. 

Put at its most simple the role of a teacher is to facilitate learning – not to facilitate tests.  There is a need to move away from standardized testing – it is still important and needs a place however it should not be dominant but rather diagnostic.

Human life is inherently creative

Each day every one of us is creating our lives and with each decision we make we continue to create them.   Our role as teachers is to awaken and develop powers of creativity within our students.  At its most effective, learning is developed though curiosity, and the individuality creativity that stands alongside curiosity. 

Education is about people and seeds of possibility lie beneath the surface of each child waiting for the conditions to be right – and if the conditions are right individual success is inevitable.  Within education these conditions are possibility, positive relationships, high expectations, a range of opportunities, and the discretion to be creative and innovative.  Leadership and teaching in education should not be command and control but rather climate control – and creating a climate of possibility – when this occurs people will rise to and exceed expectations.

Benjamin Franklin once famously said that “All mankind is divided into three classes: those who are immovable, those who are movable and those who move.”

My mission for myself: Be someone who makes things happen.