Thursday, March 17, 2016

Sir Ken Robinson and I had a meeting of the minds yesterday

He has been talking about creativity in education long before this TedTalk but it's the most watched TedTalk in history. 

I had the privilege of listening to Sir Ken Robinson present at a Creative Learning Institute yesterday. He was witty and a little rambly (like rambling -- pretty sure that's a British word) and said some things that hit me right between the eyes. 

Here are a few that I can't get out of my head:

  • What you monitor you prioritize. So in America, (and in most countries in the world) we prioritize reading, writing and math, with some science. Based on what we assess and test, we do not care much about music, art, dance, history.... Sir Robinson says Art and Dance and Music should be equally as important as reading, writing, and math. 
  • “Dropout” implies that the kid failed the system. But it's really the system that failed them. We dropped them.
  • In 2013 the NFL made $9 billion. The movie box offices made $11 billion. Companies that create tests for education (not PD or support, just testing) made $16 billion!
  • There are two worlds: 
    • The one that existed before you were born and will be there after you leave
    • And the world that began when you arrived and will end when you leave
    • Our goal: get students to understand how to be successful in both worlds and how to work within both of these worlds.
  • There are a lot of things that are legally required of schools (NCLB, CCSS, etc.). But most things that happen in school are done out of habit. It is what your school does that are not required by law (habits, school culture, priorities, etc.) that will have the biggest impact (positive or negative) in the education and future of your children.

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