Sir Ken Robinson - Changing Education Paradigms

[Deluge Of Sound]

Thought I'd throw this up here for some people who hadn't seen it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U
Its an animated video based on one of his talks.

Thoughts?

[fdeck]

What are some of the points that he makes?

[bassybill]

I like to hear Ken talk - although I don't always agree with all of his points, the general jist of what he says is spot on. That vid you posted is a good summary of his views on the need to radically change our approach to education. He can be a very funny guy at times, too.

This is a talk he gave on the need to encourage creativity in schools. The last section with the example he discusses of the restless little girl is particularly worth hearing, I think (from about 15:08). Check it out.

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

[CrispyDelicious]

A large part of my education as an ESL teacher touched upon this. The traditional methods of teaching focus on specific ways of conveying information, and require the students to comply with a very strict set of rules regarding how to learn. The problem is that traditional teaching methods/programs largely ignore multiple intelligences, so only a small portion of students find themselves in a position where the information is presented in a way that they can best grasp it; at the same time, they are restricted in the ways that they are allowed to work with that information. His point about standardized testing really nails this. Learners simply don't learn the same way as each other. Until education programs accept that multiple intelligences exist and that it is the teaching methods, not the students, that need to be adjusted, there are going to students continually left behind, deemed 'not acedemic'.

Also, I really liked what he said about the absurdity of organizing students based on age; packaging them, if you will. Just another example of the current system sticking students into arbitrary categories and applying a single standard to judge them. "You are this old, so you should learn how to arrive at X answer using Y method. Anything else is wrong".

[CrispyDelicious]

Oh and one more thing I'd like to add to that. Regarding ADHD, bored students, etc.

The problem is not that students are consistently bored with all of the information being presented to them (maybe some of it, sure). Rather, the problem lies in the methods used to convey the information. I can guarantee that in the classes I taught, the information being presented was not entirely exciting (conditionals, yay!), but if you can find ways that appeal to the students' various aptitudes for learning, they will still enjoy manipulating the information. The tough part, of course, is creating lessons that fit into several types of learning intelligences.

[bassybill]

Originally Posted by CrispyDelicious

Oh and one more thing I'd like to add to that. Regarding ADHD, bored students, etc.

The problem is not that students are consistently bored with all of the information being presented to them (maybe some of it, sure). Rather, the problem lies in the methods used to convey the information. I can guarantee that in the classes I taught, the information being presented was not entirely exciting (conditionals, yay!), but if you can find ways that appeal to the students' various aptitudes for learning, they will still enjoy manipulating the information. The tough part, of course, is creating lessons that fit into several types of learning intelligences.

Not really that tough, on a basic level. The recipe of "something worth looking at, something worth listening to, something worth doing" in each lesson can go a long way to addressing some of the (very real) issues you've mentioned.

[Deluge Of Sound]

Something worth looking at, something worth listening to, something worth doing is certainly part of it. The problem, of course, comes from the fact that each student is going to interpret these things in a wildly different way, and its unrealistic to expect a teacher to nail down the right way for every single student.

Especially if the teacher doesn't rate highly in the student's estimation. An intangible that's completely out of the teacher's hands (within reason), but something that never-the-less has an impact on the lesson/course/etc.

[Deluge Of Sound]

Originally Posted by fdeck

What are some of the points that he makes?

-Every country on earth on earth is trying to figure out
how do we educate our children so they have a sense of cultural identity, so that we can pass on the cultural genes of our communities. While being part of the process of globalization, how do you square that circle?

-The problem is that the current system of education was designed and conceived and structured for a different age. It was conceived in the intellectual culture of the Enlightenment,and in the economic circumstances of the Industrial Revolution:


-Public education paid for from taxation, compulsory to everybody and free at the point of delivery, that was a revolutionary idea. And many people objected to it. They said it's not possible for many street kids working class children to benefit from public education. They are incapable of learning to read and write and why are we spending time on this? So there was also built into the whole series of assumptions about social structuring capacity. It was driven by an economic imperative of the time, but running right through it, was an intellectual model of the mind,
which was essentially the Enlightenment view of intelligence.
The real intelligence consisted in this capacity for certain type of deductive reasoning, and a knowledge of the Classics originally, what we've come to think of as academic ability.
And this is deep in the gene pool of public education.
There are really two types of people. Academic and non academic.

Smart people and non smart people."

You can check the transcript here:
http://dotsub.com/view/58707cf2-f861...Transcript/eng

[Skitch it!]

I think Sir Ken is spot on with the issues regarding the current state of education, and with the other outside societal factors that effect presently and more-so in the future.

It does require more structured personalised teaching to draw on an individual students natural angle of interest/creativity, but the expense of establishing something like that in the current socio/ economic climate mean's that would be a long way off imo, if at all.

The system is so outdated, and also with investment question here, I think more are accepting this as a symptom of society and where we are at, I know a few teachers here that considered and pursued other careers, they couldn't handle the class numbers, the paperwork requirements or the stress, they left, they did not feel well enough supported in a very demanding 'give of yourself' environment. That depends on what kind of teacher you are as well of course, it's a tough job, and no mistake.

I can only speak for the situations I've seen but I'd say the structure isn't benefiting the tutors or the students, I'm definitely with Sir Ken with this, but the question is implementing it from the ground up.

[MakiSupaStar]

Wow. This is the first I've heard of this guy. I've come to many of the same conclusions myself. Brilliant. Thanks for posting.

[bassybill]

Originally Posted by Deluge Of Sound

Something worth looking at, something worth listening to, something worth doing is certainly part of it. The problem, of course, comes from the fact that each student is going to interpret these things in a wildly different way, and its unrealistic to expect a teacher to nail down the right way for every single student.

Especially if the teacher doesn't rate highly in the student's estimation. An intangible that's completely out of the teacher's hands (within reason), but something that never-the-less has an impact on the lesson/course/etc.

I actually think the student's estimation of the teacher is something that is very much (but not totally) within the teacher's control.

I'd honestly love to have you as a student on my course, the conversations would be invaluable.

@maki: please check out the FB link I posted asking for your opinion because I know you're clued up about this.

[Deluge Of Sound]

Originally Posted by bassybill

I actually think the student's estimation of the teacher is something that is very much (but not totally) within the teacher's control.

I'd honestly love to have you as a student on my course, the conversations would be invaluable.

Likewise, though I expect our teaching subjects are wildly different.

Which, now that I think about it, has a lot of bearing on the conversation of student's estimation of the teacher. In my field, at least, we're talking about skill-based learning that, to a certain degree (though it is different for each student) can't come from anything but practice.

[bassybill]

Originally Posted by Deluge Of Sound

In my field, at least, we're talking about skill-based learning that, to a certain degree (though it is different for each student) can't come from anything but practice.

Same here - my own field is very much skill based, but it has theoretical elements that are important also (I train teachers, so the subject I teach is actually "teaching" ).

[Deluge Of Sound]

Well at some point, we'll both make it to the international GTG and discuss it in person.