RSA Animate - Changing Paradigms

Video 4 Comments

  • Education
  • Creativity

RSA Animate taken from a speech given at the RSA by Sir Ken Robinson, world-renowned education expert and recipient of the RSA Benjamin Franklin award.

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  • I saw this animation the first year it  appeared, and was awestruck. As a teacher I see only common sense in the whole presentation but trying to effect this kind of change is no small feat. 

    I realized that the initial step in creating this paradigm shift has to do with the question Sir Robinson raised that is the linchpin. "Why do we educate children as if the most important thing about them is their date of manufacture?"

    We MUST eliminate the stigma of being "held back".  Do away with the idea of being "promoted" grade to grade by making the grade "levels" lateral rather than hierarchical. No more "graduation",  teach children by their abilities rather than their age. Let them find their own passion and they will seek out the education they need to achieve it. 

    Too often I see students come into my classroom who are totally unprepared, socially, emotionally, psychologically and intellectually for a high school curriculum. It's not their fault! It's not the parents fault! It's not the teachers fault! It is the system and the whole system desperately needs to be overhauled. To do this we must overcome the immovable object set down but tradition and bureaucracy.

    I have set myself to the task of finding out how to break through that barrier. I hope very soon to start putting some ideas out there but it is a large puzzle with many dynamic pieces and few proponents. 

    • I will be interested to discuss this with you in more detail. I am working on an idea which could be a small step in this direction.

  • I am astonished there are not droves of comments and heads nodding up and down in agreement to this brilliant speech that was given in October 2010 !  Maybe there are simply too many east coast thinkers listening to this or possibly the standardized test taking people are not out of their fog yet! 

    How DO WE square that circle ?  Oddly, in America I agree public education is a challenge, but when we have young people about to graduate from the most (supposedly) prestigious schools in America and before they graduate they are facing criminal actions against another student, there are bigger problems in what students are being taught at many levels.  As Mr. Hammerstein said, "You have to be carefully taught" and I get angry when a great education that cost thousands of dollars was wasted when someone with less means could have achieved something that would change the world.   

    Thank you Sir Ken Robinson.  I am feel like a school girl with a big CRUSH on your brain and creative license in changing education and the way we think! You have made my mind explode with ideas and goals and ambitions.  Thank you. 
    Kimberly Overton