We actually watched this clip for professional learning at the start of our school year! It’s great isn’t it

Wow, makes you think but it is true, our education system tends to kill creativity!! Thanks Mark, will think a bit more and respond again. Cheers Ian

Great speaker with ideas that are espoused by many educators. Pity some of the systems don’t cater for it well enough.

I am also a fan of TED for some time now.
It was good to find Ken Robinson and it is interesting that as a community we hold academics in such high regard which in turn seems to relate in disproportionate income. My concern or observation of educators is that we seem to be rewarding mediocrity and allowing a continuous stream of concessions to gain success. Eg. have another go or lets build a dream team and leave out the less gifted.
I have been working with schools for many yearsas a leadership training provider and the most effort goes into educating the educators not the students. Getting them to let go of the idea continual concessions and guiding students to success rather than finding their own way is difficult. Dropping gold star chocolate reward schemes or the like to reward good behaviour was difficult also. Shouldn’t we expect good behaviour.

A lovely example was 2 boys who broke down a door which created a stand off until someone would take responsibility. The 2 boys finally put their hand up and their lovely teacher wanted to give them chocolate bar stars for honesty.

Rewarding mediocrity is not the answer. I think if we provide discipline with no concessions young people will learn and raise themselves to that standard. Success would be their reward.

Hi Mark – Thankk you for sending this link – I really enjoyed watching the video – very funny and very challenging.

Hi Mark

Thanks for the link. Mark Hassell one of our teachers here at Glengarry highlighted this video to us a few months ago, how good is he! It seems that this message does not make it to the main stream.

If I can return one for you to watch. The guy in the video is named Dr Dan Siegel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu7wEr8AnHw. He is a guru that is tying together the latest neuroscience and education. In this clip he talks about the circuitry of the brain that is not tapped into during mainstream education, and then talks about the need for Reflection, Relationships & Resilience as a critical part of the brain that is being missed in modern education; all the things that outdoor education does hit!

I hope all is well, regards, Boyley

Thanks Mark.
I know this video well. It is most heartening to have someone of Robinson’s stature saying this stuff.

Russell Deal
Creative Director
St Lukes Innovative Resources

Hi Mark,
Inspirational stuff. We have used this clip a fair bit with our staff as we head down the path of self directed learning. A lot of your activities really suit us as they involve the children in careful decision making, inclusion and team support.
Love your work,
Cheers, Bernie

Hi Mark,

Thank you again for sharing your information and expertise.
I allreaddy use alot of Robinson’s filosofy in my education en trainingprograms. Specialy the divergent (creative) thinking.
When I was trained by Jim Schoel (Project Adventure)somehow I thought that the part of support somebodys learning was not compleet. I believe when Ken Robinson says that we learned to develop ourselfs away from divergent (creative and in my opinion solution focussed) thinking we should use the payer of activties and play. I allreaddy do this and like to stay in touch with you. Hopefully I reach a point were I can exchange expertise.

Best Regards, Frederik Gobbels (Netherlands.)

Hey Stan, i can’t agree more with your sentiments. I agree that we shoudl expect good behavious, but in genuine cases where this behaviour has not been learned, I believe we have a responsibility to teach / model / facilitate it. And yes, sadly, i see rewarding mediocrity all the time. You only have to look at the level of politcal debate in this country to come to that conclusion. cheers, Mark!

Thanks for this link Mark. I like his 2010 sequel “Bring on the learning revolution” too. It clarifies my decision to take a different direction next year- mainstream education can be a depressing place when you have no power to change what is happening in a school.

Hi Mark,

This is one of my favourite TED talks, and is followed up by an RSA animate talk which can be found on Youtube at : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

Another talk I like to show the school kids is Lewis Pugh’s mind-shifting Everest swim: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/lewis_pugh_s_mind_shifting_mt_everest_swim.html

So many good talks! Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,
Mark Hassell

Excellent, just the sort of sharing I encourage… thanks!

Hi Mark, Yes you are right….It’s a good video

Hi Mark, many thanks!. it’s very inspirational and sadly that’s the reality.

Roy, it may be the “reality” but that does not mean that we should choose it or accept it. We can all choose a new way forward, an educational realm that is powerful and truly prepares young people for the rigours of the new world and the new economy….. Mark

Schools may kill students creativity without really knowing it or intentionally. There are so many rules placed to hold order within a classroom, but these rules that were able hold order can also make students into a cookie cutter.

Teachers are so stretched out that they are not able to encourage creativity!

Hi Mark,
I have just managed to watch this video and i cried. As a kinesthetic learner i have great passion for your teachings and use your no props book daily to educate the hundreds of adults i teach here in thailand. There are many new teachers out there using games ive taught them learnt through you.

This video was timely, Im just had enough of teaching adults to be teachers as I aren’t fulfilling my creative needs as a teacher/leader. This has inspired me to get back out of the classroom and into the wilderness and explore, create and dream.

Thank you so much and if you’re ever employing, please let me know.

In admiration
Alison Heseltine

so, so, so true!
I have emailed the link for the video to my friends. I believe that learning should be a fun and enlightening experience for everyone and being somewhat inclined to delve into the arts to assist in my own learning, it is heartening to know that others value creative learning styles too.

As a high school student, there are all these stereotypes and narrow minded people who set black and white rules: you HAVE to present your project this way, you HAVE to stop referring to things off topic (eg. dark matter) in class (science) when we are studying a different topic (geology), seriously-they are SUPPOSED to be happy when a student is showing an interest in a topic!!!

A lot of things said in the video touched me, but one thing that sounded alarms in my head was when it was raised that schools focus on music and art in the creative arts genre. This is so true. Whilst my forte is focused in those two areas, I have always loved drama and dance and would have loved to have delved into those subjects too.

Our school only offers dance and drama as electives. They are not compulsory for anyone even though in year seven and eight, music and art were compulsory for all students.

It saddens me that so many students are robbed of the chance to discover themselves in another light-one that may never be turned on by anything else other than creative arts and/or creative expression.

Albert Einstein once said “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”

In awe,
Anabel

We’re speaking the same language Ana. I really appreciate your efforts to share what you’re thinking… Mark

thanks mark, very touching and close to my dreams of teaching in the future.

Thanks Aaron – your thoughts relfect those of many, many people, not only on this blog, but out there in teaching land. The only thing left to do, is to DO IT. Have FUNN

Hi Mark,
There are currently some changes in the education system in Scotland you may want to check out. It’s called the curriculum for Excellence and it is a model aimed at encouraging deeper and also broader learning. Learning about group skills team work and inter/intra personal learning are all encouraged within this model. Another model you may be interested in the Baccerlaurate model currently taught in International Schools. This may balance the argument somewhat, the school system and teachers tend to get a hard time of it which is at times unfair as there are some really positive things going on in some schools.