This is really apropos of nothing, but this speech by British author Ken Robinson is one of the more interesting videos I've come across in a while. In it, Robinson challenges our notion of education and its purposes, and wonders aloud if we've got things backwards.
The video doesn't really translate well to the blog--it's not easy to summarize, it's not a 30-second clip, it's in a sense everything the internet doesn't do well. But it's a fantastically funny and insightful piece, and if you've got 20 minutes to spare, give it a watch. It's better than watching Glee, I promise.
Robinson's basic premise is that children are inherently incredibly creative, in large part because they are unafraid to make mistakes. But schools, corporations, and just about everything that they encounter in life punishes mistakes heavily. They thus learn to play it safe, make the smart call, and never risk making mistakes. This inherently stifles creativity. In a way, Robinson argues, that's the point--schools (and especially public schools) are specifically designed to provide what industry needs. Only select industries and corporations actually value innovation and creative thinking, so cultivating it is not a priority at the schools.
It's an interesting take, and one that speaks to me. I've spent much of my life being Exhibit A of a guy who plays it safe and doesn't risk big screw-ups--I definitely admit that. For the most part it's served me well, but I also haven't exactly changed the world (and I'm far from creative or innovative). So it's interesting for me to watch this speech and think introspectively about the choices I've made, the risks I've taken (and haven't taken), and why. Hopefully you watch it and find it interesting as well.
If a man speaks his mind in a forest and there is no woman to hear him.... Is he still wrong?
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