Blog Post #10 Sir Ken Robinson

In Ken Robinson's "Bring On The Learning Revolution" , Robinson challenges how we think about our education system. He states that he is not talking about an education reform, but an education revolution; for our way of educating to be completely transformed into something entirely different. Robinson also says that our education system is no longer meeting the needs of the people in our modern world. “Many of our ideas have been formed not to meet the ideas of this century but to meet the ideas of the previous century…” (Robinson). When I consider my own personal experience with the education system, I am able to see it much the same way as Robinson. We line our students up in rows and give each child the same generic mass produced assignments. Throughout our semester in EDM310, we have been challenged over and over again to reassess how we see the classroom as well as our role as future educators. We are encouraged to move away from the cookie cutter mentality, and begin to really get to know each child, know their passions, know their challenges and begin to teach to them as individuals. Doing this has a lot to do with what Robinson says is getting away from an industrialized education and, instead, like an agriculturalist, “create the right conditions under which a person can flourish.” Robinson also says that, “human communities depend upon a diversity of talent, not a singular conception of ability.” Recreating the way a classroom functions into an environment that encourages individual and creative thinking, creates an environment in which students' talents are nourished, not suffocated.

We do indeed have what Robinson  calls a “crisis of human resources” and this lecture is definitely a call to all educators and anyone interested in the future of our students, to reevaluate what we do, why we do it that way and whether or not it is truly an effective system. Also, it is time to begin the process of change. This is not an easy, nor is it a quick fix. Any revolution takes time, direction, passion, and people willing to do what it takes to make the change happen. The change has begun. It is a slow movement but, it is moving!