Week 6 TED Video Reflections

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_changing_education_paradigms.html

Ken Robinson: Changing education paradigms

Robinson attributes universal education reform as being based on two things: an economy that we can’t begin to imagine or accurately predict, and a need to retain cultural identity in a global economy. He describes: the basic foundations of education, the birth and evolution of public education, and explains his beliefs why the current paradigm not only fails, but contributes to what he describes as “chaos”.  Although some manage to navigate successfully through this system, Sir Ken asserts that more often than not, education today promotes an extremely limited view of intelligence and rewards passive assimilation of knowledge. Although not claiming to be an expert, Robinson attributes the perceived epidemic of ADHD to education’s need to “numb” the child who responds naturally to the stimulation of their environment. He continues that the arts, with their ability to arouse a similar response, fall into the same category. Robinson contends that it is time to change the culture of education. He proposes that a successful new model will both value and nurture divergent thought and embrace a spirit of collaboration.

I love Sir Ken Robinson! Those of you who know me have heard of my guest list for a fantasy dinner party. In addition to inviting all of my dearest creative friends, I envision including my favorite respected leaders from the fields of education and creativity. I haven’t considered why they’ll respond to my invitation, but hey, it’s a fantasy. Sir Ken and Daniel Pink are at the head of the list; Howard Gardener and the late Elliot Eisner don’t make the cut. (Though I admire them, it’s a dinner party, they have to be able to engage in witty repartee and I don’t want to feel as though I need a dictionary to understand them.) Kathy Unrath and Olivia Gude will both be there. The point of my self-indulgent ramble is to illustrate the fact that Robinson comes off as both brilliant and approachable. The thing that stands out for me from this video is, and it’s a little on the scary side, it’s a consensus from our leaders in the field that education needs to change yet, as long as there is a top down mandate for standardized testing, it cannot. I know it sounds like a conspiracy theory, but could it be that our country doesn’t really want to produce divergent thinkers? Could there be a hidden agenda? While I’ve dared dip my toes into a messy puddle, here’s a quote from the movie Conspiracy Theory, “Have you ever been a place where hope was gone? Where all that's left is patience?” I’m not meaning to come off as completely whacky, but I’ve been in this field a long time. Every day I witness my general ed colleagues struggling to keep hope alive, but as I hear story after story about the ways they no longer have time for the fun stuff. Please tell me that I’m wrong, but as I watch them scramble to cram in fact after fact because it’s going to be on the test, and their professional evaluation depends on those test scores, doesn’t it make you wonder?

http://www.ted.com/talks/diana_laufenberg_3_ways_to_teach.html

Diana Laufenberg: How to learn? From mistakes

Unlike the educational models of the past where knowledge was transmitted from teacher to student, where information was contained within the walls of the school building or the pages of a set of books, students of today are faced with an abundance of information. Laufenberg posits experiential learning, student voice, and the embracement of failure as a new model for educational success.

 I watched this video in complete agreement with everything Laufenberg had to say. My grandparents and parents were products of the one room schoolhouse; my own family owned a set of seriously dated encyclopedias. I experienced the advent of technology, have witnessed the rise of the great information overload.

Two things from the video really stood out to me. First, I could not help but think of Visual Thinking Strategies and how VTS nestles perfectly into this new model. In a VTS discussion students build meaning based on personal experiences, there is a clear understanding that no one right answer exists, flexible thinking is supported, and the entire experience is conducted via student voice.

Secondly, when I attended college I was taught the ways to effectively dispense knowledge and to design meaningful projects through which students could respond, demonstrating their personal understanding of the lesson. It wasn’t a horrible model, but the teacher was still recognized as the expert. This intensified with DBAE, and somewhere along the line, art education was turned into a tidy little package that evolved around the elements and principles of art. I clung tightly to my life preserver of meaning! I had the ability to teach the E’s and P’s, but it wasn’t really what I signed on for. I’m overjoyed with a return to meaning; I don’t want the role of expert. I work every single day at redefining the perception of failure! Arts education is way ahead of the pack here. We have the potential be an expert representation of the way 21^st Century education could and should look!

Last week I noted that I identified closely with the description of the progressive tradition, but as I reflect on my response to this video, I’d have to say that perhaps I’m a substantial chunk spiritual - contemplative as well.