Despite it’s US-centric message I enjoyed this Sir Ken Robinson TED talk. My favourite quotes:
“There are three principles on which human life flourishes and they are contradicted by the culture of education under which most teachers have to to labour and most students have to endure:
- Human beings are naturally diverse
- Humans are naturally curious
- Human life is inherently creative”
“Science and Math are necessary but not sufficient.”
“If you sit kids down hour after hour doing low grade clerical work don’t be surprised if they start to fidget.”
“The arts are important because they speak to parts of children’s being that are otherwise untouched.”
“Curiosity is the engine of achievement.”
“Teaching is a creative profession. Teaching properly conceived is not a delivery system.”
“In the end education is about learning. If there is no learning going on, there is no education going on.”
“In the place of curiosity we have a culture of compliance.”
“Professional development is not a cost, it’s an investment.”
“Education is not a mechanical system, it’s a human system. It’s about people. People who either do want to learn, or don’t want to learn.”
“The real role of leadership in education should not be command and control, the real role is to create a climate of possibility.”