A Look at Education and Speech-Giving (TED talk #1)

Based off of the TED talk by Sir Ken Robinson

Sir Ken Robinson gave an excellent TED talk on how schools are killing children’s creativity. He made a valid point about an ever-increasing problem with education. His first point that stood out to me was when he said, “We don’t grow into creativity, we grow out of it.” This got me thinking about why there are not more creative people in the world, and why kids in school are discouraged to be creative. I think that part of the reason is because before, the world did not need creative people, but now with technology increasing and jobs decreasing, creativity is becoming more important. But I think that another part of the reason is because of people’s peers. Kids are not allowed to be creative, and they are looked down upon if they are. Another point that stuck with me was when he said how people are afraid to be wrong. Society has drilled in us how being wrong and making mistakes is not ok, but in fact being wrong is one way to be creative. If people aren’t brave enough to take risks, then they don’t try new things and come up with new ideas. In his TED talk Sir Ken Robinson also talks about the point of education. He thinks that the point of education is to produce people like university professors who think one certain way. While I do partially agree with this statement, I do not all the way see his point of view. I believe that another point of education is to give kids the skills to succeed in the future. Like Sir Ken Robinson mentioned, it is hard to teach kids for the future because no one knows what the future will look like. Instead, we can just give students the tools to be prepared for what they might do in their lives. However, instead of just teaching them the one standard left-side way that everyone knows and uses, why can’t we just teach them the tools that they will need, but do it in a way where the right-side creative kids benefit too? They can still be learning the same concepts, just in a different way. Now I don’t know what this would look like or how it would be done, but I do think that it is worth thinking about, because the world is changing, and like it or not education is going to have to change with it.

Sir Ken Robinson uses many effective speaking techniques that make his speech entertaining and enjoyable. Right off the bat he utilizes humor to ease the audience into his presentation and to make it more fun to listen to. He tells stories that are personal, which allows the audience to connect to his points and makes it more personal and interesting for them. He has one main point, then he strays off topic and makes another point, but then he connects them together. This makes his speech more complex and relevant. Instead of just listening to him go on and on about one topic, he states the point and then moves on with something else. All of these techniques make his speech stand out, and makes listeners want to listen for more. Body language is also key for giving a successful speech. He seems immediately comfortable in front of the audience, and is not afraid to maybe slip up or laugh at what he says. It is important that when the audience laughs, the speaker stops and waits for it to get quite again.

What I took away from this video (aka what matters about it) is that the world is in a process of academic inflation. The standard bars for education keep getting higher and higher. One alternative route is that instead of trying to be the best in the old academic world of left-brain, people could start in on a different approach (creativity). What matters is that the world accepts and realizes that everybody has different ways of learning and different strengths and levels of intelligence. The world needs every type of learner and thinker, and so instead of stereotyping groups of people into ‘creative is not as smart’ or ‘learning math and science will get you a job’ , the whole system of education needs to concentrate on better ways to teach kids the skills they need for life. They need to encourage them in every type of job profession, and stop being so biased towards one type of person. There is a great saying that no two people are alike, and students are still waiting for the day when educators realize it.