A Learning Revolution: Sir Ken Robinson’s TED Talk

Juichende jongens bij VSV-DFC / Boys cheering when their favorite team scores

Originally uploaded by Nationaal Archief

In October of last year, I posted Sir Ken Robinson’s presentation at TED on schools killing creativity. As I said back then, I think Sir Ken is one of the more brilliantly entertaining speakers around. I still think that. He can take something as boring as a speech on the education system and make it very enjoyable to listen to. Not only that, his analysis on the state of the education system and the way we teach our children is spot on in my opinion.

In February of this year he spoke at TED again. In a lot of ways he picks up where he left off last time. Should you take a few minutes (18 to be more precise) to watch his second presentation here, I am sure you will not be disappointed. I’ve taken a few highlights and included them in this post, but I highly recommend watching the presentation in its entirety in the video clip below.

The Highlights

I meet all kinds of people who don’t enjoy what they do. They simply go through their lives getting on with it. They get no great pleasure from what they do. They endure it, rather than enjoy it, and wait for the weekend. But I also meet people who love what they do and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. If you said to them, “Don’t do this anymore,” they’d wonder what you were talking about. Because it isn’t what they do, it’s who they are. They say, “But this is me, you know. It would be foolish for me to abandon this, because it speaks to my most authentic self.” And it’s not true of enough people. In fact, on the contrary, I think it’s certainly a minority of people.

… education, in a way, dislocates very many people from their natural talents. And human resources are like natural resources; they’re often buried deep. You have to go looking for them. They’re not just lying around on the surface. You have to create the circumstances where they show themselves. And you might imagine education would be the way that happens. But too often, it’s not. Every education system in the world is being reformed at the moment. And it’s not enough. Reform is no use anymore, because that’s simply improving a broken model. What we need — and the word’s been used many times during the course of the past few days — is not evolution, but a revolution in education. This has to be transformed into something else.

The other big issue is conformity. We have built our education systems on the model of fast food. This is something Jamie Oliver talked about the other day. You know there are two models of quality assurance in catering. One is fast food, where everything is standardized. The other are things like Zagat and Michelin restaurants, where everything is not standardized, they’re customized to local circumstances. And we have sold ourselves into a fast food model of education. And it’s impoverishing our spirit and our energies as much as fast food is depleting our physical bodies.

The Presentation

Embrace the Exciting and Scary, but Avoid Panic

Coney Island

Originally uploaded by drewmaniac

A new car is exciting. The new bills for the car is a little scary.

A new job is exciting. The not knowing how you will like the new job is scary.

A new project is exciting. The idea that the new project may fail is scary.

Scary should never freeze you and here’s why:

Your old car will stop working. Then the panic to get a new car immediately will rush your decision.

Your old job may cease to exist. Then the panic of searching for a new job before the money runs out will rush your decision.

Your old project may have ended. Then the panic of what to do next may rush your decision.

So accept that the new will be a little scary and then refuse to wait until you are forced to do something new. Try the new and exciting on your terms. Don’t wait for an emergency and then be forced to hit the panic button. That will just take away from the fun of your new, exciting, and a little scary project. Right?

Know When To Fold Them

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Originally uploaded by *??*

In Japanese culture if you remonstrate three times and lose, it is customary to cease your protest because further action is likely to be fruitless. In the workplace when you see something is going off course, it can be that you protest or try to fix what you see as a huge issue. When you encounter resistance, you may even want to fight it. In fact, you’re often told it’s best to stay and fight. Never give up. Never give in. Be the last man standing. Never quit. Don’t be a quitter. But, is that always the best advice?

I once worked with a guy who worked for a company who had gone belly up. One by one everyone was laid off. In the end he was about all that was left. As he locked up the building, he was literally the last man out the door. He said he would never do it again. He would bail long before it reached that point. Essentially he was trying to tell me that I never wanted to be that guy who was going down with the ship. Especially if it wasn’t my ship in the first place.

For some reason his story has stuck with me over the years and in this poor economy it has come to my mind a little more often of late. I’m convinced, you have to know when to quit. You have to know when to move on. You have to know when to bow out. You have to know when to fold. If you look around, the best of the best always know when to quit. They always know when it’s time to move on to something else.

Personally, I’m still working on this. I’m the type that wants to put my foot down and take a stand. I want to fight it out. I want to protest and bring about positive change. I want to make things better and I’m prepared to fight to make it so.

Maybe I need to take a cue from the Japanese. Maybe you should too.

Making a Life

Jonathan and Jeevan

Originally uploaded by Calico Jack McGurk

I went for a walk this evening and while I was out I came across a sign in front of a church that said, “Making a living is not making a life.” Typically I don’t pay too much attention to signs like these because I find some of the messages silly, but this one got me thinking.

Have you forgot about your life?

Consider:

All those hours you spend on Twitter, other social networking tools, or the Internet overall in an effort to make a living (or go viral), are they worth it?

Are you an admitted workaholic? I see some people joke about it sometimes, but if you are the odds are pretty good you’re not thinking about your life.

Are you so busy making a living that you’re cutting into time you could be spending with family and friends?

These are questions only you can answer. If you’re doing a pretty good job at making a living, it’s probably a good time to step back and make sure you’re actually making a life too. It’s just a little something to consider.

Reversing Course

This garden swallowed my face.

Originally uploaded by Sherri DuPree Bemis

Sometimes you get off course. Everyone does once in a while. The trick once you look around and realize it, is stopping and reversing course.

It’s easier said than done, of course.

Sometimes reversing course requires admitting you were wrong. Pride must be swallowed. Sometimes reversing course means you must change. Change can be difficult to carry out. Sometimes reversing course means you need to say you’re sorry. Humility must be learned.

But, in any aspect of your life (personal, business, etc.) isn’t it better than continuing down the wrong road? Right?

8 Ways to Escape the Cult of Mediocrity

Station #4: Mt. Fuji

Originally uploaded by Lopiccolo

So you’ve taken a step back. You’re looking around and realize that not only is there a cult of mediocrity all around, you’ve been participating in it yourself. You now realize you are no longer the exception to the rule, but instead you’ve been sucked into the cult of mediocrity. This isn’t you. This isn’t how you like to operate. A change is needed and it’s needed now.

Ways you can escape the cult of mediocrity.

Pride. Take pride in your work. Do an excellent job. Always. Go above and beyond. Take pride even when no one else does or notices what you are doing.

Accountability. Increase accountability. Not of others, but of yourself. Take ownership of your projects and take responsibility. No more blame game. It wasn’t others who made you mediocre – you are responsible for yourself.

Consistency. Be consistent. It’s one of the best ways to establish trust with others, especially if you’re in a position of leadership. When you’re inconsistent, people stop listening (at best) and your influence erodes.

Lead. Take the lead. If you won’t promote yourself, who will? You don’t need to be in a position of authority to take the lead on this. Get yourself in order, then take the reigns and lead others out of he cult as well.

Prevent. Take care of problems and potential problems now. Stop being reactionary. Plan ahead. Don’t wait until something is an emergency to react.

Vision. Develop a clear vision that demands excellence and take steps to introduce it to others. Plant the seed of your vision. Not just with management or the executives, but with your fellow co-workers and team members.

Question. Learn to ask questions. Sometimes asking questions – leading questions especially – can be one of the best ways to get people to stop and think for a moment. Are we going where we want to go? Is this project really going to help us accomplish our long term goals?

Action. Most likely, nothing will happen until you take action. Stop waiting for someone else to step up. In the cult of mediocrity, waiting for someone else could mean waiting for an eternity. Force the issue. Push through the bureaucracy. Take action.

Have some other suggestions? Let’s hear them in the comments!

Are You Participating In The Cult Of Mediocrity?

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Originally uploaded by matty franklin

The first step in escaping the cult of mediocrity is admitting you’re participating in one.

Obviously that is easier said than done. No one believes they’re mediocre. Escaping the cult of mediocrity requires taking a step back for a moment and performing some self evaluation. Are you pushing through? Are you striving for excellence in everything you do? Are there things you can be doing better? Are you going to make the necessary changes to do those things better?

If you’re still having trouble seeing my point, maybe the following scenarios can help some. These are part of a post from over a year ago titled, The Comfort of Average:

There’s a certain comfort that comes from being average.

It’s comfortable to “just get by.” Doing more would require more effort.

It’s comfortable to always do what you’ve always done. Why change the way you do business when you’vealways done it that way?

It’s comfortable to just believe what the preacher says. It takes a little more work (thought, study, etc.) to find out if the preacher is right.

It’s comfortable to keep a tradition. To change or challenge a tradition would most likely rock the boat. Who wants that?

It’s comfortable to stay in that job you despise because it pays the bills. Changing your job situation for the better would mean more work initially. An updated resume. Job searching. Phone calls. Looking your best. Interviews.

It’s comfortable to go through the motions of your life. Actually challenging yourself to accomplish more, learn more, and grow more in life would be… well… challenging.

It’s comfortable to stand in the middle. Taking a stand requires thought, having an opinion, and usually believing in something.

The cult of mediocrity is comfortable – most of the time. If you’ve been going through the motions more often than not, there’s a good chance you’re participating in the cult of mediocrity.

So take a step back for a moment. Look around. Be honest. The first step to escaping the cult is being willing to admit you’re participating in it and realizing you need to escape.

Next time we’ll look at ways to escape the cult of mediocrity.

Related Post: The Cult of Mediocrity

The Best Ideas

Beach umbrellas pattern – aerial view

Originally uploaded by photomato

The best ideas aren’t always the easiest to see. If they were, the best ideas would always be implemented.

How does this apply to you?

It means the best idea isn’t always going to be the most popular. It means the best idea won’t necessarily be the one supported by your VP, your CEO, or any others of significance. It means the best idea might just fly in the face of the status quo and be perceived as radical. It means the best idea may just be under your nose, you just have to take a moment and look closer.

Ultimately, all of this means you should always be listening. Right?

Joplin, Or, What This Title Would Look Like if Sufjan Stevens Were to Come Up With It

4/365 – ducky

Originally uploaded by fotowelle

A post about trolls, the fallacy of anonymous comments, and your town.

I currently live in Joplin, Missouri in case you didn’t know. Joplin isn’t a city, but I wouldn’t exactly say it was small town America. If it were a child I’d call it a tween.

In 1960 living here might have limited me to more local endeavors. Connections would have been limited to the local world Joplin was creating. The network may have been smaller, but still very important in order to succeeded in any endeavor. All the basic rules would have applied. Hard work, generosity, kindness, honesty, and so on.

In 2010 I can write something, take a photo, or make a video, post it on the Internet, and someone sitting in Zevenaar, The Netherlands can see it within seconds (yes, YOU. Thanks for stopping by). Anyone all over the world can see what you’re doing if you should choose to share it on the Internet. Suddenly Paris, France doesn’t seem so far away from Joplin, Missouri. It’s a newer and more exciting world (technologically speaking) we live in today.

Yesterday, Joplin. Today, the world.

But, don’t kid yourself into thinking it’s not local. It’s still local. It’s just a larger, local world.

What Am I Getting At?

The same basic rules still apply. Hard work, generosity, kindness, honesty, and so on. It doesn’t matter what year, town, or part of the world you live in. These rules (and a few others) of human decency apply. Always.

The funny thing about the Internet is some think because they’re behind a computer screen halfway across the world they can do anything, say anything, and act anyway they want. Sometimes they don’t even have to be halfway across the world. Sometimes they’re just across town, but behind the perceived security of a computer screen. Here’s the deal, people: even if you think you’re anonymous, you’re not. There are always ways to find out who you are. The Chicago Tribune has a detailed article on this subject here.

So why are you trolling around?

The Takeaway

Just because I have access to people who will never set foot in Joplin, Missouri, doesn’t mean I can toss decency aside. You and I must still act as if this is small town 1960. The basic rules still apply. It’s been said a thousand times, but I’ll say it again. Anything and anyone can be Googled. A few clicks here, an email there, and few dollars over here and people can find out a lot about you. If you’re trolling around sites being a menace to society, people can (most likely will) find out.

In 1960 if you were being a menace to the limited, local world you would have been found out eventually too. Guess what that means? Nothing much has changed. Be a troll if you must, but understand we probably know who you are.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

Left Turn, originally uploaded by drewmaniac.

First and foremost I want to say thank you to each of you who take the time to read my little blog here. Your participation and feedback is always appreciated. It’s always great to see you sharing posts with your friends, hear stories of you posting them up at work, or hear that a post resonated with you personally. I will continue to do my very best to provide quality content that is not only useful but inspirational. I want to encourage you as much as you encourage me to keep pressing on.

A few days ago I hinted around at some changes that were in the works. Well kids, I’m excited to announce that hope and change has arrived. Leave It To Weaver has gone wild and self-hosted. The official domain name is – drewmaniac.com. Bookmark it, write it down, and share it with your friends.

I have a couple of other projects and features I’m working on in relation to the site as well. Those will be announced in the not so distant future. In the meantime, thank you for stopping by. Take a look around at the new place.

A few features and whatnot:

Subscribe: If you don’t already subscribe to Leave It To Weaver, I’m going to do some shameless self-promotion now and nicely ask you to. You can do so via RSS or Email. Just go to those fancy, orange buttons in the top right of the site. OR you can click here for the RSS reader feed or here if you’d rather subscribe via email.
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Old Posts: All posts that were once on the original Blogspot location can be found here. You can search for them in the archives or the search tool bar at the top of the page.
New Weekly Feature: There will be an added feature each week called Mix Tape Monday. More on that Monday. That was just a teaser.
Rolling Stones: As you can see there’s a list of names on the sidebar to the right. These are links to the sites of my Rolling Stones. They’re a few of the great blogs I subscribe to and recommend to you as well.
Photography: Below the Rolling Stones list is list of some photographer sites I recommend.
Foto Finish Friday: It hasn’t gone anywhere. We’ll still be closing the work week out with an excellent photo.

I am sure I will be doing some more tweaking in the coming weeks as I see the need for other features or want to change something. I hope you enjoy the new, cleaner site. Feel free to let me know what you think! Even if you hate it. I can take it!

Again, Thank YOU!

Let’s close this out with some Neil Young. Shall we?