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

Associating With The Best

Funky Dance Floor – DSC00414

Originally uploaded by isdky – Brian Barnett

“A man only learns in two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people.” ~ Will Rogers

When I was a teenager I played a lot of basketball. I always enjoyed playing with players who were better than I was for two reasons. First of all it was challenging and secondly playing with guys who were better than I was made me better.

The thing is, this is true in most areas of life. Who you choose to surround yourself with will have an effect on you both personally and professionally.

Surround yourself with the gossips at work and even if you do not engage in the gossip yourself, you will be branded that way by your co-workers and even worse your boss. Surround yourself with the best, smartest, and hardest working co-workers and your stock will rise.

The best part about associating with the best? Some of their traits and characteristics will rub off on you. You will learn. You will grow.

So who is surrounding you? The best, right?

Monday? Kill it.

tokyo subway, originally uploaded by Gustty.

Tomorrow is Monday.

Who cares?

You don’t.

Because tomorrow is just another day.

You’ll make the best of it.

Right?

Of course.

Welcome the new work week with open arms.

Dive in with a good attitude.

Kill it.

I Want Your Life

Don’t you be yelling at me.

Originally uploaded by Mareen Fischinger

To the lady screaming at the cashier at Wal-Mart because he won’t ad-match your item, I wish I had your life. To the man complaining loudly to anyone within earshot while standing in line at the Genius Bar, I wish I had your life. To the woman cussing out the barista at Starbucks because she accidentally messed up your order, I wish I had your life. To the guy yelling at the customer service representative from your phone company who took your call, I wish I had your life.

I mean, you people have it so good that in the grand scheme of things the most important thing you have to lose your temper over is poor customer service. Wow. What a great life! No other worries. No other concerns. Nothing as important as getting your coffee perfect. Who cares about the high school kid working the check-out lane, right? Who cares about the college student making your coffee just like you like it, right?

On second thought, maybe I don’t want your life.

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.

Looks, Noise, and Talk

Originally uploaded by razorbern

You can look busy, but looking busy does not mean you are getting much accomplished.

You can make a lot of noise, but making noise does not mean you are saying anything of importance.

You can talk a good game, but talking a good game does not mean you know how to play the game.

Sometimes because we know how to look busy, make a lot of noise, and can talk a good game we think we’re accomplishing something. But, sometimes we’re doing just the opposite.

Stop for a moment and look around. What are you doing? Are you getting things done? Are you making real strides and accomplishing your goals? If not, maybe you’re just spinning your wheels with lots of looks, noise, and talk.

Story Of A Nudge: The Prequel

Day 319/365 "I Quit" (Explore!)

Originally uploaded by Wellstone

Before you read this post, I encourage you to read my post Story Of A Nudge first. I don’t mean to get all George Lucas on you here, but this is the prequel to that post. Don’t worry though. There is no sign of Jar Jar Binks in any of these stories.

I walked into work that day with a brisk pace. I had a purpose. I knew in my heart what I was doing was what needed to be done. I had tried for far too long to bring about some positive changes, but could no longer beat my head up against the proverbial wall.

To say I was frustrated would have been an understatement. It had been 4 years and nothing had changed. In fact workplace morale had only worsened and nearly every suggestion for improvement (by many, not just myself) was either ignored or shot down. It didn’t seem many at the top wanted to change anything, or they lacked the courage to do so. It wasn’t just me who had reached this point of no return. Many were tired. The letter I had in my hand was signed by myself and another manager. Though we had the moral support from our peers, we were the only two willing (or dumb enough some might say) to lay our income on the line and follow through with our plans.

We walked into the office of our district manager and handed him the envelope. Essentially it pointed out some of the problems the store was facing, how we had been trying for years to fix them, and how we could no longer continue in our current positions since there was no apparent effort to change the direction we were heading. We resigned from our positions and asked to be demoted to cashiers. Which is suicide, financially speaking, in the retail world.

I was pretty confident I wasn’t going to lose my job. I had some capital I could afford to spend, but I wasn’t sure what would happen economically because I was essentially asking for a demotion and a pay cut. I knew I couldn’t survive very long on the menial pay my new position would bring, but there comes a point where peace of mind is much more important than a couple more dollars an hour.

Sure, we were young and a little crazy for taking the risk, but looking back it was one of the best moves I’ve made for myself professionally. But, boy, was it scary.

If you did as I suggested at the beginning of this post and read Story Of A Nudge, you know what took place just about a month later. You also know I never would have had that encounter in my check-out line that afforded me the opportunity for a much better job had I not been willing to take the risk my partner and I took that day.

Sometimes in order to better ourselves, we need to take some risks.

In a poor economy you and I tend to withdraw and take fewer risks. It’s understandable. I get it. It can be scary, but you should never allow fear to paralyze you. If you’re ever going to bring about any change (whether in your personal life, or professionally), you will have to do some things that at first will be uncomfortable or even scary. If you aren’t willing to be a little scared or uncomfortable, you’ll end up just complaining all the time – and never going anywhere.

Do what is needed. Take a stand. Do what you know is right. Say what needs to be said. Move on if you must. Push through. Start taking steps to bring about real, effective change. But please, don’t just be frustrated, always complaining, and never willing to take any risks that could bring about change. For your sake and mine.

The Sound of Settling

You May Say That I’m A Dreamer

Originally uploaded by drewmaniac

Look around your office. What do you hear?

“I hate this job, but it pays the bills.”

“We’ve always done it this way.”

“Things around here will never change.”

“In today’s economy, I’m just happy to have a job.”

“This is what I know best. I could never leave now.”

Look around your office. Is this some of what you hear? It’s the sound of settling.

Nothing

3/52 – I know not what the future holds, but I know who holds the future

Originally uploaded by Little Thoughts

“Criticism is something you can avoid easily — by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” ~ Aristotle

Sometimes others can say it better than you and me. A timely quote or stirring poem can cause us to stop and think. When it comes to inaction I’ve said much in the past here, here, and even in this post about using the fear excuse. But, here are a few who certainly say it better than I.

On saying nothing…

Martin Niemöller’s poem First They Came…

When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn’t a Jew.

When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.

On doing nothing…

“There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction.” ~ John F. Kennedy

On being nothing…

“Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing.” ~ Thomas Edison

Nothing more needs to be said, right?