On the right side of this page, at the top, you will see a list of links which connect you with some of my favorite internet videos.
Also, scroll down and see my videos and pictures from my trip to Botswana and Zimbabwe.
Take a look at those which attract your attention and write a comment on what you see.
2 comments:
RE: Ken Robinson on Schools Killing Creativity
Ah! Very interesting topic. As a student of at least a few forms of alternative education, this topic caught my attention. Here are a few ways this video stimulated my thinking.
1. What is the purpose of education? As Adventists we have a real leg-up on so many others in this category. For a long time we ever-pragmatic Americans have been operating our educational systems for one supreme goal: employability. In too many ways we have let our learning system turn into a factory for workers instead of for thinkers. As Adventists we understand that education is for even more than this: it is for the formation of the character, of the whole person. I think this frees us up in so many ways to get OUT of the reigning educational models. We can recognize multiple intelligences (ala Howard Gardner) because we understand that true wisdom is not fact regurgitation or even skill mastery, but in character and spiritual maturity. That is so revolutionary that it is ahead of its closest competition by miles--or kilometers, if you prefer :)
2. How important is creativity? I think it is vital. Thomas Freidman says that the way of the future belongs to those who are experts in two or three areas and can contribute at the point where those areas meet. That requires creativity, adaptability, keen innovation.
At least equally as important as creativity, though, is something that Robinson mentioned just briefly: the ability to fail. Our educational system (just as the corporate system which he referenced) stigmatizes mistakes and gives utmost attention to self-esteem which is constructed on being better than other people. (See the book or website of http://bit.ly/2wrFj for more info.) As an example of this, I recently talked with another seminarian who shared my fear of difficult classes for the simple reason that they might endanger our perfect GPAs. Somehow the grading system has backfired and encouraged mediocrity... Is there a better way? In a secular setting at least, ideal education would give all students mastery of basic academic competencies, and guide each student to the development of their intelligences, in whatever areas they may be in.
Thank you Dr Hannah for your links and all of the other things you do here. I have looked at our educational system...secular and 'christian' which seem to me to be very similiar, except the latter requires more money and acceptance of indoctrination. In our system the goal seems to be to get the 'little' people (students) to (1)memorize, (2)regurgitate, and (3)conform. I believe that learning occurs when a question gets an answer and that education is about learning how develope the questions that we need to ask, of ourselves in order to acquire and sort the data that we need to complete the project at hand.
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