For class we had to watch the video (I will embed it at the bottom for my own future reference) Do Schools Kill Creativity? I was pleasantly surprised by the video. It articulated things that I have often thought but never vocalized. It had me looking up other lectures from the speaker including this one which where the video below gets some of its information. He's a great speaker and has many valid points.
There were two aspects of the video that really resonated with me. I have actually discussed them with friends and family quite a bit in the last week and it has sparked some interesting conversations.
I think the biggest thing I took away from the video is that education needs to change and evolve to meet today's standards. I love that he pointed out kids are bombarded at home by media- TVs, handheld games, computers, Xbox, iPhones, iPods...they are always surrounded by technology and its allure. It's something that is happening whether we like it or not. We can be, personally, against throwing all these things at our kids but in the end it doesn't matter. It's happening. It's not changing and it's not going back. So we have to accept it.
This means utilizing the technology tools we have at our disposal to keep the kids engaged. Robinson points out that we are still teaching kids the same way we did 100 years ago- stand in front of a chalkboard and talk at them. In today's society that's not the way kids function. Some students will still do well with this method but most are used to a much faster pace of information coming at them. Education needs to come into the 21st century.
Technology also needs to be utilized well. Having a student type their paper in word and play a few games isn't going to be effective in teaching regular subjects or technology. Those things have their place but if that is the only way you are using technology you're doing it wrong. There are so many other ways to integrate technology seamlessly into what you are already doing as a teacher and this makes in more engaging for the "now" generation. We as teachers need to embrace technology, not be afraid of it.
The second thing that really spoke to me was the undervaluing of the arts. As a dancer growing up and with a talented artist sister, I know how undervalued these things are. Dance was never considered as much of anything by my peers though I spent four nights and half my Saturdays at the studio either learning or teaching; more when it was close to performance time. Yet the girls at school who did cheerleading, basketball, and other sports were considered more athletic and using their time more wisely. My sister is talented at art but it was never fostered within her because it wasn't something she would ever be able to make money at. I know she regets the lack of time spent and practice she could have had at drawing and becoming better at it. She now struggles because she is not a math ace or a science wiz so she is undervalued in our current society. This is wrong. It doesn't mean she's not smart, she's just not your typical "do well on tests" smart.
This undervaluing of the arts is frustrating because not only is it true but to change it would be to change society. I know there are movements of people trying to preserve the arts but I wonder how much that helps. Arts continually get the shaft in budget cuts. It's a big mountain to try and surmount, changing society's attitude toward the arts. Is it possible?
Edited for grammar
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Veronica, it has always irked me a bit that athletes are afforded so many allowances (as a student I thought it was unfair, and as an adult I'm sometimes disgusted with how much school athletes miss because of game schedules). You make an excellent point - as a dancer you put a lot of time into your craft, OUTSIDE of school, but weren't given equitable consideration for your talents.
And that brings me more to your point about how the arts are so undervalued. I love reading Jane Austen (1775-1817), and in her stories, the young adults are often pursuing their interests in the arts. I've always found it interesting that the arts aren't considered core content, and worse, that they're often on the chopping block. So much can be learned through the arts, and so much quality of life comes from the arts. In education, there's a pendulum that swings back and forth with the "fads de jour"... one day, I believe, the arts will be celebrated again!