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Ken Robinson returns to TED, with more on creativity

Wednesday 9th June 2010 | 6 comments

Four years ago, English creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson argued in his first talk for TED that we don't get the best out of people because we've been educated to become good workers, rather than creative thinkers. Students with restless minds and bodies - far from being cultivated for their energy and curiosity - are ignored or even stigmatized, with terrible consequences. 'We are educating people out of their creativity,' he said.

This original TED talk was called How Schools Kill Creativity and has become one of the all-time most popular TED talks.

This year he returned to the TED stage. In his new talk, he goes even further to champion a radical rethink of our school systems, even a revolution, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence.

Brilliant man, brilliant talk. Watch it.

Tags: creativity, ted

Comments

1. I couldn't agree with you more Sir Ken. Keep up the “education” around the world, we do need to change!
   Thank you for speaking up.

   Posted by Susan Griffiths | Wednesday 9th June 2010 @ 6:12pm

2. Thanks Susan...ain't it the truth!

   Posted by Joanna Maxwell | Wednesday 9th June 2010 @ 7:27pm

3. I love Ken Robinson! He is so entertaining, funny and wise. It seems many people think that these are mutually exclusive. Thanks, Joanne.

   Posted by Sally Purcell | Thursday 10th June 2010 @ 10:41am

4. Indeed, Sally. Sir Ken is one of my speaking role models / heroes :). Witty and wise, a great combo...add a dash of passion and you're way ahead of the game!

   Posted by Joanna Maxwell | Thursday 10th June 2010 @ 10:49am

5. Both my children attended a Montessori pre-school, which a group of us started locally, basically for the same reasons that Sir Ken was talking about - we needed something more than the normal pre-school. We wanted something to challenge and enrich our children's minds. And I finally started uni at the age of 46, so I guess we would fit right in with his way of thinking. But the education department still doesn't get it, they still need to put children in little boxes and not all children fit.

   Posted by Gai Helm | Thursday 10th June 2010 @ 12:24pm

6. Thanks Gai. It becomes very personal when you have kids, doesn't it? I went through much the same process as you did...I have found the right place for my son (now a teenager) but I quite agree that most schools I talked to were struggling to understand where I was coming from here!

   I do think it is changing, but not necessarily fast or uniformly.

   Posted by Joanna Maxwell | Sunday 13th June 2010 @ 6:32pm