Sir Ken Robinson TED Talk

Most times education is thought of as a positive way to enhance the knowledge of children and preparing them for the future. For many kids though, this simply is not the reality of schooling, and many kids who have more right brained minds have problems in education. This is why Ken Robinson brought his ideas to TED, because he wants a big reform in how the school system worldwide is run.

What I really realized because of Ken Robinson's talk is that I should probably rethink the way I look at others who struggle in school. Like Ken's story about the girl who couldn't sit still but ended up being a great dancer, some kids that struggle in school just may not be suited for the subjects they are taught. They might have the potential of being great, but the school system simply puts them down and places them in the "dumb" group. I feel as though there should be a lot more in school with testing learning types, and taking those tests to place students in classes that are appropriate for them.

I think part of what made Ken Robinson's talk so intriguing was the technique of using stories as examples in the story, and then tying them back into the point he is trying to get across. Stories really give people a way to connect to what the speaker wants to get across, so the effective use of stories can be a real asset when speaking. Another strong aspect of Ken Robinson's speech was the humor he worked into the presentation. It was so effective because it kept people so engaged in the presentation, but he never strayed from the topic he was trying to get across while making the jokes. This is kind of ironic that he used humor because humor is a right brained aspect of thinking. Maybe the class clown could be the next big comedian, but schools hold them back to the point that they are unable to build the confidence to do anything with their skill.

I don't really struggle with school and probably have a little bit more left brained power than the average joe, especially judging by Mrs. Brock's presentation. I do know a lot of people that struggle in school though and now realize further that they may have a lot of potential to succeed in their careers. I feel as though education needs to really adjust their policies and allow more electives so kids can participate in the activities they enjoy, such as drama or art. I think that most of the problem comes from society in general though. The adults that make up our society are the ones that pay the taxes and in turn are the ones giving the schools their funding. Society in general frowns upon the right brained aspects of schooling, and they want to see their funding going toward left brained classes like science and math. I think that society in general needs to change their opinion of schooling before the achievements that Ken Robinson really wants can happen.