What can we learn from Sir Ken Robinson?

After watching Bring On the Education Revolution I think it’s safe to say that there is a lot that we can learn from Sir Ken Robinson. This speech was influential and educational as well as comical. He presents his views on the reformation of the education system in an enjoyable way. Here are a couple things I learned from Sir Ken Robinson:

1. Two Types of People: Sir Ken Robinson presents the idea that there are two types of people in the world: the ones who have figured out their talents and passions and the ones who have not. The ones who have uncovered their talents tend to love their jobs. They love what they do because it's "who they are". The ones who have not discovered their talents tend to work for the weekend. They endure instead of enjoy. Sir Ken Robinson also claims that in order to find your talents you have to "create a circumstance where they appear." Some think that is what education does.

2. Passion Based: Education needs to be based less off an industrial or "fast food model" and more on a passion based model. We need to customize our education model based on our students and their passions. Education needs to be personalized. Everyone’s talents are different. Sir Ken Robinson talks about how he received a guitar about the same time Eric Clapton did. Even though both men received a guitar at the same time one became more successful with it. Guitar just was not Sir Ken Robinson's talent and/or passion. That's ok. He became successful under a different context. This is a clear example why we shouldn’t standardize education. Like he said "we can't predict the outcome of human development." The world needs a diversity of talents. Not everyone is headed down the same path. I really like how Sir Ken Robinson said that when you are doing something you are passionate about one hour feels like five minutes but if not, the reverse is true, five minutes feels like one hour. I have experienced this.

I very much enjoyed watching this video. I think Sir Ken Robinson had a lot of amazing things to say. The most important thing I took from this video is that we need to "rise with the occasion". Education is changing. We need to take advantage of this opportunity.