Ken Robinson TED Presentation, Essay Example

In his most recent TED talk, Sir Ken Robinson re-emphasizes the fact that people are born with different talents and strengths, thus, a standard education model does more harm than good to our collective human potential (Robinson, 2010). Sir Ken argues that it takes times for us to discover our interests and strengths and forcing us to learn something we don’t enjoy is akin to a standardized manufacturing system. If we don’t enjoy something we won’t be able to realize our human potential and we will not be motivated enough to put in our best efforts. Sir Ken also suggest that technology offers great potential for customized education and education system will benefit from innovative solutions to our current education crisis.

People have a greater potential for creativity when they pursue their interests. Even Professor Karlheinz Brandenburg, a German researcher whose work laid the foundation for MP3 standard argues that outstanding achievement requires kindling a personal interest and a certain degree of freedom (Schayan, 2009). In addition, the new generation has mostly grown up with technology and as a result, they may find old methods of teaching boring and less engaging. Thus, the modern education system should be re-shaped to adapt to modern technological trends because an effective learning cannot be made possible without active engagement of the students who are used to learning and getting information through technology.

One potential solution may be Montessori education system that takes less standardized form and encourages students to explore and experiment (Sims, 2011). Many of the biggest names in technology and business such as Google’s founders and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos have credited their Montessori education for their creative spirits. Technology is also beneficial because it makes it easy to store standardized information, thus, leaving more time for creative thinking and brainstorming.

References

Robinson, K. (2010, February). Sir Ken Robinson: Bring on the learning revolution! Retrieved October 27, 2011, from http://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution.html

Schayan, J. (2009, April 29). Creativity and innovation play a key role in global competition. Retrieved October 27, 2011, from http://www.magazine-germany.com/en/artikel-en/article/article/im-globalen-wettbewerb-nehmen-kreativitaet-und-innovation-eine-schluesselrolle-ein.html

Sims, P. (2011, April 5). The Montessori Mafia. Retrieved April 9, 2011, from http://blogs.wsj.com/ideas-market/2011/04/05/the-montessori-mafia/