I think every educator that finds themselves exhausted by the constant battle for reforming education in our country should watch this video. Ken Robinson breaks down what he means by changing education from the ground up as opposed to top down like the government has been doing for so long. I seems like everyone is buzzing about what's wrong with education, why education needs to change and they even specify what needs to change. There are very few examples of how to change education. I often find myself deflated by the idea of taking on this huge monster of political agendas and standardized tests that is our educational system. In the story of David and Goliath I would equate myself to a single thread on the cloak of David. Robinson gives us teachers a light at the end of the tunnel, this talk empowers me, the lowly science teacher to feel more like at least on of the rocks that David throws at Goliath. Robinson talks about taking things down to basics and the four purposes of public education. Of the four, he finds one above all else in that public education is done for personal reasons. At the core, humans are diverse and each needs to find their own niche, passion, and talent. Having a public education system helps individuals explore beyond their own backyard and to find themselves outside of their individual bubble. If you strip away all the bureaucracy of the education system you are left with two things, the teacher and the learner. This is what Ken Robinson means when he says lets get back to basics. Robison points out that children are born with the desire to learn and it is only after we start standardizing and "force feeding" them information that children start to resent learning. The government has yet to understand this personal relationship and that teaching is a very human act. Government has yet to understand that they can't hand down all these regulations, standardizing and accusations of incompetent teachers without hurting the art form that is teaching. Robinson likens this to "trying to improve medicine by vilifying the doctors and nurses."
So what should those of us do that want to see a change in education, but see it at as a waiting game for when everyone else (the higher ups) finally gets on board. I have heard mentioned various times throughout the course of my teacher education that we can't do anything at the highschool level until at least colleges change their way of thinking. The truth is that colleges are changing. Robinson claims that Harvard is very big on the flipped classroom and letting students learn collaboratively amongst themselves instead of listening to lectures in class. Robinson encourages the teachers, principals and superintendents to focus on their own "micro-climate". He reminds us that we are essentially in charge of how we educate our students. Robinson reminds us that great revolutions have happened from the people, from the ground up. That if we make a change to education in our own classrooms, within our departments, in our school sites, throughout our districts that eventually this way of thinking will spread. The way of thinking about what it looks like to be educated will spread to our colleges. Maybe a having a degree will start meaning something again. As the people of this country start to act differently, eventually the high level of government will catch on. Robinson gives us hope that the revolution has already started and that we just have to help spread the word. This is me, spreading the word of an educational revolution. Ken Robinson has empowered the individual teachers that feel deflated by the huge battle in front of them. It might sound like a clique, but knowledge really is power. Therefore as teachers we have a lot of power in each and every classroom, every single school day. We don't have to wait for things to change from the top down, we are educators, we create change from the ground up.
So what should those of us do that want to see a change in education, but see it at as a waiting game for when everyone else (the higher ups) finally gets on board. I have heard mentioned various times throughout the course of my teacher education that we can't do anything at the highschool level until at least colleges change their way of thinking. The truth is that colleges are changing. Robinson claims that Harvard is very big on the flipped classroom and letting students learn collaboratively amongst themselves instead of listening to lectures in class. Robinson encourages the teachers, principals and superintendents to focus on their own "micro-climate". He reminds us that we are essentially in charge of how we educate our students. Robinson reminds us that great revolutions have happened from the people, from the ground up. That if we make a change to education in our own classrooms, within our departments, in our school sites, throughout our districts that eventually this way of thinking will spread. The way of thinking about what it looks like to be educated will spread to our colleges. Maybe a having a degree will start meaning something again. As the people of this country start to act differently, eventually the high level of government will catch on. Robinson gives us hope that the revolution has already started and that we just have to help spread the word. This is me, spreading the word of an educational revolution. Ken Robinson has empowered the individual teachers that feel deflated by the huge battle in front of them. It might sound like a clique, but knowledge really is power. Therefore as teachers we have a lot of power in each and every classroom, every single school day. We don't have to wait for things to change from the top down, we are educators, we create change from the ground up.