Post #2 - Larsen
I have chosen the Ted talk from Sir Ken Robinson to
identify one of Larsen’s Cultural Images and Myth’s. In this presentation he
expresses the need for creativity in the nation’s youth and questions whether
or not the education system is killing that creativity.
Looking at this Ted talk from Larsen’s Value of Challenge
standpoint, Robinson speaks very directly about the problems that our education
system has had throughout the last 100 years or so. He speaks about the types
of challenges or learning disabilities that students may or may not have. At
one point in his address he asserts that we don’t know what the future will
bring. Even though we are changing things in our educational systems, we think
for the better, he says we won’t know the impact they will have on us five
years from now.
Robinson is seeing this problem as an opportunity for
learning and a way to use it for change. Throughout his entire speech he uses
humor and logical reasoning to persuade the viewer that what he speaks is the
truth. He takes a very large problem with today’s educational system and speaks
about it clearly enough so that anyone listening can understand and agree with.
He made a point at 8:45 to talk about every education
system in the world having the same hierarchy of the subjects with math and
science being top of the list. This shows that we are stifling the creativity
that some people show at an early age for something that is more “useful” like
math and science. I think of our everyday lives and how much math and science
that I use. Now I wish that my parents would have made me stay in piano or
guitar lessons or something to keep me from being narrow minded about the arts.
This speech talks about all of the process premises
starting with emotional security. He almost goes through them all using the
story of Gillian Lynne as an example. The most prevalent one, in my mind, being
beliefs and opinions. The part where he talks about leaving the room and
turning on music to see what Gillian would do changed the idea of what her
mother thought she should be. This caused a complete change in direction in her
life which most likely led to her success as a dancer and choreographer.
Every aspect of his talk brought out emotional
responses to me personally because of the way I feel like I was engineered from
grade school to be the type of person I am today. I often wonder what I would
be doing if I wasn’t steered into a certain direction rather than letting me
find my own path.
He has great stage presence and is such a great speaker. Great video. Its hard for me to think to hard about the school system without feeling a bit let down. I feel as though I wasn't really taught the things I need to survive in this so called 'real world'. I was never taught how to do my taxes, budget a checkbook, save or invest money, be a responsible human being. Thank God for the parents that I have to pull up the slack from school. Instead I was taught things like Algebra which I still haven't used never had to graph anything on a X or Y axis. Going through 12 years of school and now 3 more years of college I am afraid to admit I haven't learned shit. It wasn't until my communication classes that I really felt like when I walked out of the classroom I applied myself and learned something. Oh well I guess years later and thousands of dollars later I will have that piece of paper that says I learned stuff ill never remember. #rant
ReplyDeletethe speaker sure has presence about him when he comes on the stage and starts to talk. very conversation like . i found myself drawn in by him. he seemed well thought out and easy to follow. good points and well chosen
ReplyDeleteI think that our education systems have stifled some of the subjects because math, science an other similar subjects are easily quantifiable and are more straight-forward in the way they are taught. Our children need a complete education that will help them to be able to cope, and even excel in more than a few areas. Effective communication and creativity are probably more applicable in most professions than chemistry and algebra. Great application post and video.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with this message, I think far too often in our country we have kids graduating college with degrees that were earned through years of hard work only to have them settle for jobs where they are paid well below what they are qualified to make. Mainly because most employers are looking for what kind of science classes you took or if you passed math 1040 or 1050. They are looking for skills that will improve their business, not course curriculum. Good job with this post.
ReplyDeleteI almost choose a TED talk as well, there always so interesting and informative! I can see how this speech uses the process premises of emotional security by using his story telling with Gillian Lynne. Great analysis!
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