Earlier this year, Ashley Perry, co-ordinator of Communications and Social Relations at RMIT introduced me to Ken Robinson’s theories of education and creativity, through this RSA animated lecture video.

Not only do I think what the RSA have done with this lecture and a number of other lectures by academics and experts around the world is a great method of communication, but the topic of this lecture by Ken Robinson in particular is also very relevant and powerful in relation to my life and the lives of others I know.

To start off, Sir Ken Robinson is a world renowned expert in education, creativity and innovation, he has been involved in numerous international education projects and a number of organisations over the years.

 

Here’s some more detail if you’re interested in Robinson himself:

Sir Ken Robinson’s bio: http://sirkenrobinson.com/?page_id=10

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Robinson_(educationalist)

 

I’ve followed Robinson on numerous social media sites and have watched a number of his talks and presentations since seeing this video clip, and his theories and ideas make more sense each time.

Personally, creativity is something that I used to have redundant amounts of. After going through high school, that creativity was greatly diminished and replaced with superfluous amounts of knowledge that could be memorised and called on if needed in an assessment. While I’m not saying I learnt nothing from school (this is not true at all), I am positive that my own creativity and problem solving ability was stemmed as a result of the public education system.

It is interesting to conceptualise a public school running differently, using alternative methods of teaching, introducing the kinds of concepts that Robinson talks about frequently. Sure it would take a lot of work and it would be a difficult project to get up off the ground rapidly (our current education system has been built into our genes and culture for years), it could definitely work. The only way that this is going to happen however, is through action.

Upon entering my Bachelor of Communication (Media) at RMIT, I didn’t really know what to expect from Networked Media. Now that I understand how it operates, I am thrilled to have a chance and opportunity to take advantage of a method of education that is less about inequality between student and teacher and more about promoting creativity and knowledge. It’s an exciting prospect to think that this sort of education could eventually become wide spread, and while it’s not a complete reform to traditional tertiary education, it is definitely a step in the right direction.

Robinson also takes part in TED talks, a concept developed by the organisation TED. They publish all their organised presentations and talks online and promote discussion and critique of the content through online forms.

 

Here are two of his talks which are well worth a watch if you’re interested in creativity and education in any way:

Sir Ken Robinson: Bring on the Learning Revolution!

and

Sir Ken Robinson: How to Escape Education’s Death Valley