Trends in Education - A Community of Learners
While doing research on educational trends, Sir Ken Robinson kept popping up in my feed, so I decided to delve deeper into who he was and what he had to say. Sadly, Sir Ken passed away in late August of 2020, however, throughout his time on earth, he made exceptionally large contributions to the evolution of teaching through publications, talks, as an educator, and as an international advisor on arts and education. He held a BEd of education and a PhD in the study of drama and theatre in education.
In an article written by Sir Ken titled Standardisation broke education. Here's how we can fix our schools, he writes about the importance of an education revolution. He stated: “We are all born with fathomless capacities, but what we make of them has everything to do with education.” I fully agree with this statement. The system we have in place seems to fall short of what we can all achieve as learners; as individuals.
He speaks about the fact that formal education is narrowly focused and does not allow for the many intricacies and diversities that every one of us has. He states: “...schools must teach and practice the benefits of citizenship, cultural literacy and compassion.” That as young learners we must learn “the human adventure” through “complex forms of collaboration.”
He also mentions that digital technologies, with all their capacity for collaboration, can help make education more engaging and interactive. They can help transform our way of life. This is a chance for us to change how we educate our societies. “It’s about building schools that value the social dimension of learning and practical work; that place equal value on arts and sciences. They are dedicated to fostering the right conditions for people to learn; to making education more organic and less formulaic.” I grew up just as the digital age was was being born, before Google and Wikipedia were ever mentioned. As the years passed, I have became more and more skilled with the digital tools now available, and began to notice the complexity and interconnectivity the digital age has had on our culture, our society, and our educational systems.
I strongly support Sir Ken's way of thinking about education, especially how it promotes creativity and collaboration within the classroom. The grades a student receives do not reflect on the whole of the individual; keeping that in mind, we can learn how to make teaching more effective in the future. I plan to integrate these values into my classroom by promoting group discussions; by including the use of digital media; by encouraging the individual to learn using creative teaching practices such as a flipped classroom, where students can learn and share knowledge with one another in their own individual way. By incorporating a collaborative classroom setting and Robinson’s educational practices into my core lesson plan, I believe my students will meet or exceed their learning potential.
If you want to learn more about Sir Ken Robinson I recommend watching some of his many talks, they are without a doubt informative and entertaining. Here are just a few:
References:
Sir Ken Robinson, Standardisation broke education. Here's how we can fix our schools. (2019) Wired - https://www.wired.co.uk/article/education-personalisation
Ken Robinson (educationalist) Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Robinson_(educationalist)#Early_life_and_education
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