Wednesday, September 11, 2013

We Need A Revolution....or at least we should revamp things.

Okay.... we have discussed a lot of topics in this class so far...a lot of really great, thought provoking topics: our outdated education system, the focus on standardized testing, learning isn't fun, and this list can go on and on.  Why though? How did this happen? "Who made this big mess?!" (to quote Molly from The Big Comfy Couch ...I hope I didn't date myself with that reference...)

STOP READING RIGHT NOW AND WATCH THIS CLIP!!   Seriously, It will only take 12 mins. 

WOW.  All this issues and topics we've been discussing are basically broken down in this video.

okay....I'll recap the video...even though I'm sure you ALL watched it. ;) 
The video was created from a talk given by Ken Robinson, who is an author, speaker and basically, he advises people on education.  In this particular clip, he starts off by saying that our education system of today was created during the Enlightenment period as well as the Industrial Revolution.  Therefore, the system was created to fix the issues/problems of that time.  Do we still have the exact same issues of those days?? ...Absolutely not! So why do we continue to teach our children in the same manner? Shouldn’t we revamp our methods to prepare them for life in today’s culture?  This is the first problem with the modern education system.

Robinson also mentions the whole “ADHD Epidemic”  (and I found it particularly interesting that as the focus on standardized test as increased, so has the number of ADHD prescriptions….also, as you move further and further east, ADHD diagnoses also increases…) Basically, with this “ADHD Epidemic”, Robinson says that the youth of this day are so stimulated by electronics (tv, games, computers, etc) when they have to sit down in class they lose attention quickly because it’s not in pace with the stimulation they’re used to. This leads them to boredom quicker and their attention wanders….so parents and teachers medicate these children in order to keep them focused on what they need to learn. Crazy.

Anyway, I was really inspired by Robinson’s talk about these issues.  He made many more points during the short 12min clip than I mentioned here…and I  can go on writing more in depth about everything he said…but, I’m telling you, the video does a great job of explaining his opinion on the matter (and it’s a lot more entertaining than reading my boring blog.) CHECK IT OUT if you haven’t already watched it…or watch it again! (I watched it three times…and I did some other research on Robinson and the issues he discussed as well….which is the point of learning…reading up on things you find interesting.

Let me know what you think when/if you watch this! I’m really curious on what other people think!

Oh, and…
Bottom Line: Our current system of education needs revamped. 

1 comment:

  1. That video is very interesting, so thank you for posting it. I really liked the point he made about kids being distracted, and that it isn't ADHD but is how the media's ability to invade our minds has evolved. It's so true, I think that television has been the number one reason my grades have suffered, among other factors. Although this is a personal choice and responsibility, his point was that education needs to also evolve and rise to the occasion.

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