Sir Ken Robinson: Bring on the learning revolution! | Video on TED.com

Sir Ken Robinson: Bring on the learning revolution! | Video on TED.com

Have you ever wondered why you can't quite achieve happiness in your job. Why is that I and many others feel unfilled in our role and feel that we haven't achieved our true purpose in life.

Wow that was preachy. Ok back down to earth. I have a recurring conversation with my wife on the nature of intelligence. She feels that she is not as intelligent as me because I can understand and repeat complex equations, recite verbatim passages from shakespeare or extoll the virtues of ethical commercial trading till the cows come home. Does all that make me"more intelligent than her". To put it further into context, her chosen career is Graphic Design. She creates imagery, visual stimulants that connect with people and communicate a message. Now that sounds like an artsy job, dreaming pretty pictures and then putting them together based on a brief that some wordy, academic maketing type has prepared.

So is she intelligent?

Without a doubt yes. Taking in information, processing it and coming up with original thought is to me the eptiomy of intelligence. So we've had this discussion numerous times and it all comes down to this. She doesn't feel particularly intelligent BECAUSE of school (its in caps because its important). Now doesn't that make you wonder? The proscribed subjects that everyone accepts as needed to further yourself in the adult working world she was rubbish at. Because she was rubbish she was targetted by the teachers who in turn made her a target. She begins to resent the teacher and subsequently the subject. Sit still and figure out the formula, process the information or complete assignment. All leads to the belief that because the focus was on these subjects and she couldn't do them then she was a failure.

So recently I saw this guy give a speech (its on Youtube from 2006) and at last I saw someone repeating what I've always believed. And this is someone with a voice, a respected academic saying that established learning is crap. Check it out for yourself (its quite funny in parts).

My wife is a succesful Graphic Designer for an international company, raising our two children whilst keeping me organised and is most definitely intelligent - yet she never succeeded in the "required" subjects.

What does that say about school?

Back to the orginal question - I probably don't feel fullfilled because I was pushed to excell in subjects that do not excite my creativity, the very subjects that our established school system has decided are required for our society.

Lets encourage our children to be creative, even if the schools won't.