What is school for? We must find a new purpose for school.
What is school for? This is the question and Seth weaves a story to explain how we got here and why we must be courageous enough to confront the reality of our school system as it currently exists.
One of the most striking points in this talk is how we have been taught to fear being wrong, to comply, to be obedient so that we will be employable for an industrial society. Obedience is not the same thing as being respectful to ourselves and to others. He also speaks about the impact of technology in education. Technology “links us all” by making knowledge accessible to all.
It is time to stop teaching children as though they lack the ability to think and problem solve in new and interesting ways. This video is from 2012, and the work of transforming our world continues to unfold.
Ted talk by Sir Ken Robinson. It is a seven year old talk which if anything is even more relevant today! Had to post this one.. He has several wonderful talks posted at TED.
Two quotes:
“…all kids have tremendous talents — and we squander them pretty ruthlessly.” – Sir Ken Robinson
“My contention is that creativity now is as important in education as literacy and we should treat it with the same status.” – Sir Ken Robinson
Ken Robinson gives an insightful explanation regarding the origin of our educational system. A system that was created to serve the needs of the industrial revolution. That seems a key perspective to keep in mind when we examine the systems that are currently being created. It was appropriate at the turn of the century, but now it is time to grow beyond educating people for “jobs” in a hierarchical society. We will be allowing more of humanity to show our wings.
I laughed so hard when he was talking about thinking of Shakespeare being a seven year old boy in school. I had never thought of him as a child either. “he was in somebody’s English class wasn’t he?! How annoying would that be?”
Why not dance too!? We are in a wonderful cultural revolution that is just beginning.
Brilliant! When I saw this I immediately thought of Change Management class. Perfect perhaps for a note of humor for part of the presentations which two classmates and myself will be doing on June 15th.
We do have other more subdued examples for the class, and also another one with humor embedded.
Maligned by some the flowchart a truly useful and adaptable visual tool. It is hard to really work out the flow and change of structures and processes without the benefit of a good chart.
Flowchart Software?
Have you ever tried FreeMind? I was introduced to it on the job some time ago. I have been thinking it might be a good idea to give it a go again. It is free and quite liquid once you get the hang of it. It’s also open source and free.
Anyone out there have any strong flow charting software recommendations?
Managing Change MSM608.SP13 / Planning for Change MAT613.SP13 is a class I am taking which is essentially all about the human side of Project Management. We reviewed a few songs that are all about changes; there are many of them since it is a constant in our lives!
Reflections of My Life
Here is my offering today. If you are not familiar with the Marmalade they are a 60’s group from Scotland.
The Marmalade – Reflections of My Life
Creating a new future
This song seems uber sad and sappy at first. But really it is a song with an underscore of hope, as when he says, “oh but I don’t wanna die”. This is a person who is undergoing big changes and yet is courageously embracing his past and reintegrating that past into creating a new life. The most important point about change is that the transitions, letting go of the past and embracing the future are the hardest part of change.
Still, he never wants to forget his home; nor where he comes from!
The Marmalade – Reflections of My Life, Lyrics, 1969
The changing of sunlight to moonlight
Reflections of my life, oh how they fill my eyes
The greetings of people in trouble
Reflections of my life, oh how they fill my eyes
All my sorrow, sad tomorrow
Take me back to my old home
All my cryin’, feel I’m dyin’, dyin’
Take me back, to my old home
I’m changin’, arrangin’, I’m changin’
I’m changin’ everything, ah everything around me
The world is a bad place, a bad place
A terrible place to live, oh but I don’t wanna die
All my sorrow, sad tomorrow
Take me back to my old home
All my cryin’, feel I’m dyin’, dyin’
Take me back, to my old home
All my sorrow, sad tomorrow
Take me back to my old home
All my cryin’, feel I’m dyin’, dyin’
Take me back, to my old home
