There isn’t an education system on the planet that teaches dance everyday to children the way we teach them mathematics. Why?
Ken RobinsonRead
When my son, James, was doing homework for school, he would have five or six windows open on his computer, Instant Messenger was flashing continuously, his cell phone was constantly ringing, and he was downloading music and watching the TV over his shoulder. I don’t know if he was doing any homework, but he was running an empire as far as I could see, so I didn’t really care.
Interpretation
This quote highlights the distractions faced by students today while they attempt to focus on their homework.
Ken Robinson humorously describes the chaotic environment in which his son attempts to do homework, filled with distractions from technology and media. He suggests that while it may seem like his son is not focused on his schoolwork, he is actually managing a range of activities that reflect the multitasking nature of modern youth, ultimately implying that this may be a new form of engagement rather than a problem.
In practice
During a seminar on modern education, I shared this quote to illustrate the challenges students face with technology.
There isn’t an education system on the planet that teaches dance everyday to children the way we teach them mathematics. Why?
Creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.
Creativity is the greatest gift of human intelligence.
Teaching for creativity aims to encourage self-confidence, independence of mind, and the capacity to think for oneself.
Helping people to connect with their personal creative capacities is the surest way to release the best they have to offer.
Creativity involves putting your imagination to work. In a sense, creativity is applied imagination.
Books are divided into two classes, the books of the hour and the books of all time.
I think with you, that nothing is of more importance for the public weal, than to form and train up youth in wisdom and virtue. Wise and good men are in my opinion, the strength of the state; more so than riches or arms.
I always tell kids, you have two eyes and one mouth. Keep two open and one closed. You never learn anything if you're the one talking.
Education has become a very powerful weapon in the struggle to produce a well-developed person.
Nothing is more satisfying than to write a good sentence. It is no fun to write lumpishly, dully, in prose the reader must plod through like wet sand. But it is a pleasure to achieve, if one can, a clear running prose that is simple yet full of surprises. This does not just happen. It requires skill, hard work, a good ear, and continued practice.
It is easier for a tutor to command than to teach.
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