For part of the final discussion grade, watch the video (we will also watch it during class) and then make THREE connections between his talk and his key ideas in The Element.
Tip - Make sure you put your three connections in three separate comment boxes that way students can respond to each of them. Thanks
Then leave TWO responses to the connections of your classmates. This will be worth a total of 50 points. I left a connection as an example of what will earn full credit.
ReplyDeleteRobinson's contention that all kids have tremendous talents and we (as in the education system) squanders kids' abilities is a theme running throughout the book, especially the chapters "Think Differently" and "Making the Grade." Unfortunately, schools value the core subjects of math, science, and language arts above all others. The problem is that not all students excel in those areas. Decades ago, students who didn't have strengths in those areas could find other areas like Home Ec, Shop, Carpentry, and so on to excel in. However, those programs were cut in the name of raising test scores and getting all students college and career ready (which really means just college ready). The problem is that a vast majority of our jobs today don't require a 4 year degree in math, science, or language arts. In fact, many jobs are very technical in nature and require students to be skills in class that no longer exist, such as shop and carpentry. That needs to change in our schools.
Robinson states that today he believes that creativity is as valuable as literacy. I saw someone on Twitter rebuke that by saying, good luck getting a job with that type of thinking. And to some extent that is true. It's tough to get a job without being able to read, BUT Robinson isn't saying teach creativity INSTEAD of reading. He is simply advising us to give it equal status.
ReplyDeleteCreativity is so vital. The factory jobs left America decades ago. A vast majority of jobs that are now readily available all entail creativity in some way shape or form.
So let say that you have a business manufacturing and applying rain gutters to homes (don't laugh. This is a very lucrative field and one where very few people are in. I was willing to give someone at least a thousand dollars to put them on my house after it was resided, yet it was all I could do to find someone to come and do it eventually).
When they company finally came, what I loved about them was they had a creative solution to the problem with downspouts (the things that run several feet into your yard to carry the rain water away from your house). Their creative solution was to have a hinge at the bottom of the downspout that allows me to lift up the drains. They even come with velcro that allows me to attach them to the downspout so they don't fall down.
This is a creative feature from the company that I love. This makes them stand out as unique and that is why if anyone ever asks about gutters, I always recommend this company.
Creativity in any field cannot be emphasized enough.
Robinson makes an interesting note when he talks about Gillian Lynn when she was surrounded by people who were just like her: people who had to move to think.
ReplyDeleteLooking back, this illustrates the importance of finding your tribe. Once you have found a tribe, you then get the benefits of tribes, where others inspire you and push you and accept you. This tribe, no doubt, allowed Lynn to delve deeper into her element and to become a better dancer.
I like when Robinson says that capacity is for innovation and Intelligence is dynamic. He gives an example about education and says it's as important as literacy.
ReplyDeleteWe have no idea what the future holds for any of us, therefore we should be open to new opportunities.
If we aren't prepared to be wrong, we won't come up with anything original. I feel like this quote is very powerful and is very relatable to people that are trying to find their Element.
Breanna Wienen
DeleteKatelyn Sorter
ReplyDelete1. A main point from the video is human creativity. This is also seen in the Element, when people don't see themselves as creative, they are in the same mind set all the time and not willing to look at other peoples points of view. Creativity is very important to being able to think out of the box because not everybody's passions are the same. If you look at someone else's passion you could learn from it and develop your own passion.
I think creativity is important and when you look at someone who is in their element, you want to be as happy as them, or you want to find your element as well.
DeletePeople are starting to not think they are good at things because someone told them when they were younger that they weren't good at it and should stop. They might've lost out on those experiences.
DeleteKatelyns connection makes me think back to chapter 5 "Finding Your Tribe. Katelyn states "If you look at someone else's passion you could learn from it and develop your own passion. "This directly relates to this quote "If I saw further it was because I stood on the shoulders of giants." This quote is saying that when individuals can explore with like minded people they are able to better understand themselves. They can follow the journey of there mentors and use it as a pathway for discovering there own journeys. When trying to find your element it is essential to have these people in your life. They support you and help guide you toward your element.
DeleteKatelyn Sorter
ReplyDelete2.Another main idea that relates back to the element is nobody knows what's going to happen in the future. This relates back to the element because people are unsure and don't like what they are doing until they find their passion. Some people don't know when that time is ever going to come because it could appear in older people.
Robinson talks about how diverse ways people learn. He talked about the professors who only live in their heads and Gillian Lynn who needed to move to think. This ties into the Element and the many ways people can be intelligent. Some have strengths in math, science, or language while others have strengths in dancing and music.
ReplyDeleteEveryone learns in many different ways, and Gillan's story to me is very interesting. Her parents did a good job by helping her find her passion.
DeleteThis is very interesting because many people do have other strengths and teachers are only teaching what the tests are testing. So kids are missing out on the other things.
DeleteKatelyn Sorter
ReplyDelete3.The capacities that children have are way to demanding and heavy. The Element also shows this, children go to school and learn the same thing everyday. The most important topics are math, science, and language, so teachers spend the most time teaching them. the other programs like art and music get cut because those things aren't on the tests. When children aren't passing the tests they are put in special classes to get them to pass the tests, when in reality those kids just don't have a passion for those subjects. If they were taught in different ways or had the option to take the different classes they could find their element and excel there.
I agree that special classes for kids to pass tests is wrong. The system should find some way to allow kids to excel in other subjects, not just math, science, and language.
DeleteAlivia May
ReplyDeleteYou cannot be frightened of being wrong. If you're scared you will never come up with anything original. This relates to the book the element. If you are too scared to do anything out of the ordinary that you wouldn't normally do, you may never know what your full potential is.
Brooke Stavenes
ReplyDelete1. Robinson talks about how the education system is educating people out of creativity. Everyone is creative, but the education system is basically forcing people to learn what everyone else knows. When you're focusing on education constantly and not exploring your creativity, it just kind of slips out of reach and practice. I, personally, do not feel like I am creative, and I do think that since I am constantly focused on education I feel like I don't have anytime for anything like that. Without creativity, we lose that sense of uniqueness because we are all forced to be like each other and learn the same basic things.
Alivia May
ReplyDeleteThis world that we live in changes so fast that it is hard to prepare kids now for what may come because in three years from now it will be totally different. This was a main idea in the the book the element in relation to how the system of education is rapidly changing i=and its hard to not only students but teachers as well to keep up. We need an up to date learning cirriculum.
Our world of quick technology does change very quickly! We do need an education system that can keep up much better to these sudden changes. It is what the future world needs if it wants to continue to advance.
DeleteRobinson also talks about how creative kids are and how they don't fear mistakes, for example the boy in the play making up his lines. This relates the part in the Element the myth that only special people are creative. Every kid and every adult is creative in their own ways.
ReplyDeleteWe should not be hindering the creative minds of children in school. Each person is different and they should be allowed to express their creativeness in the way that they chose.
DeleteRobinson talks about the human gift of imagination and that "we have to use it wisely". In the Element Robinson says that many take their imagination for granted. He discusses how because of our strong imaginations we can create many things. I find this very important.
ReplyDeleteChildren are able to do anything. Now adults are hindering the creativity of younger ones only wanting them to focus on growing up smart instead of having nay creativity. Getting the biggest degree and not focusing on themselves. Children are starting to think they aren't good at something because they were put down in school. Intelligence is interactive. Just like some of the examples of people in the book the element, they were put down in school and they got out thinking they weren't good at something.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with Alivia! Id like to add that children's creativity is also being hindered by schools. Schools are primarily focused on Math, Science and Language this is known as the hierarchy of subjects. Just like Alivia said the hierarchy of subjects puts students down and discourages them. Most obviously schools make children believe that there love for various arts is no good. They drill it into there minds at a very young age that no matter how much they love to sing, write, or act they'll never make anything out of it. Schools are too focused on growing smart children over creative students just like Alivia states.
DeleteGracie Hannon
ReplyDeleteIn both the Ted talk and the chapter Beyond Imagination Robinson stated "If you're not prepared to be wrong you'll never create anything original. This couldn't be more true. Creating something original and using creativity is key to finding you element. If you are to scared to try something or create something because you're to afraid someone might not like, and view it as wrong. How will you ever know if you truly enjoy doing/creating that thing. You'll never no what others think nor will you know how you personally feel about it. Ultimately, never let the fear of being "wrong" hold you back. Try new things and learn from your mistakes it will get you one step closer to your element.
Gracie Hannon
ReplyDeleteRobinson states, highly talented people believe they have no talent. He says this is something very common and it happens to the majority of people.
While reading the Element I was introduced to Paul McCartney. Just as Robinson says, McCartney is one of many people who went through school without being recognized for their talents. McCartney wasn't noticed for his musical abilities. He even applied to be in the choir at his school and was rejected. Later that very choir staged two of his classical pieces. In the Element Ken writes, "Too many graduate or leave early, unsure of their real talents and equally unsure of what direction to take. This shows the importance of education and fellow peers. Sometimes they are just what we need in order to find our element. However, they can be just the opposite as well. For example, In Paul McCartney's case school/education was too boring and none of his teacher/friends noticed his true talent for music. This ultimately held him back from discovering his element.
During the ted talk, Robinson talks about children being "full of talents" and "not afraid of being wrong". However he also talk about how children "grow out of creativity." This topic was also covered in in the chapter "What Will They Think" in the element. Ken states, "People have complex reasons for trying to clip other peoples wings". What Robinson is saying is that someone is always going to be in you're way, keeping you from what you love. School is often the main cuprite for this, they drill the creativity out of you. For instance, schools want everyone to be the same, they want test scores and personalities all same. They hate outliers and so every chance they get they discourage them for being different and and encourage them to be just like everyone else. This is a huge problem when trying to find your element because you are being forced to be someone you are not. The only way to find your element is to embrace yourself and chance your dreams, not stoping for a single second to hear what others think. Just do you and follow your heart, in time you will find that place where doing what you love and loving what you do comes together!
ReplyDeleteIn the Ted talk, Robinson says "If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’re not prepared to learn". Most people expect everything to work out in the grand scheme of things, but we need to learn from our mistakes in order to get better. We learn a lot more from our mistakes rather than from getting everything right the first time around.
ReplyDeleteAutumn Breuer
ReplyDeleteRobinson believes that creativity should be taught just as much as literature. Everyone is born with creativity, not teaching it shows children the unimportance of it. "We don't grow into creativity we grow out of it." It shouldn’t be this way, schools should be teaching children to further grow into creativity not out of it.
Robinson also talks about the capacities of children. Children are not afraid of being wrong when they are younger, they are willing to take chances without the fear of being wrong because they aren’t taught that being wrong is a bad thing. As children grow older they learn that being wrong isn't so okay anymore, taking chances aren't as common because of the fear of ridicule for not doing it right.
ReplyDeleteRobinson talks about how intelligence is diverse, people are not uniform, not everyone is intelligent in the same way. Some think abstractly or through movement, some think best with math or visually. No one is exactly the same as one another. Robinson also mentions this in his book. Intelligence is diverse while schools teach it like it’s a narrow subject.
ReplyDelete