Changing Views of Education

I’ve seen a few animations in the past from the folks at the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts (RSA), and they were all quite interesting. They take key speeches from their events and create an intricate marker board illustration, animated to follow along with the speech. Reading some of their YouTube comments, you’ll see people saying things like “I wish my teachers did this in school, it would have helped me learn a lot easier!”

We recently came across this video, where Sir Ken Robinson talks about traditional public education, and ways to reform it to do a better job of accommodating all students.

One of the biggest points I took away from this video is the increase in conformity, and how not everyone fits into traditional education – think the movie Accepted, where a group of teens fresh out of high school creates their own college after being turned down by numerous Universities. We don’t all fit into the traditional four year college plan, and I know we have discussed this on our blog before, but it is something that strikes home. We know that each individual is different and might not take the traditional four year college education route, but might decide to pursue valuable industry certifications to signify knowledge and understanding. Certifications can bolster resumes, encourage higher salaries, and assist in job retention, making them a great option for students and individuals who are looking for alternatives or supplements to college.

So, for the educators out there – will you be remembered by your past students as the teacher who challenged them and used non-traditional methods of teaching to help them retain the information? Or will you be the teacher that stuck to the rules and traditions already in place? And for those that already use non-traditional methods, what kinds of challenges do you face when trying to do so?