This enlightening and assuring book made it to the 4th spot on my list of best strategy books in the post-industrial era. Dr Ken Robinson got a keen eye in dissecting histories of misunderstood and miscast individuals performing unbelievably high standards of professional and artistic work after discovering where their personal passions and their aptitudes meet, and binding them in unison. He also made a very good analysis on the current system of education that dwells on the past system of standardized mass-production and assembly line, “selling” education like meals from a fast food outlet. Creativity should never be treated like that. Applied imagination has an identity, and a soul, too.
The lives of Sir Paul McCartney, Matt Groening, Gillian Lynne, Richard Feynman, Meg Ryan, Chuck Close, and Paulo Coelho can attest against this traditional system of education that almost hampered them in discovering their own personal worth and identity if not from their own perseverance to follow their hearts and their instincts and with some element of luck and positive outlook, meeting exceptional mentors that helped them to continue moving forward.
The lives of Sir Paul McCartney, Matt Groening, Gillian Lynne, Richard Feynman, Meg Ryan, Chuck Close, and Paulo Coelho can attest against this traditional system of education that almost hampered them in discovering their own personal worth and identity if not from their own perseverance to follow their hearts and their instincts and with some element of luck and positive outlook, meeting exceptional mentors that helped them to continue moving forward.
This current system of education limits the child’s creative development by concentrating the curriculum into compartmentalized subjects applied separately from each other. Science is usually favoured over arts, mathematics over music or sports. What Dr Robinson proposes is for the educator to teach art as important as science, and music as with mathematics especially in the public schools.
This is really not a new concept but human development is never complete without improving the individual and the collective creativity and if you limit education by designing students to become technical workers, the child’s education remains partial. Nobody wants to see their children learn that way, to become future automatons. We mean of synergy here as unifying science, art, music, and athletics in one learning experience.
Anyway, I encourage you to try this if you’re looking for a good non-fiction read this year. You will be happy to find yourself in it.
Memorable Quotes from the book:
“Children learn best when they learn from each other and when their teachers are learning with them.”
“You can’t be yourself in a swarm.”
“Often we need other people to help us recognize our real talents. Often we can help other people to discover theirs.”
“Never underestimate the vital importance of finding early in life the work that for you is play. This turns possible underachievers into happy warriors.”
Genre: Personal Strategy, Modern Philosophy, Applied Philosophy
Rating: 4 sticks of crayons
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