Yo-Yo Is Surely Proud Of This Guy

I just need to say that this young man is showing innovation that would get smacked down if a kid tried to pull that in school -- beat-box cello is surely not on the test.

Ken Robinson: The Education Revolution

Die, Creativity! Die!

So, we chase Asia's test scores:

Whereas U.S. schools are now encouraged, even forced, to chase after test scores, China, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan—all named as major competitors—have started education reforms aimed at fostering more creativity and innovative thinking among their citizens. China, for example, has taken drastic measures to reform its curriculum. As the United States raised the status of standardized testing to a record high in 2001 with No Child Left Behind, the Chinese Ministry of Education issued an executive order to significantly minimize the consequences of testing (2002). As the United States pushes for more centralized curriculum standards, China is abandoning its one nation—one syllabus tradition. As the United States moves toward a required program of study for high schools, China is working hard to implement a flexible system with more electives and choices for students. As the United States calls for more homework and more study time, China has launched a battle to reduce such burdens on its students.

What do we do now? Go read Fixing The Wrong Things.

The Faster You Go, The Slower You Get

It's long (1 hour), but, as the title of this post suggests, you ought to slow down, and watch it. David Levy talks at the Google campus about "No Time To Think".

I think this notion of slowing down so we can think has serious implications in education. I'm going to have to revisit this. I am posting as I watch it.

Creativity: Please Don't Die!

I've been meaning to post this. I saw it over at This Brazen Teacher, and it's worth watching. He is Sir Ken Robinson, a writer, creativity expert, and Knight In Shining Armor! It's a bit long, but good. Get a beer.