Week Six: TedTalks Reflection

Reflecting on Robinson, Kapur, and Foley TedTalks

Ken Robinson’s “Changing educational paradigms”:

Ken Robinson has brought up some great points in regards to how old traditional ways of teaching are no longer as relevant in today’s 21^st century classroom. In the past, students who studied hard, made good grades, and went to school were almost always assured a job. However, that is not the case now and students are well aware of this. Students that are being taught in the same manner as those growing up during the Industrial Revolution are also typically uninterested and jaded. Robinson highlights the need for students to find their place economically and culturally within the world. His suggestion is for schools to help students become better problem solvers, understand their individualized strengths, and blossom as creative thinkers. I agree with Ken Robinson when he states that creativity is “applied imagination” and that it is “the process of having original ideas that have value.” If schools do not encourage creativity early on in development, how will artistic gifts be nurtured? How will we move beyond “standardized” learning practices? How will we help students become innovative, divergent investigators?

Shekhar Kapur’s  “We are the stories we tell ourselves”:

Shekhar Kapur discusses the importance of storytelling within the universe. Throughout time, people have used narratives in order to define existence and to find comfortability in their lives. He says that through chaos we begin to unearth “truth” and harmony. He stresses the importance of infinite possibilities in problem solving as a means to find balance. Much of Kapur’s talk was layered in how we can use metaphors, conflict/contradictions, mythology, and psychology to develop stronger, richer subtexts. His presentation resonated with me as he talks about the ways we can use improvisation to get to the core of emotional issues or work through complex problems.

Cindy Foley’s “Teaching art or teaching to think like an artist?”:

First off, I am a bit partial to Cindy Foley as she is a close friend of my previous capstone chairperson, and professor Dr. Jodi Kushins. I watched this TedTalks video as soon as it aired! In addition, she is just altogether a very informative and inspiring art advocate! She discusses the ways that art education is becoming more concrete in nature which completely goes against the whole philosophy of creativity. I enjoy how she brings attention to the messages that we are sending to others about art, too. How can we rationalize calling a perfectly drawn horse “creative?” And how does not being able to draw a stick figure equate to the lack of artistic ability? Furthermore, her insight about how play is needed in the classroom to build curiosity and generate ideas is inspiring. Creating more open-ended tasks often make students and teachers a little bit uncomfortable. However, in the process of having students explore the ambiguous, we are getting them ready for the inevitable…We are “preparing them for lives of not knowing.”

My inspiring TedTalks discovery (Kiran Sethi’s “Kids take charge”):

As art teachers, I feel strongly about involving our students in projects in which they are able to be a part of community and change.  To do this we have to teach kids to take charge and infect them with the “I can” bug.  Educator, Kiran Sethi , says that to do this we must “blur the boundaries between school and life”. Through Sethi’s project in India she was able to help students become more aware of social problems that needed to be fixed, enable the learners to want change, and empower them as they became part of the transformation process. This is something I want for my own students. I found her TedTalks video to be incredibly heartwarming as she discusses how students became involved to better their neighborhoods. They addressed issues such as child labor laws, ecological preservation, and education. The students felt confident because they had been involved in real world connections. The Riverside school (where the children attend) even began to see a jump in test scores as the “lab projects” continued. And the project began to gain attention and spread until Ahmedabad became India’s first “child friendly city”.  To see the video about the “I Can” lesson click here: http://www.ted.com/talks/kiran_bir_sethi_teaches_kids_to_take_charge.html

Also, if you are interested in knowing more about the aProCh Program which continues to flourish in India you may visit this website: http://www.aproch.org/