Robinson proved he had much speaking experience by applying several effective techniques in his presentation. The deep and consequential arguments he made were illustrated and repeated through stories and metaphors. Before making a point, Robinson often told a personal story that served as an example of the point he was about to make. Not only did these tales relate him to the audience, but they also gently proved his point with a form of evidence even more trustworthy than facts: experience. Metaphors, such as one comparing schools' manipulations of students’ minds to miners that collect only one desired substance and waste many other valuable materials they draw out, created visuals of the messages he conveyed. They solidified and clarified his point by summarizing it with one objective image. Robinson also utilized comedy in his favor. While the subjects he discussed were vital to the future of humans and adept at capturing one's interest, listening to twenty minutes of constant argument eventually leads to loss of focus. Robinson used funny remarks that both pertained to the point and provided relief to allow the brain to relax for a moment. His initial use of comedy also quickly introduced and personified him, helping the audience comprehend who he was, where he came from, and why he made the points he did. Though his style included no use of physical visuals or examples, this hardly heeded his performance because of his skill at creating mental visuals. One technique that did slightly undermine his importance was his use of offensive humor. Though the points he made may have been accurate, they were highly controversial and offensive to certain groups, and thus may have quickly discredited his opinion in the minds of many. Overall, though, he presented well with an appropriate combination of humor, relief, relatability, and strong argument.
These methods of speaking led the listener to concentrate on his main point; education needs to change. Robinson argued that current education concentrates too much on producing one set type of person: a university professor. Instead, schools needed to recognize the diverse range of talents in their students. While english and math are highly valued in what Robinson called the "hierarchy of education," other expression forms such as art, dance, music, and photography were overruled by the decided superiority of the mainstream courses. Thus, schools waste talents by forcing the most creative students to thrive the same classes as the most mathematical students. People confuse intelligence with the ability to survive in school, when in truth only one type of person can survive modern education. Education needs to change to meet the demands of today's times and allow the growth of the artistic and creative students, who may one day make millions off of their abilities to think beyond the social norms.
If Robinson's ideas spread, school will need to change. No longer can schools teach kids that they must be right. Children are afraid to take chances and try new ideas because they fear their teachers will tell them they are wrong. The world is changing, and according to Daniel Pink (author of A Whole New Mind and Drive), becoming the kingdom of right-brained people. If education wants to be capable of providing for this changing society, it must learn to value every talent as much as the next. Personally, as one the people that can survive in the current school system, I must be prepared to see a shift in what is valued in education. In fact, with the way America is beginning to lean towards valuing right-brained thinkers, I must learn to develop the clearly less dominant side of my brain. I do believe that schools should implement more dance, acting, music, and art classes, and allow students to choose to take the classes that will benefit them most in their futures. In order for this to happen most effectively, though, schools will need to either become smaller, more specialized, or sectored, so that every opportunity is available to students pursuing every passion. In short, as the world begins requiring more people with talents in more diverse fields, students and educators must be prepared to see a shift in the systems of schools.
More about Sir Ken Robinson: http://www.principalvoices.com/voices/ken-robinson-bio.html
Another source claiming that creativity is dying: http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/10/the-creativity-crisis.html
This video contains an interview with Sir Ken Robinson and more information on his view of current education.
Video Source:
AlJazeeraEnglish. "Riz Khan - Schools Killing Creativity? - 10 Sep 08 - Part 1." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. Web. 19 Apr. 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAt-3Yk2u80.
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