Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?

Sir Ken Robinson makes an entertaining (and profoundly moving) case for creating an education system that nurtures creativity, rather than undermining it. With ample anecdotes and witty asides, Robinson points out the many ways our schools fail to recognize — much less cultivate — the talents of many brilliant people. “We are educating people out of their creativity,” Robinson says. The universality of his message is evidenced by its rampant popularity online. A typical review: “If you have not yet seen Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talk, please stop whatever you’re doing and watch it now.”

6 Comments leave a comment below

  1. I completely agree. I’m in my 30s, and still vividly remember 2 instances in Kindergarten: One, I received an F on a coloring page for using the side of crayon instead of the point. Two, I got in trouble for turning my alphabet into animals. I don’t know if I’ll ever get over it!

  2. So fantastic! Thank you for sharing. I’ve always believed this.
    In high school I dropped every artistic endeavor to focus on math and science for I believed that there was no point in going for a career in the arts for I’d never make it.

    I’m loving that you turned all your letters in to animals Heather! I too remember being constantly corrected for holding my pencils the wrong way.

  3. I have two children and he is so right with everything he is saying.
    Thanks for this video. I will read his book, too.

  4. Two words: Waldorf Education
    Note to those who turned their letters into animals: In Waldorf schools, first grade children learn to write the alphabet as animals first…

  5. Even in community college, math, science, and education are put on a pedestal. I often felt that couldn’t do anything creative because I’d have no future.