Ted Talk: Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity

Level: intermediate to  high 

Questions for the talk

A) Listen and watch the talk HERE (Ted Talk Page)

B) If you need a transcript of Ms. Robinson's talk in word (+ vocabulary) you can download it from HERE 

C) Ask students to answer some or all the questions below:

You can project the questions using your beam projector:

.....................................................................

Question 1: Think about this excerpt of the talk:

“As children grow up, we start to educate them progressively from the waist up. And then we focus on their heads.”
What does Ken Robinson mean? What consequences does this education have? Does your own experience reflect on Mr. Robinson’s statement?

..................................................................... 

Question 2:  Think about this excerpt of the talk:

…….”When I was a student, if you had a degree, you had a job. If you didn't have a job it was because you didn't want one. But now kids with degrees are often heading home to carry on playing video games, because you need an MA where the previous job required a BA, and now you need a PhD for the other. ………..”
Does it happen in our country too ? Justify your opinion.

.....................................................................

Question 3: Think about this excerpt of the talk:

……..”I believe our only hope for the future is to adopt a new conception of human ecology, one in which we start to reconstitute our conception of the richness of human capacity. …………”
According to Mr. Robinson’s speech: what should the educational system have to take into consideration? What are the characteristics of a successful education system?

 

By Isabel Salinas