Capacity for Innovation

  Soft chunks of clay can be shifted and molded into infinite usage. As time flows, moisture slowly escapes clay particles, solidifying. No more can molded turn into pliable again. Children are fresh clay, blooming with sprays of creativity; while adults are dry and weathered, deprived of such moisturizing. Such thoughts are widely accepted, as they are portrayed commonly as children learning the arid "adult world." James Matthew Barrie’s' Peter Pan and Lewis Carol’s Alice in Wonderland distinguishes the line between the unrealistic world of children's imagination with the realistic one of adult's. Ken Robinson talks specifically about how academic education in an adult's perspective is killing the creativity of young minds.
     According to Ken Robinson, current education system is made suitable for the Industrial Revolution that happened years before. Subjects that "meet the needs of industrialization" were regarded as important while those not were considered trivial. I agree that there certainly is the same hierarchy of subjects all over the world, Korea no exception. Mathematics and languages on top, then humanities and science, and the bottom are the arts. Generally, mathematics and languages are seen as most fundamental basis for other education. Of course, those subjects are important, as they were stepping stones for further developments in other areas like science and humanities. However, such fundamentality does not mean that other subjects are inferior to mathematics and languages. Each subject has its own significance and value. The common hierarchy of subjects is underestimating the values of "unimportant" subjects, while hindering possible talents of people. Rene Descartes once said, "It is not enough to have a good mind; the main thing is to use it well." The excessively academic society is not allowing people to fully use up to their potential. Adults hardly recognize this partiality of education, because that educational environment is where they had their success. They see such hierarchy as obvious, unable to take a step to transform current education. People should realize that academic ability does not equal to intelligence.
     Another problem with current education is conformity. The main focus of parent's generation might have been stabilizing and developing the society. Conformity was an easy tool for organizing the society and promoting a fast development. But generations have passed, and now became a time where originality and creativity is the key. Ken Robinson defined creativity as a "process of having original ideas that have value." However, current education system emphasizes conformity, where each and every student is inserted with the same knowledge. Factorized education affected people in hardening their creativity. People tend to think less about an issue or about anything in ordinary life. Usually, creativity comes from taking interest in events aroud. Education should give opportunity to people to think deeply about what they are learning, instead of pouring facts. Albert Einstein quoted that "Imagination is more important than knowledge." In addition, I agree that the society made mistakes the worst thing that people can do. Parents and teachers scold when children makes mistakes. Anything out of order is considered absurd and unreasonable. Such conventional thoughts is stopping children to be brave in their thoughts and acts. If people are not preapared to be wrong, they will not come up with anything original. Used to such evironment, only little progress can be made with people unable to make bold steps.
     In his first and second speech, Ken Robinson describes the problem with current education and that people should transform, not reform, it. However, he does not propose a specific solution for this social phenomenon. In the second video, Ken Robinson then vaguely says that education should be customized. As he said before, education is something that goes deep with people. Education must be handled cautiously, which brings the tranform matter difficult to do.
     The best way to eventually transform education is to make gradual changes. Education should also reflect the thoughts of students, the direct receivers of education. I feel that the fundamental step is to provide an educational environment where people can freely read books and discuss about it. Through books, children can learn new ideas of others. They can build up their own imagination based on these other ideas. Then, through discussion, children can talk about their ideas and expand their ideas. In discussion, people should respect each other's ideas, whether the ideas may be absurd or not. Change in education is not radical, but a series of baby steps.