Blog #1

What Sir Ken Robinson says about knowledge not being how much you know and how much you want to discover is very profound. It reverses the traditional concept of education and puts less emphasis on memorization of facts and more emphasis on curiosity and exploration. The greatest educators that I personally had were the ones who did not pretend to know everything and instead learned through students. Such educators created a culture where question-asking and challenging assumptions, and venturing into the unknown are absolutely permissible and done collectively.


To inspire and accommodate students better today and tomorrow, the teacher needs to move beyond the "sage on the stage" model and become a learning facilitator. Such facilitators create learning environments that challenge students to question, to experiment, and to collaborate. Such facilitators are also learners who accept the assistance students offer through the dimensions and viewpoints they bring to the classroom.


Among the most notable transformations needed is the move beyond standardized testing and memorization. Teachers should focus instead on strengthening students' capacity to think critically and creatively and to develop problem-solving skills. These are the skills that will help them be lifelong learners and prosper in the swiftly changing world. Additionally, the integration of technology can be meaningfully employed to enhance participation and provide students with access to limitless information and resources. The ultimate outcome is the development of a love for learning and getting students to be owners of learning.

Comments

  1. Kara McElwrathSeptember 9, 2025 at 8:16 PM

    Sir Ken is a favorite of mine. We'll watch more of his talks this week, in fact. In this talk, I was particularly intrigued by his story about the Dalai Lama. Who'd have thought "I don't know" could be so powerful, right?!? Normally, when we hear people say that, we think they are lazy or unwilling to even try to answer. But here is the Dalai Lama - who certainly can't be considered lazy or unmotivated - using that same phrase. The difference? He tried. He thought it through and determined that he didn't have the answer. There's nothing lazy about that. Humbling perhaps, but not lazy. That's the effort I want to encourage from students. To think things through, and when the answer isn't there, to seek it out.

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