Almost every person has something to say about education, at least that’s what Sir Ken Robinson believes. A world-renowned British scholar and catalyst in the conversation surrounding education and creativity, Robinson will share his theories on how education trivializes creativity at the Resort at Squaw Creek on Oct. 10. This is a landmark event for the Squaw Valley Institute, as Robinson has some of the highest views of any TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) Talk — an estimated 200 million people in 150 countries.
With titles like “How schools kill creativity,” “Bring on the learning revolution!,” and “How to escape education’s death valley,” his TED speeches resonate with a large demographic, especially educators like Tahoe Truckee Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Rob Leri. Leri, who has known about Robinson since his TED debut in 2006, was a driving force in bringing the speaker to Tahoe, a feat that proved to be challenging since Robinson has a global following. “I thought it would be great to have him at such a pivotal time in our school district with all of the changes going on,” Leri said.
Leri and his staff are designing their teaching to focus on the “four C’s,” plus one more: critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, creativity and innovation, and culture (Leri’s addition). “We need to foster the creativity and imagination that is innate in all of our students and provide learning opportunities for that,” he stressed. “We need to learn how to be innovators and tie together creativity, imagination, and innovation.” Leri sees Robinson’s messages as validating the goals and direction of the district.
With striking quotes and British humor sprinkled throughout, Robinson’s speeches are anything but dry. In between concepts like “creativity is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat them the same,” are stories about people who, had their creativity been snuffed out at a young age, would not have gone on to accomplish amazing feats, like Gillian Lynne, who struggled throughout primary school but later went on to choreograph “Cats” and “Phantom of the Opera.” Robinson is fascinated with people finding their true calling in life, and believes that if every person lives and works in their element, they will be both productive and happy.
Finding one’s true passion has been a focus of the Squaw Valley Institute Kids program in preparation for Robinson’s visit to Tahoe. SVI Kids is designed to spread the ideas of the institute’s speakers to the kids in the community through weekly meetings leading up to the event that culminate with a special Q&A, where each student asks the speaker a single question. Carolyn Hamilton, director of SVI Kids, said that with each Q&A they’ve held, both she and the speakers are blown away by the questions these young people bring to the table.
To prepare for Robinson’s visit, each student found 10 people in their lives who live and work in their element. The kids noticed that every person they listed who has creatively incorporated their passions into their livelihood is happy. “We’re trying to get kids to be able to do what Ken Robinson does all the time, to notice [other] kids in their element and comment on it so they themselves feel capable,” she said.
Renee Koijane, executive director of SVI, views Robinson’s presentation as an amazing opportunity for the community. “This is the most important speaker SVI has brought to our region, based on his expertise, his message, and what’s going on in our region,” she said. “He’s the Holy Grail to what they [Hamilton and Leri] are trying to achieve.” She hopes that this will begin a larger discussion that will continue revolutionizing the community’s education systems.
“Ken Robinson says there has to be a revolution in education,” Hamilton shared, eloquently summing up hours of his lectures and pages of his writings. “What he’s really asking us to do is honor our teachers and equip them with the time and education to notice every kid’s magic, and to have the time to locate their essence.”
