Learning to teach in a different key.
It is with great sadness that we have learnt of the death of Sir Ken Robinson. He was a Patron of the Curriculum Foundation and praised by his fellow Patron Professor Mick Waters for his ‘grounded reasonableness of argument’. Sir Ken Robinson believed in an education that valued the individual and our potential to evolve and live a fulfilled life. He believed in the importance of civic responsibility and of respect for others whilst valuing our right to self-determination.
In his book ‘Creative Schools Revolutionizing Education from the Ground Up’, Sir Ken describes the purposes of education;
‘…to enable students to understand the world around them and the talents within them so that they can become fulfilled individuals and active, compassionate citizens.’
It was his commitment to fulfilment that inspired – and continues to inspire – so much of our work. We believe that all learners should leave school with the confidence, desire and ability to make the world a better place. They will only be able to do this if they have self-belief, have experienced the rich diversity of success and failure and have a thirst for learning. The curriculum should establish the conditions for students to flourish and thrive within our rapidly changing world. The ability to think creatively, so passionately advocated by Sir Ken, provides a recipe for success – the capacity to problem solve and create something new. Sir Ken’s vision for a curriculum that is coherent, aligned, rich and balanced remains a theme tune for our ongoing work with governments around the world as we strive to create a world-class curriculum for all.
Our CEO Victoria Pendry, has recorded a further tribute to Sir Ken Robinson. You can hear a short excerpt here as part of a contribution to a full podcast soon to be produced by Toria Bono. The full piece can be heard here. Victoria reflects on descriptions of the Art of Teaching by Sir Ken and his suggestion to learn to ‘teach in a different key’ so as to reflect and capitalise on the context, needs and interests of any particular group of receptive young minds.