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Jordan Reeves

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What's one thing you wish you had learned in school?

Maybe it's not your traditional math, science, social studies, or arts and humanities class--maybe it's something different. If you could learn one lesson in school, what would it be?

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Topics: education learning school teaching
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  • Hays Hutchinson

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    Nov 27 2011: i think a lot of these very valid comments here just highlight what Ken Robinson is saying, school for people who are older now (like us) wasn't teaching us what we needed in terms of educating us to survive in a changing society - and it is even more so for children coming into the system right now. As he said it was designed for an Industrial Society and taugh things important to THAT society, it is very much different now and will be more so in the future - how many children have to be downtrodden and marginilized or medicated because they dont fit the mold and will never fit the mold because they are exposed to more and more things that children in the past never were and have a totally different view on life ? i have to say i think Ken Robinson is the way forward :-)
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      Jordan Reeves 50+

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      TED StaffTED AttendeeAssociate
      Nov 29 2011: I agree. Do you have any ideas for experts that can make a "Ken Robinson" kind of difference? What lessons would you recommend they teach that would move our education system from one that favors an industrial society?

      • Hays Hutchinson

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        Nov 30 2011: Jordan, i wish i was informed enough on this subject to give you an answer, its an area i have never really thought about until i stumbelled on Ken Robinson a few weeks ago and what he was saying has really made me think about it in a different light. Some of the things the guys here have been saying could be agreed by the vast majority of us i think. I was looking into Finlands outstanding education system and results and intend to learn a lot more about this and about the attitude of those in authority there, to work off a model that has already proven itself is far easier than designing the whole model. As for how we change a whole education system that has been set in stone for a long time i have no idea, I'm sure someone somewhere must be trying to make an impact with this and i do intend to make it my business to find out :-)
        Personally i would have liked to have lessons that were purely to talk about whatever you wanted to know about, wether it be a concerning current event or family issues or anything that could then be followed up by the teacher with answers to ours, as teenagers, real concerns and worries. i think it would be an idea to have these today also, education should be applicable to the area and the times, it should be about learning and growing not just about learning parrot fashion although we all agree there are certain areas that are essential. The reasons i was given as a kid is that its the way it is because it prepares you for work when your older, so it prepares you to go and do something you loath everyday to make money - not the best reference :-)

    • sam zhang

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      Nov 30 2011: I have to say it is small world.So many places in the world will face the same problem is that inflexible education system. Students just followed what the teacher told and didn't think too much about their own desire.Here,students are taught many goals to reach and do not know what to do in society and confused to find a job to feed themselves then their family.
      People learn a lot from school then lost a lot from school.Whatever,there is still someone has his own thinking and reach his woderfull life.Finally, what is right and what is wrong,who can tell.

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