Ken Robinson
Full Name and Common Aliases
Sir Kenneth Robinson, commonly known as Ken Robinson, was a visionary in the field of education and creativity. His insights into human potential and the education system have left a lasting impact on educators, students, and creative thinkers worldwide.
Birth and Death Dates
Ken Robinson was born on March 4, 1950, in Liverpool, England, and passed away on August 21, 2020. His life spanned seven decades, during which he profoundly influenced the way we think about education and creativity.
Nationality and Profession(s)
Ken Robinson was a British national. He was a renowned author, speaker, and international advisor on education. His work primarily focused on the importance of creativity in education and the need for a radical overhaul of the current educational systems.
Early Life and Background
Ken Robinson grew up in a working-class family in Liverpool, the eighth of seven siblings. His early life was marked by a bout with polio at the age of four, which left him with a permanent disability. Despite this challenge, Robinson excelled academically and went on to study English and drama at the University of Leeds. He later earned a Ph.D. from the University of London, where he focused on drama and theatre in education. His early experiences with the arts and education laid the foundation for his lifelong advocacy for creativity in learning.
Major Accomplishments
Ken Robinson's career was marked by numerous accomplishments that highlighted his commitment to transforming education. He was knighted in 2003 for his services to the arts, a testament to his influence and dedication. Robinson served as the director of The Arts in Schools Project, a UK initiative to develop arts education throughout the country. He also chaired the British government's 1998 advisory committee on creative and cultural education, which produced the influential report, "All Our Futures: Creativity, Culture, and Education."
Notable Works or Actions
Robinson authored several books that have become seminal texts in the field of education and creativity. His most famous work, "The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything," explores the intersection of natural talent and personal passion. Another notable book, "Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That’s Transforming Education," offers a compelling argument for a more personalized and creative approach to education. Robinson's TED Talk, "Do Schools Kill Creativity?", is one of the most viewed TED Talks of all time, with millions of views worldwide. In it, he humorously and insightfully critiques the current education system and advocates for nurturing creativity.
Impact and Legacy
Ken Robinson's impact on education and creativity is profound and enduring. His ideas have sparked a global conversation about the need to rethink traditional education models. Robinson argued that the current system stifles creativity and fails to prepare students for the challenges of the modern world. His advocacy for a more personalized, student-centered approach to learning has inspired educators and policymakers to explore innovative educational practices. Robinson's legacy lives on through the countless educators, students, and thinkers who continue to be inspired by his vision for a more creative and inclusive education system.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Ken Robinson is widely quoted and remembered for his ability to articulate complex ideas about education and creativity in an accessible and engaging manner. His insights into the importance of nurturing creativity in children and adults alike have resonated with audiences around the world. Robinson's humor, wit, and profound understanding of human potential have made his talks and writings enduringly popular. His quotes often emphasize the need for educational reform, the value of creativity, and the importance of finding one's passion. As a result, Ken Robinson remains a beloved and influential figure in the ongoing conversation about how to best educate future generations.
Quotes by Ken Robinson
Ken Robinson's insights on:
All children start their school careers with sparkling imaginations, fertile minds, and a willingness to take risks with what they think.
Many highly talented, brilliant, creative people think they're not - because the thing they were good at at school wasn't valued, or was actually stigmatized.
Human resources are like natural resources; they're often buried deep. You have to go looking for them; they're not just lying around on the surface.
As Joseph Campbell says, if you move in the direction of your passions, opportunities tend to appear that you couldn’t have imagined and that weren’t otherwise there.
Dr. Henry Lodge, coauthor of Younger Next Year, makes the point sharply. “It turns out,” he says, “that 70% of American aging is not real aging. It’s just decay. It’s rot from the stuff that we do.
What Einstein seemed to understand is that intellectual growth and creativity come through embracing the dynamic nature of intelligence. Growth comes through analogy, through seeing how things connect rather than only seeing how they might be different.
I like university professors, but you know, we shouldn’t hold them up as the high-water mark of all human achievement. They’re just a form of life, another form of life.
My life, like yours, is a constant process of improvisation between my interests and personality on the one hand and circumstances and opportunities on the other.
Communication is not only about words and numbers. Some thoughts can’t be properly expressed in these ways at all. We also think in sounds and images, in movement and gesture, which gives rise to our capacities for music, visual arts, dance, and theater in all their variations.
Creativity is a step beyond imagination because it requires that you actually do something rather than lie around thinking about it.