College of Art and Design

Assignment # 2
Title: TED Talk Analysis

Submitted to: Ma’am Nadia Majid

Submitted by: Aiman Irfan
Ujala Rashid
Ubaida Ghazanfar
Ume Habiba
 Nida Fatima
Sidra Abdul Sattar
Usama Amir
Bilal Saeed
Malaika Riaz
Ilham Waqar
Anoosh khan
Muhammad Waqas
Date: 21-10-2020
Department: Painting (Replica)

Do schools kill creativity?

TED talk Analysis
The speaker of “Do Schools Kills Creativity?” is Sir Ken Robinson, he was a British
author and speaker. In this TED talk, he talks about the gaps in our educational
system, the importance of creativity, and the multiple types of intelligence that
should be considered. The speaker highlights the importance of creativity and a
radical rethink of our school system. He also explains that because our society
stigmatizes mistakes, we become less willing and less able to produce original
content, in fear of failure and non-acceptance.
The purpose of the speaker to choose this topic was to highlight the fact that human
creativity is being suffocated by education systems and societal expectations. The
point that the speaker wants to make is that our educational system is built to meet
the needs of industrialism. It is based on two main points. First, the value of a person
for the system, “the most useful subjects (that educational systems think will help us
succeed) for work are at the top” and those subjects which according to “19th
century designed system” doesn’t help in practical life are far below in the
hierarchy. Due to this system, it would not be an easy option to opt for the creative
field. The result of an education focused on the children’s heads rather than their
bodies leads to a system whose ultimate goal is to form university professors.
Secondly, it is based on an individual’s “academic ability”; since, by many,
intelligence is linked with scoring higher marks in your academics. We have a
limited view of intelligence due to which many highly-talented, brilliant people who
do not fit in the system do not realize what they are capable of achieving. Their
goals and talents just are not aligned with the rat race that everyone has become a
part of. This TED teaches the value of creativity that it is as important as literacy.
Human functionality should not be limited to just one side of their brain. Also, teach
that everyone is talented and should not afraid to be wrong. Mistakes should not be
stigmatized rather should be seen as part of the learning process. Thus, “if you are
not prepared, to be wrong, you will never come up with something original”. It was
impactful that the speaker raised awareness on the fact that children who start school
now will retire approximately in 2065. Therefore, it would be a teacher’s function to
educate them concerning the unpredictability of future events. The speaker appeals
to all of us to see “our creative capacities for the richness they are” and to help build
an educational system that supports rather than undermines creativity.

Opinion
The speaker was very much successful in making his point. We want to add that
rather than thinking about creativity as something that can be taught as a generic
skill or taught only in the ‘creative subjects’ that schools should use it for reviewing
the depth of the curriculum offered in each discipline or subject. It means ensuring
that all subjects are taught cognitively. So rather than teaching history “as if it is
about facts and dates, it should be taught, by involving and understanding causes,
effects, and bias in historical sources. Therefore, instead of killing creativity, schools
need to start cultivating it by providing the foundations that young people need to be
creative. The benefit of our schools to educate us in a more versatile and creative
manner is that most of us will be able to reach and explore our full potential. There
will be a large number of opportunities presented to us that will ultimately lead us
towards a better lifestyle. If the maximum number of children has the chance of
unlocking their creative potential, there will be high chances of them introducing
something new to the world and their success. We found the whole talk very
interesting and relatable. All the education systems are educating us for professions
that might not even exist in the future. In the next years, more people will be
graduating through education than ever before. Technological progress might
substitute jobs that are performed by humans. Due to the increase in population,
there will be a large number of people opting for the same job position, which will
lead to devaluation of the degrees and subsiding in job perspectives. That’s why it is
time for concerned authorities to revolutionize the education system.