Ken Robinson answers questions sent to him via Twitter.
Category: Education
Snow Days and Disruption: An open letter to families
Dear PDS Families: A few lines (with minor edits) from division in-boxes and my twitter feed: Student: I just wanted to say how I’ve never been so productive or so academically aware on a Snow day. I’ve been working all day today and yesterday making up work for the D day and other classes. I feel home schooled. I miss school. 🙁 Faculty: Just…
“Knowledge not purchased by the loss of power!”
Children: How will they ever know who they are? The question is the last line of “The Things we Steal from Children” by Dr. John Edwards. You can read the whole below. I found it via Leading and Learning – a blog and website from New Zealand that I have long found valuable. In a different time and context William …
Hardwired to be good: Altruism and evolution
In contrast to Hobbes’ view in Leviathan that we are destined to lives that are “… solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short”, Dr. Dacher Keltner of the UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center presents the case that we are – in the words of the title of his recent book – “born to be good”. The Evolutionary Benefits of Altruism…
How to Read a Report Card
PDS student reports are not just a list of untethered numbers and letters but rather in-depth narratives that convey detailed and helpful information about emerging strengths, accomplishments, challenges, growth and progress. They are part of the on-going conversation between school and home with the student as participant, contributor, planner and goal-setter. Nevertheless – here is some helpful advice for how…
A Culture of Testing
Seth Godin wrote about the culture of testing, Netflix and what is untestable. You can read it here. I have rewritten it. I hope he doesn’t mind. A Culture of Testing Many schools test everything. They’re very proud that they put out the sign that the next four days are test days and they are proud of their grades, GPA’s,…
Snow Day – A Gift of Time
A snow day is a gift of time for play, independent work and keeping connected in the ways that make sense for the work you want to do. When there’s a chance of a snow day everyone gets excited. And for all kinds of reasons. For many it is the potential for some good play time – a chance to…
No More Snow Days
School is closed tomorrow – Wednesday – because of the impending storm. In anticipation, middle school director George Swain spoke to the students at lunch about how to make best use of the day. (It included plenty of time for play and being outdoors if that is possible.) And this is from the letter he wrote to parents: Dear Middle…
NPR and Me
Just before the break there was a message on the head’s listserve from Myra McGovern of NAIS. NPR journalist Tovia Smith was working on a story about what schools are doing to relieve the growing pressures and stresses on students and was looking for input. This happens to be a topic close to my heart. Growing up, being a teenager,…
Chance of Snow
Are we having a snow day tomorrow? Is school going to be closed because of the snow? What are the chances of no school tomorrow? When snow is forecast the day is punctuated with the buzz of questions like these. I love the assumption that, as head of school, I can somehow predict the future and control the weather. While…
Motivation with Cushman, Pink, Kohn and Schrute
Two of my favorite education videos in 2010 have to do with motivation. In this first one, Stanley schools Dwight in “The Office” with commentary from Alfie Kohn. And in this one, those wonderful animators at the RSA deliver the message from Daniel Pink’s Drive: the Surprising Truth about what Motivates Us. And now Laura Graceffa has suggested a book…
Tweet your Lunch
I check my Twitter feed first thing. It’s an early morning routine that helps give me a quick scan of the world and of the edusphere in particular. Today, President Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger-free Kids Act into law. Child nutrition and school lunch are hot topics and the PBS NewsHour has taken notice. I follow the NewsHour so I…
Social Media and School Leadership
Lorrie Jackson recently interviewed me via email on the topic of heads of school and their use of social media. Her questions and my answers (slightly tidied up) are below. You can read her interviews with several heads of school here. 1. Why should heads of school be involved in social media? As the institution’s leader, school heads need to…
The Five-Step Solution
So here – as promised – the Ned Hallowell five-step solution for happiness and all that ails us including schools and schooling. And as presented at Mohonk on Friday it was a welcome antidote to the one-size-fits-all formula of more of the same that has failed us for decades. It is always good to be skeptical of anyone who claims…
The Spreadsheet Solution
The NYSAIS heads conference is always valuable and 2010 was no exception. I usually hear NAIS president Pat Bassett in a mega ballroom with all the flashing lights and hoopla of the annual conference. It was good to hear him in the more intimate setting of the dining room at Mohonk. His talk – top trends to look out for…