Fast food restaurants have very rigorous standards which get applied to the The author defines "The Element" as the thing you are both passionate about doing and good at doing. Fast food restaurants have very rigorous standards which get applied to the letter. The results are predictable but don't lead to excellence. The other option is the Michelin Guide, which defines standards more broadly and leaves it up to each restaurant to interepret them.
THey are evaluated by experts based on Michelin criteria. In education, programs like No Child Left Behind are held to a fast food standard, but the author argues a Michelin approach would serve us better.
View 1 comment. Jan 03, Deirdre Keating marked it as to-read. I don't really need to read a whole book on finding the crosspoint between passion and talent, but this is the quote that got me: p. But there and plenty of poor schools with shelves of curriculum standards and reams of standardized tests. The fact is that given the challenges we face, I don't really need to read a whole book on finding the crosspoint between passion and talent, but this is the quote that got me: p.
The key to this transformation is not to standardize education but to personalize it, to build achievement on discovering the individual talents of each child, to put students in an environment where they want to learn and where they can naturally discover their true passions.
If he can convince non-believers of that, then this book will be gold. I actually had Aidan's teacher 2nd grade tell me that since he's already so good at art, she doesn't want him to have the role of "artist" in his small group but instead to focus on his spelling. I know her intentions are goodshe's aiming for well-rounded students.
I just wish elementary teachers could spend time with "well-rounded" passionless high school students and realize their role in killing enthusiasm for learning. No one wants to do that, especially not teachers, but so often we do just that. He makes so much sense, by emphasising the need for education to be adapted to each individual, and pointing out that intelligence can manifest itself in a multitude of ways.
He asked people in the audience to say how creative they are; usually they underrated themselves. This tends to distort intelligence and reduce creativity. Sir Ken uses many good examples to show the variety of intelligence and creativity. Despite narrowness and homogeneity in our education systems, a number of diverse individuals have led outstanding lives replete with achievements, even though their talent, skills and potential failed to be recognised in their schooling.
However, the concept rings slightly hollow. There seems to be no added quality or characteristic which could distinguish the term from ones which already exist.
This is a shame because this construct - if we could all find 'the element' we could be happy and fulfilled, is valid, but perhaps more valid when expressed in conventional terms.
Perhaps I was looking for a silver bullet - to find out what makes me fulfilled and happy. Well no such bullet exists and Sir Ken probably knows that. I know that reading and writing and sharing my views with others puts me in a happy place. Elementary, my dear Watson… View all 3 comments. May 10, Wesjackson07 rated it really liked it. An amazing book.
I first discovered Ken Robinson via Ted Talks and was absolutely captivated by his speech, primarily because he spoke to something I've always believed was true but had never heard articulated so well. The specific chord that resonated for me was that schools are failing our students because of the hierarchy established in school subjects and how schools are only assessing certain types of intelligence.
So many children are being told they're not bright or talented if their inte An amazing book. So many children are being told they're not bright or talented if their interests and gifts fall outside the realm of the valued subjects of math, science, or English. In many ways it can be viewed as a Self-Help book, one that aims at helping the reader find and explore their passions. However, Ken Robinson hits readers with good level of psychological and educational research, along with some great philosophy, which makes this book feel more grounded in truth than some typical self-help fluff.
The book also includes great case studies of people who have found "The Element", celebrity and non-celebrity alike, and what their journey has been like.
These case studies really give some practical life application for the principles Robinson talks about. In helping readers find the calling for their lives, he asks not "How creative are you? He challenges the reader to do some digging and some turning inward to determine what sort of activities, passions, pursuits they really connect with and encourages the pursuit of those things inside or outside of a career.
He argues quite well that we are all talented and creative in our own way. I recently heard a commencement speech by Steve Jobs where he said the only way to do great work is to love the work you're doing. That's really at the heart of Robinson's book and I enjoyed every minute of it. Aug 18, Hans rated it did not like it. There are some sensible ideas: too many people give up on doing things better, testing had it's downsides, kids should be taught more music and art, and similar homilies.
It's great to have such opinions, but these don't yet make an argument. Instead of offering such a substantiated argument, Robinson relies on anecdotes of his kids doing homework, or of some famous people that he talked to.
No sane person should take such writings seriously, and if anything illustrates the perilous situation of our schools it is that so many people give any credence to such slapdashary. What's most irking is just how pompous Robinson is, and how dismissive of alternative approaches, as if we didn't already have far too many people with underexamined convictions. Again, the basic sentiments are laudable but this is an awful and pernicious book.
For good reading on education, turn to Paul Tough and other similar writers. For some of the background science, Steven Pinker writes lucidly and accessibly. Jul 25, Betsy rated it really liked it. I have a great respect for Ken Robinson's opinions, especially as an educator. His opinions and theories that schools are partly responsible for the decline in human creativity are opinions shared by many.
I appreciate that he does not blame teachers for this decline, but rather how schools are currently set up and functioning. If one spends any extended period of time talking with public school education teachers, the majority will talk about their distaste for the negative effects of testing o I have a great respect for Ken Robinson's opinions, especially as an educator. If one spends any extended period of time talking with public school education teachers, the majority will talk about their distaste for the negative effects of testing on their children and in their classrooms.
It's stealing the joy not only from the students, but from the teachers as well. Education reform is desperately needed; re-form as in the actual definition of "making improvements or amendments to what is wrong".
I wish Robinson went into more details as far as how to implement these reforms. I felt like this book needed a few more chapters on HOW to fix the problems, rather than the myriad of chapters and examples of WHAT the problem is.
I also felt like he ignored how adults should go about finding their passion. What if there are several things that make people happy? What if you are in the middle of nowhere without access to classes to explore interests, or are too poor to explore the options nearby? What if you have a more than full time job, or multiple jobs, or have kids?
Exploring more into how people can find their passion is a whole other book, and part of that is going to just be the responsibility of the person themselves, but I still felt that more could have been expanded on in this book. I also felt that Robinson ignored the aspects of luck and hard work are necessary to find success in these fields. I appreciated Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers for delving into how working hard gets you prepared for when luck arrives and appreciated Angela Duckworth's book Fostering Grit for uncovering how perseverance when the going gets tough is what makes good great.
Overall, this was a great read and is a great conversation starter. I would look forward to reading more about this subject, especially in terms of how to solve the creativity crisis in our education system and how to help the next generation navigate their way through the many paths that are available to them. So, I guess, thanks for coming to my TED talk lol] Apr 20, Craig rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Everyone!
Shelves: personal-transformation , social-profit. Although "The Element" was authored by Ken Robinson, this is the book I've been writing for the past ten years.
For a long time, I've been arguing that passion is a bridge between our unique human potential and our social responsibility. I begin almost every workshop, speech, and lecture by asking my participants to talk about one of their personal or professional passions. Eyes light up and the temperature in the room rises as people connect to what Robinson would call "their element.
His writing is like a having a coach in the pages of the book. I wasn't surprised, in fact, I was waiting for his discussion of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's "flow state," a concept I've been including as one of the key ingredients for social profit sustainability in my recent talks.
I liked the book a great deal. It made me think. It helped me realize how lucky I am to be among the very few who get to do what they really love; and it reminded me of my responsibility in helping others to uncover their own path—their own element. Mar 12, Austin rated it liked it. For us dreamers, books like The Element are thoroughly enjoyable because it encourages us to continue doing what we do best..
However this book is not exclusive; it does not have a specific target market and therefore would be readable for people from all walks of life. Outside of reminding myself to be constantly looking for ways to engage my passions, this book changed the way I think about certain things such as intelligence, creativity, and believe it or not, the education system.
The For us dreamers, books like The Element are thoroughly enjoyable because it encourages us to continue doing what we do best.. The author does a wonderful job of pairing the importance of discovering what we do very well with how that discovery can lead to personal growth and benefit those in our sphere of influence.
Although challenging, it is not full of idealistic and unattainable concepts which is refreshing. I would especially recommend this book to those individuals that feel like they are not doing something meaningful or for those that feel unsure about what steps to take next in this journey we call life. If anything it will make you think, which is usually always a good thing. Aug 03, Arturo rated it it was ok.
I really like Ken Robinson. I feel that he is a very insightful thinker into changing education paradigms in fact, if you youtube "changing education paradigms, ken robinson" a very excellent video of one of his speeches comes up.
I love hearing his talks. They tend to be very enlightening, concise and entertaining. Unfortunately, this book wasn't much of either of those. I felt that while some of the examples he gave were useful to help readers see how other people have reached their element, I really like Ken Robinson.
I felt that while some of the examples he gave were useful to help readers see how other people have reached their element, the fact that there were so many meant you had to trudge through example after example to get to the good stuff. If you've got an empty afternoon, I think its worth giving it a short glance. I can see how it could be just what some people need to hear. If not, I wouldn't kill myself over missing out.
I checked this out of the library because I was looking for interesting audiobooks and the name caught my eye. It wasn't until I started listening that I recognized the author from a TED talk he had given a few years back- If you haven't seen it, look it up. It is absolutely worth the 20 minutes. I found this book to be inspirational, entertaining, and intimidating- all at the same time. Robinson is a good storyteller, and the book is chock full of interesting anecdotes of both famous and not-s I checked this out of the library because I was looking for interesting audiobooks and the name caught my eye.
Robinson is a good storyteller, and the book is chock full of interesting anecdotes of both famous and not-so-famous people who lived happy lives because they found their element. What is the element? Robinson says: "The element is the point at which natural talent meets personal passion.
Robinson tells many stories of famous folk who are famous mostly because they found their passion early and were able to follow where that passion led. He answered this question by many tales of not-so-famous folk, folk who discovered the element late in life, or who do work other than their passion to pay the bills.
These people were particularly interesting, as it was very clear that the fact that they invested energy into their passion helped them with the other work in their lives that they were not quite so passionate about.
As an educator, he really stressed the importance of discovering and nurturing these passions in our youth. He points out that the jobs of the future may not have even been invented yet, and that teaching kids a set of facts will not necessarily prepare them for this unknown future.
Rather, fostering innovation, creativity, and collaboration can help them be ready for whatever the future brings. I enjoyed this book as an audiobook. Robinson reads it himself, and his British accent made the stories all the more enjoyable. Jul 30, Wayne Osborn rated it it was amazing. I loved this book. I was particularly touched by the various stories that are told in which people have struggled with academics in school, and yet found their passion and became wildly successful.
Gillian Lynne was a bundle of energy in second grade, and couldn't sit still or pay attention in class. Her teachers were sure there was something wrong with her this occurred in the pre-ADD days and urged her parents to take her to a psychologist.
After interviewing her, the psychologist became con I loved this book. After interviewing her, the psychologist became convinced that there was nothing "wrong" with her, she was just a dancer, and needed to be in dance school. Her mother signed her up, and soon Gillian was taking ten dance classes a week. Guess what? She grew up to be a very famous and accomplished professional dancer and choreographer, dancing professionally all over the world with the Royal Ballet Company based out of London.
Later in life, she also collaborated with a fellow named Andrew Lloyd Webber and helped to create a couple of very successful musicals you might have heard of: Cats and The Phantom of the Opera. All of this happened because someone recognized that she had a talent for dancing. I'm wondering that if in today's day and age, where sadly the arts are not valued in our schools, if she'd would have just been medicated in order to "calm her down", and her gift for dancing and choreography would have gone unnoticed.
Sadly, creativity and innovation are traits that our school systems seemingly don't value at all. There are many, many other examples given in this fabulous book that point out the magic of "finding your element", which means finding the thing that you are meant to do.
Sir Kenneth Robinson says that "the Element is the place where the things we love to do and the things we are good at come together. If you are an educator, you might want to read this book twice. I think I will.
Apr 17, Kerfe rated it liked it Shelves: non-fiction. I liked it so much that I wanted to learn more, and found out about his books on his website. We learn about many people and how they overcame adversity to find, and become successful and well-known, for doing what they love. Which is fine. Robinson makes it sound like all you need to do is discover what you love and you'll reach this zone where everything falls into place--mentors and opportunities, fame and fortune.
It's actually kind of depressing, like "what's wrong with me? Well then, he says: do it in your "spare time" and the drudgery you perform for 40 or 60 hours a week will become easier and more satisfying. Of course you enjoy doing what you love more than most work you can get that will support you and your family. But I think he's wrong to imply that most of us can hope to do more than fit it into our lives where and when we can. In that respect, the book offers no help or insight at all. At the very end of "The Element", Robinson does talk about education, and cover the same points as he did in the video.
Here the book comes alive. Still, the video is much better, and enough. Take the time you would have spent reading this book and instead spend it doing what you love. Jul 04, Denise rated it liked it. Ken Robinson gave a lot of interesting stories and anecdotes in this book, but for some reason it fell flat for me in terms of igniting inspiration and sparking new motivation and thought. I enjoyed this book, but I was hoping for more. There were many times it brought up good questions to invite you to ponder on different aspects of what you want out of life however my favorite being "HOW are you intelligent?
He then goes on to talk more about divergent thinking and how you can only inspire Ken Robinson gave a lot of interesting stories and anecdotes in this book, but for some reason it fell flat for me in terms of igniting inspiration and sparking new motivation and thought. He then goes on to talk more about divergent thinking and how you can only inspire others if you yourself are working from inspired action in a field that flows with how you are wired.. However there were a lot of extra things added that continuously made me think where is this going?
I respect Sir Ken Robinson and his message. However, i unfortunately, felt that if you listened to the TED talk, you did not need to read the book. Sep 01, Par- rated it did not like it. I assume lots of its viewers decided to read this book too. I had high hopes of him and even scheduled a plan to read the other book that he published after this one, "Finding Your Element".
But the reality was different than what I thought about this book and I got more frustrated as I went through this book, again and again. The plot is repetitive in each chapter: you'll read about some rare situations and stories of people who found their "Element" and it changed their lives.
There are pure toxic suggestions about "find your passion" things and completely ignoring the fact that without others factors, privileges, chances and what-I-can't-see-now things in the whole process this so-called miraculous turn wouldn't happen.
There was a point that I couldn't continue reading and decided to end this nonsense: Robinson was trying to show with pictures that how little The Earth actually, we humans is, in comparison to all of these galaxies and stars in them.
Then, like these awful therapist and old guys who try to give some wisdom, continued with «I mean, really, whatever you woke up worrying about this morning, get over it. How important in the greater scheme of things can it possibly be? Make your own peace and move on. To be honest, I was reluctant, even from the beginning, to start a book that want to talk about the importance of "The Element", but I was telling myself that you shouldn't judge it by its name and I was TOTALLY wrong.
I will definitely recommend this book to science, mathematics lovers. Your Rating:. Your Comment:. Read Online Download. Great book, Euclids Elements pdf is enough to raise the goose bumps alone.
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This is probably the coolest application I have ever downloaded for educational purposes, there are great discriptions of each element and the pictures are very high quality.
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