TEDx London: Exploring a revolution in Education

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending a conference on the future of education in Britain. It was an independently organised event arranged by TEDx London- a branch of the TED Talks network.

TED Talks is a platform that invites speakers from various fields and professions to share innovative ideas, and since the talks started being streamed online their popularity has been phenomenal.

The Current State of Education

The event was inspired by a famous TED Talk by Sir Ken Robinson in 2010, where he called for an ‘education revolution' and the need for educational institutions to fundamentally change the way they operate.

At the talk, participants were presented with three areas of discussion, and firstly, responding to Ken's analysis of education, speakers looked at education's current state.

Various speakers shared their views on how education fails to engage young people due to the curriculum's lack of relevance and the rigidness of educational models that are currently being used.

An eloquent address by 14 year-old student Georgia Allis Mills described how the education system needs to adapt to the mind state of young people today, whilst artist Goldie shared his thoughts on how education fails to prepare students for the ‘real world'.

What's Right?

Whilst one could point out the problems with education all day long, this wasn't the purpose of the event, and every opportunity was given to the participants to collaborate on future projects.

Inspiration was hard to avoid in the second session as the talks focused on looking at what was ‘right' about education. Nick Stanhope shared how an intimate personal story that connected him to his own personal history led to an online historical mapping project which has now reached thousands and is making the past much more accessible within schools.

A lot of the examples showed how technology can be used to add a new dimension to learning, both inside and outside the classroom. Sophie Bosworth had a much more practical example with her foundation which proves vocational learning can be just as vital as traditional academia.

What's Next?

Giving a broad vision of how the education revolution may play out was the theme of the final segment of the talks, and what followed was a spectacle of remarkable insights and mighty goals.

Innovations ranged from iPad apps that fuse the arts with learning, to cutting-edge businesses which take their research findings and share them with the world of education.

The British inventor Emily Cummins gave a poignant talk in which she attributed her success in design to her grandfather's efforts to instil creativity into her from a young age. Her successes are testament to what young people can achieve when exposed to the right learning environment and nurtured by suitable role models.

A Televised Revolution?

Certainly for all those who attended the talks provided plenty of ideas to reflect on. Educators and those who shape policy had plenty to give and gain from the discourse that the Tedx London conference awakened.

Of course there are questions that will arise- what exactly is this revolution? And what structure will it take? However, ultimately this is for individuals to contemplate with their respective communities and educational institutions. The large scale ideas presented throughout the day have to be adapted to the unique circumstances of each classroom or lecture hall.

Artistic director Jude Kelly summed the day up by calling for ‘creativity at the heart of learning for everyone'- an idea emblematic of a revolution in education where innovation will be key. This process, according to Ken Robinson, will hopefully go beyond reform itself, testing all those involved, and have a long lasting impact upon future generations.

What's your opinion on the future of education? Discuss below, or send me a tweet @shinshinuk.

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