ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Ken Robinson - Author/educator
Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we're educating our children. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence.

Why you should listen

Why don't we get the best out of people? Sir Ken Robinson argues that it's because we've been educated to become good workers, rather than creative thinkers. Students with restless minds and bodies -- far from being cultivated for their energy and curiosity -- are ignored or even stigmatized, with terrible consequences. "We are educating people out of their creativity," Robinson says. It's a message with deep resonance. Robinson's TED Talk has been distributed widely around the Web since its release in June 2006. The most popular words framing blog posts on his talk? "Everyone should watch this."

A visionary cultural leader, Sir Ken led the British government's 1998 advisory committee on creative and cultural education, a massive inquiry into the significance of creativity in the educational system and the economy, and was knighted in 2003 for his achievements. His 2009 book, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, is a New York Times bestseller and has been translated into 21 languages. A 10th anniversary edition of his classic work on creativity and innovation, Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative, was published in 2011. His 2013 book, Finding Your Element: How to Discover Your Talents and Passions and Transform Your Life, is a practical guide that answers questions about finding your personal Element. In his latest book, Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That’s Transforming Education, he argues for an end to our outmoded industrial educational system and proposes a highly personalized, organic approach that draws on today’s unprecedented technological and professional resources to engage all students.

More profile about the speaker
Ken Robinson | Speaker | TED.com
TED Talks Education

Sir Ken Robinson: How to escape education's death valley

Ken Robinson: Como fuxir do Val da Morte educativo

Filmed:
9,881,283 views

Sir Ken Robinson salienta tres principios cruciais para o florecemento da mente humana e a forma en que a cultura educativa actual se enfronta a eles. Nunha charla divertida e emocionante explícanos como fuxir do "val da morte" educativo ao que agora nos enfrontamos. e como nutrir as nosas xeracións máis mozas cun clima de posibilidades.
- Author/educator
Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we're educating our children. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:13
Thank you very much.
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Moitas grazas.
00:17
I moved to America 12 years ago
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Mudeime aos EE. UU. hai 12 anos coa miña
muller Terry e os nosos dous cativos.
00:19
with my wife Terry and our two kids.
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00:21
Actually, truthfully, we moved to Los Angeles -- (Laughter) --
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En realidade, sinceiramente,
mudámonos a Los Ángeles...
(Risas)
00:27
thinking we were moving to America,
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pensando que nos iamos aos EE. UU.,
pero vaia...
00:29
but anyway, it's a short plane ride from Los Angeles
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(Risas)
É un voo curto dende
Los Ángeles aos EE. UU.
00:35
to America.
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(Risas)
00:38
I got here 12 years ago,
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Cheguei aquí hai 12 anos,
00:41
and when I got here, I was told various things,
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e cando cheguei,
dixéronme varias cousas,
00:44
like, "Americans don't get irony."
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como, "os americanos non collen a ironía."
(Risas)
00:50
Have you come across this idea?
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Cadrouvos de escoitar isto?
Isto non é certo.
00:53
It's not true. I've traveled the whole length and breadth of this country.
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Teño viaxado ao largo
e longo deste país.
00:56
I have found no evidence that Americans don't get irony.
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Non atopei probas de que os
americanos non collan a ironía.
00:59
It's one of those cultural myths,
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É un deses mitos culturais,
01:02
like, "The British are reserved."
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como, "os británicos son reservados."
(Risas)
01:06
I don't know why people think this.
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Non sei por que a xente pensa iso.
01:08
We've invaded every country we've encountered.
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Temos invadido cada país
que atopamos.
01:10
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
01:14
But it's not true Americans don't get irony,
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Pero non é certo cos americanos
non collen a ironía,
01:17
but I just want you to know that that's what people
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pero eu só quero que saibades que a xente
01:19
are saying about you behind your back.
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anda a dicir iso ás vosas costas.
01:21
You know, so when you leave living rooms in Europe,
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Así que cando saídes
das salas de estar en Europa,
01:24
people say, thankfully, nobody was ironic in your presence.
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a xente di, menos mal que ninguén
foi irónico diante deles.
(Risas)
01:28
But I knew that Americans get irony
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Pero eu sabía
que os americanos collían a ironía
01:31
when I came across that legislation No Child Left Behind.
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cando souben daquela lei,
"Ningún Neno Deixado de Lado"
(Risas)
01:37
Because whoever thought of that title gets irony,
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Porque quen pensou nese título
colle a ironía.
(Risas)
01:42
don't they, because --
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Ou non?
01:44
(Laughter) (Applause) —
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(Aplausos)
01:49
because it's leaving millions of children behind.
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Porque se están a deixar
millóns de nenos de lado.
01:53
Now I can see that's not a very attractive name for legislation:
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Ben vexo que non é un nome
moi atractivo para unha lei:
01:56
Millions of Children Left Behind. I can see that.
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"Millóns de Nenos Deixados de Lado".
Ben o vexo.
02:00
What's the plan? Well, we propose
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Cal é o plan?
02:01
to leave millions of children behind,
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Propoñemos deixar millóns
de nenos de lado,
02:03
and here's how it's going to work.
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e así é como isto vai funcionar.
02:05
And it's working beautifully.
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E está a funcionar de marabilla.
(Risas)
02:08
In some parts of the country,
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Nalgunhas partes do país,
02:09
60 percent of kids drop out of high school.
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o 60 por cento dos rapaces abandonan
o instituto.
Nas comunidades de nativos americanos,
02:13
In the Native American communities,
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02:15
it's 80 percent of kids.
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son o 80 por cento.
02:17
If we halved that number, one estimate is
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Se reduciramos ese número á metade,
estímase que, nuns 10 anos, crearíase
unha ganancia neta
02:21
it would create a net gain to the U.S. economy
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02:26
over 10 years of nearly a trillion dollars.
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para a economía dos EE. UU.
de preto dun billón de dólares.
02:30
From an economic point of view,
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Dende un punto de vista económico,
02:32
this is good math, isn't it, that we should do this?
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isto son boas contas, non si?
e deberiámolas aplicar?
02:35
It actually costs an enormous amount
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Realmente costa unha enorme cantidade
02:38
to mop up the damage from the dropout crisis.
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arranxar os danos causados
pola crise do abandono.
02:42
But the dropout crisis is just the tip of an iceberg.
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Pero a crise do abandono
é só a punta do iceberg.
02:46
What it doesn't count are all the kids who are in school
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Porque non se contan todos os rapaces
que están na escola
02:48
but being disengaged from it, who don't enjoy it,
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pero sen implicarse nela,
sen desfrutala,
sen tirar dela beneficio ningún.
02:52
who don't get any real benefit from it.
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02:55
And the reason is
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E a razón non é que non esteamos
a gastar cartos abondos.
02:56
not that we're not spending enough money.
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02:58
America spends more money on education
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Os EE. UU. gastan máis cartos en educación
ca a maioría de países.
03:00
than most other countries.
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03:02
Class sizes are smaller than in many countries.
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Os tamaños das clases son menores
ca en moitos países.
03:05
And there are hundreds of initiatives every year
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E hai centos de iniciativas cada ano
03:07
to try and improve education.
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para tentar mellorar a educación.
03:10
The trouble is, it's all going in the wrong direction.
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O problema é que todo vai
na dirección equivocada.
03:14
There are three principles
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Hai tres principios sobre os que
a vida humana florece,
03:15
on which human life flourishes,
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03:19
and they are contradicted by the culture of education
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e que están en contradición
coa cultura educativa
baixo que a maioría do profesorado
ten que traballar
03:23
under which most teachers have to labor
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03:25
and most students have to endure.
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e a maioría do estudantado
ten que soportar.
03:28
The first is this, that human beings
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O primeiro é que os seres humanos
son naturalmente distintos e diversos.
03:31
are naturally different and diverse.
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03:36
Can I ask you, how many of you
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Pódovos preguntar, cantos de vós
tedes fillos?
03:37
have got children of your own?
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03:40
Okay. Or grandchildren.
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OK, ou netos.
03:43
How about two children or more? Right.
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E cantos tedes dous fillos ou máis? Ben.
03:47
And the rest of you have seen such children.
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E os outros, tedes visto algún neno.
03:49
(Laughter)
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(Risas)
03:52
Small people wandering about.
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Xente cativa vagando por aí.
(Risas)
03:55
I will make you a bet,
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Vouvos facer unha aposta,
03:57
and I am confident that I will win the bet.
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e estou seguro de gañala.
03:59
If you've got two children or more,
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Se tendes dous fillos ou máis,
04:01
I bet you they are completely different from each other.
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apóstovos a que son completamente
distintos un do outro.
04:05
Aren't they? Aren't they? (Applause)
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A que si?
(Aplausos)
04:09
You would never confuse them, would you?
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Nunca os confundiriades, verdade?
04:12
Like, "Which one are you? Remind me.
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En plan, "Ti quen viñas sendo? Lémbramo."
(Risas)
04:16
Your mother and I are going to introduce
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"A túa nai e máis eu precisamos
cun código de cores
04:18
some color-coding system, so we don't get confused."
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para non confundirnos."
04:21
Education under No Child Left Behind
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A educación baixo
"Ningún Neno Deixado de Lado"
04:24
is based on not diversity but conformity.
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baséase na conformidade
no canto de na diversidade.
04:29
What schools are encouraged to do is to find out
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Anímase ás escolas a que descubran
04:32
what kids can do across a very narrow spectrum of achievement.
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que nenos son quen de pasar a través
dun moi estreito espectro de logros.
04:36
One of the effects of No Child Left Behind
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Un dos efectos de
"Ningún Neno Deixado de Lado"
04:39
has been to narrow the focus
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foi poñer o foco
nas chamadas disciplinas STEM.
04:41
onto the so-called STEM disciplines. They're very important.
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Son moi importantes.
Non estou aquí para discutir
a ciencia e as matemáticas.
04:44
I'm not here to argue against science and math.
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04:46
On the contrary, they're necessary but they're not sufficient.
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Ao revés, son precisas pero non abondan.
04:51
A real education has to give equal weight
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A educación real ten que
dar igual importancia
04:53
to the arts, the humanities, to physical education.
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ás artes, ás humanidades,
ou á educación física.
04:57
An awful lot of kids, sorry, thank you — (Applause) —
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Montóns de nenos, perdón, grazas...
(Aplausos)
05:04
One estimate in America currently is that
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Calcúlase que actualmente nos EE. UU.
un 10 por cento dos rapaces,
05:07
something like 10 percent of kids, getting on that way,
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dese xeito,
05:09
are being diagnosed with various conditions
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están a ser diagnosticados
de diversas patoloxías
05:14
under the broad title of attention deficit disorder.
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baixo o nome xenéricio de
"trastorno por déficit de atención".
05:18
ADHD. I'm not saying there's no such thing.
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TDAH.
Non digo que iso non exista.
05:22
I just don't believe it's an epidemic like this.
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Simplemente non creo
que haxa unha epidemia tal.
05:25
If you sit kids down, hour after hour,
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Se sentas a cativos, hora tras hora,
05:27
doing low-grade clerical work,
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facendo aburridos traballos repetitivos
05:31
don't be surprised if they start to fidget, you know?
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non te estrañes se dan en bulir, non si?
05:34
(Laughter) (Applause)
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(Risas)
(Aplausos)
05:41
Children are not, for the most part,
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A maioría dos nenos non están sufrindo
ningunha patoloxía psicolóxica.
05:44
suffering from a psychological condition.
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05:46
They're suffering from childhood. (Laughter)
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Sofren de infancia.
(Risas)
05:52
And I know this because I spent my early life
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E sei disto porque pasei a primeira
parte da miña vida como neno.
05:54
as a child. I went through the whole thing.
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Pasei por todo este asunto.
05:58
Kids prosper best with a broad curriculum
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Os nenos medran mellor cun currículo amplo
que salienta os seus variados talentos,
06:01
that celebrates their various talents,
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06:03
not just a small range of them.
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e non só un pequeno grupo deles.
06:05
And by the way, the arts aren't just important
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E, xa de paso, as artes
non son só importantes
06:07
because they improve math scores.
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porque melloren as notas en matemáticas.
06:08
They're important because they speak to parts
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Sono porque comunican con
partes do ser do neno
06:10
of children's being which are otherwise untouched.
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que senón non se tocarían.
06:14
The second, thank you — (Applause)
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O segundo, grazas...
(Aplausos)
06:20
The second principle that drives human life flourishing
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O segundo principio que dirixe
o florecemento da vida humana
06:24
is curiosity.
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é a curiosidade.
06:26
If you can light the spark of curiosity in a child,
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Se podes acender a faísca da
curiosidade nun neno,
06:29
they will learn without any further assistance, very often.
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moi a miúdo, eles aprenderán
sen máis axuda.
06:33
Children are natural learners.
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Os nenos son aprendices por natureza.
06:35
It's a real achievement to put that particular ability out,
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É un verdadeiro logro apagar
esa capacidade,
06:39
or to stifle it.
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ou contela.
06:42
Curiosity is the engine of achievement.
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A curiosidade é o motor do logro.
06:46
Now the reason I say this is because
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A razón pola que digo isto
é porque un dos efectos da cultura actual,
06:48
one of the effects of the current culture here, if I can say so,
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se podo dicir tal cousa,
06:52
has been to de-professionalize teachers.
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foi desprofesionalizar aos profesores.
06:56
There is no system in the world
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Non hai un sistema no mundo
nin ningunha escola no país
06:59
or any school in the country
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07:01
that is better than its teachers.
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que sexa mellor ca os seus profesores.
07:05
Teachers are the lifeblood of the success of schools.
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Os profesores son a alma
do éxito nas escolas.
07:09
But teaching is a creative profession.
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Pero ensinar é unha profesión creativa.
07:12
Teaching, properly conceived, is not a delivery system.
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O ensino, ben entendido,
non é un sistema de mensaxería.
07:16
You know, you're not there just to pass on received information.
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Ti non estás aí só
para pasar a información que recibiches.
07:18
Great teachers do that,
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Os grandes profesores fan iso,
07:21
but what great teachers also do is mentor,
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pero o que tamén fan os grandes
profesores é guiar,
07:24
stimulate, provoke, engage.
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estimular, provocar, implicar.
07:27
You see, in the end, education is about learning.
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Vedes, ao final,
a educación vai de aprender.
07:30
If there's no learning going on,
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Se non está habendo aprendizaxe,
non está habendo educación.
07:32
there's no education going on.
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E a xente pode pasar unha chea de tempo
07:34
And people can spend an awful lot of time
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07:35
discussing education without ever discussing learning.
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discutindo de educación
sen discutir xamais de aprendizaxe.
07:38
The whole point of education is to get people to learn.
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O obxectivo da educación
é que a xente aprenda.
07:41
A friend of mine, an old friend -- actually very old,
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Un vello amigo meu...
tan vello que xa está morto.
07:43
he's dead. (Laughter)
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(Risas)
07:47
That's as old as it gets, I'm afraid.
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Non chegas a máis vello, témome.
(Risas)
07:53
But a wonderful guy he was, wonderful philosopher.
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Pero el era un tipo marabilloso,
un marabilloso filósofo.
07:58
He used to talk about the difference between the task
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Adoitaba falar sobre a diferenza
entre os significados de tarefa e logro
dos verbos.
08:01
and achievement senses of verbs.
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08:05
You know, you can be engaged in the activity of something,
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Podes estar involucrado
nunha tarefa calquera,
08:07
but not really be achieving it,
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pero non lograla,
como con "facer dieta".
08:09
like dieting. It's a very good example, you know.
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(Risas)
É un exemplo moi bo.
Velaí. El está a facer dieta.
08:13
There he is. He's dieting. Is he losing any weight? Not really.
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Está a perder algo de peso?
En realidade non.
(Risas)
08:18
Teaching is a word like that.
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Ensinar é unha palabra igual.
08:19
You can say, "There's Deborah, she's in room 34, she's teaching."
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Podes dicir, "Esta é Deborah,
está na aula 34, está a ensinar."
08:23
But if nobody's learning anything,
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Pero se ninguén está a aprender nada,
08:25
she may be engaged in the task of teaching
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por moi implicada que estea na tarefa
de ensinar non está a cumprir con ela.
08:27
but not actually fulfilling it.
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08:30
The role of a teacher is to facilitate learning. That's it.
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O rol dun profesor é
facilitar a aprendizaxe.
Simplemente.
08:34
And part of the problem is, I think,
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E unha parte do problema é, creo eu,
08:36
that the dominant culture of education has come to focus
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que a cultura educativa dominante
deu en se centrar
08:40
on not teaching and learning, but testing.
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non en ensinar e aprender,
senón en examinar.
08:43
Now, testing is important. Standardized tests have a place.
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Ben, examinar é importante
As probas estandarizadas
teñen o seu lugar.
08:47
But they should not be the dominant culture of education.
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Pero non deberían ser a
cultura educativa dominante.
08:50
They should be diagnostic. They should help.
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Deberían ser diagnósticas.
Deberían axudar.
08:52
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
09:00
If I go for a medical examination,
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Se eu vou facer unha revisión médica,
quero certas probas estandarizadas.
09:02
I want some standardized tests. I do.
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Abofé.
09:06
You know, I want to know what my cholesterol level is
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Quero saber o meu nivel de colesterol
09:07
compared to everybody else's on a standard scale.
169
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2688
comparado co dos demais
nunha escala estándar.
09:10
I don't want to be told on some scale
170
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1438
E non quero que mo digan nunha escala
que o médico inventou no coche.
09:11
my doctor invented in the car.
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539984
3571
(Risas)
09:15
"Your cholesterol is what I call Level Orange."
172
543555
3054
"O teu colesterol está
no que eu chamo 'nivel laranxa'."
"En serio?"
09:18
"Really? Is that good?""We don't know."
173
546609
5688
(Risas)
"Iso é bó?" "Non o sabemos."
(Risas)
09:24
But all that should support learning. It shouldn't obstruct it,
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552297
5067
Pero todo iso debería
apoiar á aprendizaxe.
Non debería obstruíla,
que é o que fai a miúdo.
09:29
which of course it often does.
175
557364
1911
09:31
So in place of curiosity, what we have
176
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2166
E así, en vez dunha cultura da curiosidade
temos unha da conformidade.
09:33
is a culture of compliance.
177
561441
2534
09:35
Our children and teachers are encouraged
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2925
Anímase aos nosos nenos e profesores
a seguir algoritmos rutineiros
09:38
to follow routine algorithms
179
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2599
09:41
rather than to excite that power of imagination and curiosity.
180
569499
4338
no canto de espertar ese poder
da imaxinación e a curiosidade.
09:45
And the third principle is this:
181
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1068
E o terceiro principio é este: a vida
humana é inherentemente creativa.
09:46
that human life is inherently creative.
182
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2995
09:49
It's why we all have different résumés.
183
577900
2408
Por iso todos temos distintos currículos.
09:52
We create our lives,
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580308
1786
Creamos as nosas vidas,
09:54
and we can recreate them as we go through them.
185
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2338
e podemos recrealas ao pasarmos por elas.
09:56
It's the common currency of being a human being.
186
584432
3014
É a moeda común de ser un ser humano.
Por iso a cultura humana é
tan interesante e diversa e dinámica.
09:59
It's why human culture is so interesting and diverse
187
587446
2533
10:01
and dynamic.
188
589979
1346
10:03
I mean, other animals may well have imaginations
189
591325
3009
É probable que outros animais
teñan imaxinación e creatividade,
10:06
and creativity, but it's not so much in evidence,
190
594334
2280
pero non hai moitas probas,
non si, como con nós?
10:08
is it, as ours?
191
596614
1448
10:10
I mean, you may have a dog.
192
598062
2576
É dicir, ti podes ter un can.
10:12
And your dog may get depressed.
193
600638
3006
E o teu can pode deprimirse.
10:15
You know, but it doesn't listen to Radiohead, does it?
194
603644
2455
Vale, pero non escoita Radiohead,
a que non?
10:18
(Laughter)
195
606099
3920
(Risas)
10:22
And sit staring out the window with a bottle of Jack Daniels.
196
610019
2512
Nin senta a ollar pola xanela
cunha botella de Jack Daniels.
10:24
(Laughter)
197
612531
4424
(Risas)
10:28
And you say, "Would you like to come for a walk?"
198
616955
1661
"Queres saír dar un paseo?"
10:30
He says, "No, I'm fine.
199
618616
3131
"Non, estou ben."
(Risas)
10:33
You go. I'll wait. But take pictures."
200
621747
5772
"Vai ti. Eu quedo. Pero saca fotos."
(Risas)
10:39
We all create our own lives through this restless process
201
627519
2914
Todos creamos as nosas vidas
mediante este proceso sen pausa
10:42
of imagining alternatives and possibilities,
202
630433
2009
de imaxinar alternativas
e posibilidades,
10:44
and what one of the roles of education
203
632442
2239
e un dos roles da educación
10:46
is to awaken and develop these powers of creativity.
204
634681
4036
é o de espertar e desenvolver
eses poderes da creatividade.
10:50
Instead, what we have is a culture of standardization.
205
638717
3560
Pola contra, o que temos é
unha cultura da estandarización.
10:54
Now, it doesn't have to be that way. It really doesn't.
206
642277
4107
Pero non ten por que ser dese xeito.
De verdade que non ten por que.
10:58
Finland regularly comes out on top
207
646384
3552
Finlandia acada a miúdo o liderado
en matemáticas, ciencias e lectura.
11:01
in math, science and reading.
208
649936
1375
11:03
Now, we only know that's what they do well at
209
651311
2616
Pero nós só sabemos que iso é
o que eles fan ben,
porque é o que se está poñendo a proba.
11:05
because that's all that's being tested currently.
210
653927
1864
11:07
That's one of the problems of the test.
211
655791
1641
Ese é un dos problemas das probas.
11:09
They don't look for other things that matter just as much.
212
657432
3159
Non buscan outras cousas que
sexan importantes.
11:12
The thing about work in Finland is this:
213
660591
2504
O importante de como se traballa
en Finlandia é isto:
11:15
they don't obsess about those disciplines.
214
663095
3379
non se obsesionan con esas disciplinas.
11:18
They have a very broad approach to education
215
666474
1763
Fan unha aproximación integral
á educación,
11:20
which includes humanities, physical education, the arts.
216
668237
4538
o que inclúe as humanidades,
a educación física, as artes.
11:24
Second, there is no standardized testing in Finland.
217
672775
5736
En segundo lugar, en Finlandia
non hai probas estandarizadas.
11:30
I mean, there's a bit,
218
678511
1760
Quero dicir, hai algunhas,
pero a xente non se ergue
polas mañás por elas,
11:32
but it's not what gets people up in the morning.
219
680271
1551
11:33
It's not what keeps them at their desks.
220
681822
2205
nin aguanta nos seus pupitres.
11:36
And the third thing, and I was at a meeting recently
221
684027
1833
En terceiro lugar...
Hai pouco estaba nunha reunión
11:37
with some people from Finland, actual Finnish people,
222
685860
3427
con algunhas persoas de Finlandia,
verdadeiros fineses,
11:41
and somebody from the American system
223
689287
2803
e alguén d sistema americano
estaba preguntándolle aos finlandeses,
11:44
was saying to the people in Finland,
224
692090
1773
11:45
"What do you do about the dropout rate in Finland?"
225
693863
3919
"En Finlandia, que facedes
coa taxa de abandono?"
11:49
And they all looked a bit bemused, and said,
226
697782
1621
E eles miráronse un chisco
abraiados, e dixeron,
11:51
"Well, we don't have one.
227
699403
2849
"A ver, e que non temos.
11:54
Why would you drop out?
228
702252
2339
Por que vai abandonar ninguén?
11:56
If people are in trouble, we get to them quite quickly
229
704591
2265
Se a xente ten problemas,
chegamos a eles axiña
11:58
and help them and we support them."
230
706856
1585
e axudámoslles e apoiámolos."
12:00
Now people always say, "Well, you know,
231
708441
1894
Agora a xente sempre di,
"Xa sabes, non se pode comparar
Finlandia cos EE. UU."
12:02
you can't compare Finland to America."
232
710335
3128
12:05
No. I think there's a population
233
713463
1395
Non. Creo que Finlandia ten
unha poboación duns 5 millóns.
12:06
of around five million in Finland.
234
714858
2128
12:08
But you can compare it to a state in America.
235
716986
3829
Pero podedes comparala cun
estado dos EE. UU.
12:12
Many states in America have fewer people in them than that.
236
720815
3904
Moitos estados americanos teñen
menos poboación.
12:16
I mean, I've been to some states in America
237
724719
1667
Teño estado nalgúns estados americanos
12:18
and I was the only person there. (Laughter)
238
726386
3813
e eu era a única persoa alí.
(Risas)
12:22
Really. Really. I was asked to lock up when I left.
239
730199
4373
En serio. En serio.
Dixéronme que pechara ao saír.
12:26
(Laughter)
240
734572
4031
(Risas)
12:30
But what all the high-performing systems in the world do
241
738603
3933
Pero o que todos os sistemas
de alto rendemento do mundo fan é
12:34
is currently what is not evident, sadly,
242
742536
4182
o que por desgraza non é evidente
neste momento
12:38
across the systems in America -- I mean, as a whole.
243
746718
3985
nos sistemas dos EE. UU....
Quero dicir, en conxunto.
12:42
One is this: They individualize teaching and learning.
244
750703
4934
Unha é:
individualizan o ensino e a aprendizaxe.
12:47
They recognize that it's students who are learning
245
755637
3466
Recoñecen que quen está aprendendo
son os estudantes
12:51
and the system has to engage them, their curiosity,
246
759103
3658
e o sistema ten que enganchalos,
a súa curiosidade, a súa individualidade
e a súa creatividade.
12:54
their individuality, and their creativity.
247
762761
2577
Así se consegue que aprendan.
12:57
That's how you get them to learn.
248
765338
2359
O segundo elemento é que lle atribúen
un status moi alto
12:59
The second is that they attribute a very high status
249
767697
4087
13:03
to the teaching profession.
250
771784
2281
á profesión de docente.
13:06
They recognize that you can't improve education
251
774065
2944
Recoñecen que non podes
mellorar a educación
13:09
if you don't pick great people to teach
252
777009
1649
se non colles boa xente para ensinar
e continúas a lles dar
13:10
and if you don't keep giving them constant support
253
778658
1859
apoio constante e
desenvolvemento profesional.
13:12
and professional development.
254
780517
1765
13:14
Investing in professional development is not a cost.
255
782282
2937
Investir en desenvolvemento
profesional non é un gasto.
13:17
It's an investment,
256
785219
1406
É un investimento,
13:18
and every other country that's succeeding well knows that,
257
786625
2931
todos os países
que están tendo éxito sábeno,
13:21
whether it's Australia, Canada, South Korea, Singapore,
258
789556
4959
ben sexa Australia, Canadá,
Corea do Sur, Singapur,
Hong Kong ou Shanghai.
13:26
Hong Kong or Shanghai. They know that to be the case.
259
794515
3446
Saben que esa é a clave.
13:29
And the third is, they devolve responsibility
260
797961
3543
E o terceiro elemento é
que delegan ao nivel de escola
a responsabilidade
13:33
to the school level for getting the job done.
261
801504
3739
de que se faga o traballo.
13:37
You see, there's a big difference here between
262
805243
2378
Vedes, hai unha grande diferenza
entre empregar un modelo de orde
e control na educación...
13:39
going into a mode of command and control in education --
263
807621
3764
13:43
That's what happens in some systems.
264
811385
1600
Iso é o que ocorre nalgúns sistemas.
13:44
You know, central governments decide
265
812985
1321
Os gobernos central e estatais deciden,
13:46
or state governments decide
266
814306
1290
13:47
they know best and they're going to tell you what to do.
267
815596
2995
eles saben máis ca ti e vanche dicir
qué tes que facer.
13:50
The trouble is that education doesn't go on
268
818591
3727
O problema é que a educación non acontece
13:54
in the committee rooms of our legislative buildings.
269
822318
2878
nas salas de reunión dos
nosos edificios lexislativos.
13:57
It happens in classrooms and schools,
270
825196
3088
Ocorre nas aulas e nas escolas,
14:00
and the people who do it are the teachers and the students,
271
828284
3073
e a xente que a fai son
os docentes e os estudantes,
14:03
and if you remove their discretion, it stops working.
272
831357
3408
e se eliminas o seu criterio,
para de funcionar.
14:06
You have to put it back to the people.
273
834765
3050
Hai que lla devolver á xente.
14:09
(Applause)
274
837815
4829
(Aplausos)
14:14
There is wonderful work happening in this country.
275
842644
2712
Estanse facendo
iniciativas marabillosas neste país.
14:17
But I have to say it's happening
276
845356
2143
Pero teño que dicir que se están facendo
14:19
in spite of the dominant culture of education,
277
847499
2566
a pesar da cultura educativa dominante,
14:22
not because of it.
278
850065
1401
non grazas a ela.
14:23
It's like people are sailing into a headwind all the time.
279
851466
3604
É como estar navegando todo o tempo
con vento de proa.
14:27
And the reason I think is this:
280
855070
2461
E a razón pola que o penso é a seguinte:
14:29
that many of the current policies are based on
281
857531
3337
moitas das políticas actuais
están baseadas en concepcións
mecanicistas da educación.
14:32
mechanistic conceptions of education.
282
860868
3041
14:35
It's like education is an industrial process
283
863909
3768
Como se a educación
fose un proceso industrial
14:39
that can be improved just by having better data,
284
867677
3007
que pode ser mellorado
só con ter mellores datos;
14:42
and somewhere in, I think, the back of the mind
285
870684
1667
e nalgún lugar do fondo da mente
dalgúns lexisladores
14:44
of some policy makers is this idea that
286
872351
2136
está esta idea de que se a afinamos
ben abondo, se conseguimos que vaia ben,
14:46
if we fine-tune it well enough, if we just get it right,
287
874487
3318
tamén vai zunir á perfección no futuro.
14:49
it will all hum along perfectly into the future.
288
877805
2631
14:52
It won't, and it never did.
289
880436
3221
E non o fará nin nunca o fixo.
14:55
The point is that education is not a mechanical system.
290
883657
4099
O asunto é que a educación
non é un sistema mecánico.
14:59
It's a human system. It's about people,
291
887756
3897
É un sistema humano.
Vai de persoas,
15:03
people who either do want to learn or don't want to learn.
292
891653
3055
persoas que ou van aprender
ou non van facelo.
15:06
Every student who drops out of school has a reason for it
293
894708
4815
Cada estudante que abandona
a escola ten unha razón para facelo
15:11
which is rooted in their own biography.
294
899523
2321
arraigada na súa propia biografía.
15:13
They may find it boring. They may find it irrelevant.
295
901844
3023
Pode parecerlles aburrida.
Pode parecerlles irrelevante.
15:16
They may find that it's at odds
296
904867
2514
Mesmo poden pensar que non cadra
coa vida que están a vivir fóra da escola.
15:19
with the life they're living outside of school.
297
907381
2544
15:21
There are trends, but the stories are always unique.
298
909925
3839
Hai tendencias, pero as historias
son sempre únicas.
15:25
I was at a meeting recently in Los Angeles of --
299
913764
3001
Hai pouco estiven en Los Ángeles
nunha reunión de...
15:28
they're called alternative education programs.
300
916765
2245
chámanlles "programas
educativos alternativos".
15:31
These are programs designed to get kids back into education.
301
919010
3403
Son programas deseñados para
reinsertar aos nenos na educación.
15:34
They have certain common features.
302
922413
1944
Teñen certas características comúns.
15:36
They're very personalized.
303
924357
2032
Están moi personalizados.
15:38
They have strong support for the teachers,
304
926389
3210
Teñen un forte apoio para o profesorado,
15:41
close links with the community
305
929599
2261
vínculos estreitos coa comunidade
e un currículo amplo e variado,
15:43
and a broad and diverse curriculum,
306
931860
1626
15:45
and often programs which involve students
307
933486
2631
e tamén por veces, programas que implican
aos estudantes dentro e fóra da escola.
15:48
outside school as well as inside school.
308
936117
2673
15:50
And they work.
309
938790
1710
E funcionan.
15:52
What's interesting to me is,
310
940500
1402
O que me parece interesante é, que
se lles chame "educación alternativa".
15:53
these are called "alternative education."
311
941902
3186
(Risas)
15:57
You know?
312
945088
2182
Entendedes?
15:59
And all the evidence from around the world is,
313
947270
1776
E todas as probas polo mundo adiante
16:01
if we all did that, there'd be no need for the alternative.
314
949046
4226
din que se todos fixeramos iso,
non cumprirían alternativas.
16:05
(Applause)
315
953272
8420
(Aplausos)
(Fin dos aplausos)
16:13
So I think we have to embrace a different metaphor.
316
961692
2848
Penso que temos que asumir
unha metáfora distinta.
16:16
We have to recognize that it's a human system,
317
964540
2657
Temos que recoñecer que
este é un sistema humano
16:19
and there are conditions under which people thrive,
318
967197
3596
e que hai condicións baixo
as cales a xente prospera,
16:22
and conditions under which they don't.
319
970793
2905
e condicións baixo as que non.
16:25
We are after all organic creatures,
320
973698
2925
Somos, no fin de contas,
criaturas orgánicas,
16:28
and the culture of the school is absolutely essential.
321
976623
4646
e a cultura da escola é
absolutamente esencial.
16:33
Culture is an organic term, isn't it?
322
981269
2428
Cultura é un termo orgánico, non si?
16:35
Not far from where I live is a place called Death Valley.
323
983697
3729
Preto de onde eu vivo hai
un lugar chamado Val da Morte.
16:39
Death Valley is the hottest, driest place in America,
324
987426
5672
O Val da Morte é o lugar
máis cálido e seco dos EE. UU.,
16:45
and nothing grows there.
325
993098
2802
alí non crece nada.
16:47
Nothing grows there because it doesn't rain.
326
995900
2624
Alí non crece nada porque non chove.
16:50
Hence, Death Valley.
327
998524
2393
Xa que logo, Val da Morte.
16:52
In the winter of 2004, it rained in Death Valley.
328
1000917
7147
No inverno de 2004,
choveu no Val da Morte.
17:00
Seven inches of rain fell over a very short period.
329
1008064
3772
180 milímetros de chuvia
nun período de tempo moi curto.
17:03
And in the spring of 2005, there was a phenomenon.
330
1011836
5202
E na primavera de 2005,
ocoreu un fenómeno.
17:09
The whole floor of Death Valley was carpeted in flowers
331
1017038
4634
Todo o chan do Val da Morte estivo
alfombrado de flores por un tempo.
17:13
for a while.
332
1021672
1756
17:15
What it proved is this: that Death Valley isn't dead.
333
1023428
5294
O que isto demostra é
que o Val da Morte non está morto.
17:20
It's dormant.
334
1028722
2871
Está latente.
Xusto baixo a superficie están
estas sementes de posibilidade
17:23
Right beneath the surface are these seeds of possibility
335
1031593
3245
17:26
waiting for the right conditions to come about,
336
1034838
3775
agardando a que se dean
as circunstancias axeitadas,
17:30
and with organic systems, if the conditions are right,
337
1038613
3343
e con sistemas orgánicos,
se as condicións son boas,
17:33
life is inevitable. It happens all the time.
338
1041956
3729
a vida é inevitable.
Ocorre acotío.
17:37
You take an area, a school, a district,
339
1045685
2600
Colles unha área, unha escola,
un distrito,
mudas as condicións, dáslle á xente
unha sensación de posibilidades distinta,
17:40
you change the conditions, give people a different sense of possibility,
340
1048285
3040
17:43
a different set of expectations,
341
1051325
1662
outro conxunto de expectativas,
un rango de oportunidades máis amplo,
17:44
a broader range of opportunities,
342
1052987
1756
17:46
you cherish and value the relationships between teachers and learners,
343
1054743
3251
coidas e valoras as relacións
entre profesores e estudantes,
17:49
you offer people the discretion to be creative
344
1057994
2310
ofréceslle á xente a posibilidade
de seren creativos
17:52
and to innovate in what they do,
345
1060304
1754
e de innovar no que fan,
17:54
and schools that were once bereft spring to life.
346
1062058
3611
e as escolas que estiveron inertes
renacen á vida.
17:57
Great leaders know that.
347
1065669
1662
Os grandes líderes sábeno.
17:59
The real role of leadership in education --
348
1067331
2456
O verdadeiro rol do liderado
na educación
18:01
and I think it's true at the national level, the state level,
349
1069787
2557
--e creo que é certo a nivel nacional,
a nivel estatal, a nivel escolar--
18:04
at the school level --
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1558
18:05
is not and should not be command and control.
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4400
non é nin debería ser a orde e o control.
18:10
The real role of leadership is climate control,
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4005
O verdadeiro rol do liderado
é o control do clima,
18:14
creating a climate of possibility.
353
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2602
creando un clima de posibilidade.
E se fas iso, a xente erguerase
18:16
And if you do that, people will rise to it
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2397
18:19
and achieve things that you
completely did not anticipate
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3019
e acadará cousas que
en absoluto preveras
18:22
and couldn't have expected.
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1800
e que nunca agardarías.
18:24
There's a wonderful quote from Benjamin Franklin.
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2367
Hai unha marabillosa cita de
Benjamin Franklin.
18:26
"There are three sorts of people in the world:
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2863
"Hai tres tipos de persoas no mundo:
18:29
Those who are immovable,
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2378
Aqueles que son inamovibles,
18:31
people who don't get it, they don't want to get it,
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1871
xente que non entende,
ou non quere entender nada;
18:33
they're not going to do anything about it;
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1397
18:35
there are people who are movable,
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1903
os que son movibles,
xente que ve a necesidade de cambiar
18:36
people who see the need for change
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1322
18:38
and are prepared to listen to it;
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2646
e está preparada para escoitar;
18:40
and there are people who move,
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1851
e hai xente que se move,
xente que fai que as cousas ocorran."
18:42
people who make things happen."
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1780
18:44
And if we can encourage more people,
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2170
E se podemos animar a máis xente,
haberá un movemento.
18:46
that will be a movement.
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2666
18:49
And if the movement is strong enough,
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2187
E se o movemento é forte abondo,
18:51
that's, in the best sense of the word, a revolution.
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3142
iso é, no mellor sentido da palabra,
unha revolución.
18:54
And that's what we need.
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Iso é o que precisamos.
18:56
Thank you very much.
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1233
Moitas grazas.
18:57
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
19:00
Thank you very much. (Applause)
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5031
Moitas grazas.
(Aplausos)
Translated by Borja Rey Seoane
Reviewed by Xusto Rodriguez

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Ken Robinson - Author/educator
Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson challenges the way we're educating our children. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence.

Why you should listen

Why don't we get the best out of people? Sir Ken Robinson argues that it's because we've been educated to become good workers, rather than creative thinkers. Students with restless minds and bodies -- far from being cultivated for their energy and curiosity -- are ignored or even stigmatized, with terrible consequences. "We are educating people out of their creativity," Robinson says. It's a message with deep resonance. Robinson's TED Talk has been distributed widely around the Web since its release in June 2006. The most popular words framing blog posts on his talk? "Everyone should watch this."

A visionary cultural leader, Sir Ken led the British government's 1998 advisory committee on creative and cultural education, a massive inquiry into the significance of creativity in the educational system and the economy, and was knighted in 2003 for his achievements. His 2009 book, The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, is a New York Times bestseller and has been translated into 21 languages. A 10th anniversary edition of his classic work on creativity and innovation, Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative, was published in 2011. His 2013 book, Finding Your Element: How to Discover Your Talents and Passions and Transform Your Life, is a practical guide that answers questions about finding your personal Element. In his latest book, Creative Schools: The Grassroots Revolution That’s Transforming Education, he argues for an end to our outmoded industrial educational system and proposes a highly personalized, organic approach that draws on today’s unprecedented technological and professional resources to engage all students.

More profile about the speaker
Ken Robinson | Speaker | TED.com