The Element By Sir Ken Robinson: Chapter Analysis

In his book The Element, Sir Ken Robinson argues that the current education system is flawed in how it does not help us to find our “element”. His four main points identify the flaws in: the main focus of schools, the order of subjects, the assessments, and the curriculums. First, he talks about the specific focus on the student’s ability to perform academically. He goes into detail about how schools mainly value the success of students through their academic skill and their other aspects are overlooked. Next, he describes the order of subjects and its inequalities. Robinson explains how only a handful of subjects are emphasized at the top of the order, while others are undervalued. Then, he brings up the assessments given by schools. He explains how standardized testing does not aid the discovery process of the element. Finally, he talks about the curriculums set by many schools. Robinson explains how the curriculums are not personalized for every student's’ interest and needs. Overall, he is very critical of the education system and makes it clear how the

system has many faults that are counterproductive to finding our element.

In the cases of standardized testing, I am naturally one of the students to finish last. I have always felt terrible for having finished so late compared to others. Oftentimes, I see everyone else done with their papers and they all seem to be waiting for me. It feels like I’m excluded from the rest of my peers as if I’m being singled out. I have recently taken the SAT and this was the exact situation. There is immense pressure to perform well on the test in which it could affect our future. It may be one aspect of college admissions, but it does not help in finding our values.

The system measures our competency in three course subjects: math, writing, and reading. Although, not everyone excels in those subjects. Personally, I’m not the best in writing.

In The Element, Ken Robinson argues, “Education is the system that’s supposed to develop our natural abilities and enable us to make our way in the world.

Instead, it is stifling the individual talents and abilities of too many students and killing their motivation to learn” (16). Growing up, I have always enjoyed learning. In my sophomore year of high school, many subjects have weakened my motivation to learn. For example, AP World History was great until the exam came into place. It was enjoyable learning about history all over the world, but then we had to spend many weeks preparing for the standardized test. It was terrible because we were cramming everything we learned to perform well on the test and to pass the requirement for AP credit. It was a mess because we had to rush through all of the multiple choice questions. Overall, I do not like what standardized testing has done to the education

system.