Ken Robinson (1)Besprekingen

Here's what I wrote in 2012 about this read: "Good food for thought re purpose and passion, being in the Element."

When I picked up this book, I expected it to be about becoming more creative and how to use it in your school/workplace. Thus, I found it spent a surprising amount of time talking about the education system and other things not related to creativity. It only just starts on creativity halfway through. Ultimately it's about educational and corporate systems, not creativity, which I am not qualified to comment on. The grammar was all over the place, though (can't seem to decide between US or UK), with pretty poor punctuation, which is disappointing for a book about education.

Interesting interviews and collected studies of individuals doing what they love and doing it very well. Plenty of valid criticism of formal education and a little about how to remedy the problems. I'd like to see more about how to find and claim individual creativity in adulthood; i.e. how to recover from the effects of years of schooling.

Enjoyable read.

Thought provoking for educators and educational policy makers

2020. - loved this

Ken Robinson's groundbreaking New York Times bestseller, The Element, introduced readers to a new concept of self-fulfillment and has inspired readers around the world. When people find their Element, they tune in to their highest levels, and live their best lives. Now, in his new book, Robinson answers the fundamental question: How do I find my Element?

With his signature wry wit, Robinson offers a series of practical exercises to help you discover your own talents and passions. Along the way, he tells the stories of many "ordinary" people in all walks of life who have overcome obstacles of every sort to find their Element. And he explores fundamental principles and vital questions to help you find yours: What are you good at? What do you love? What makes you happy? Where are you now? Your answers to these and many others will provide you with invaluable keys to discovering your Element.

As concerns about the economy, education, and the environment continue to grow, the need for individuals to find their own Element has never been greater. No matter how old you are, where you are, or what you do now, if you're searching for your Element, this book is for you. It will launch you on the most important quest you've ever undertaken: the quest to discover your true self and the life you really want to lead.½

Overall, this was a good read but not a must read. If you watched Ken Robinson's TED talks, and it left you wanting more of the same, then you'll enjoy the book. If those talks were sufficient for you, this doesn't offer much new, just more depth.

In the book, the author describes the importance of finding your passion. He doesn't describe -- and doesn't try to describe -- how to find your own passion. Rather, he describes what it feels like and looks like to live a life activated by passion. He does this with a mix of personal stories, stories of others, and reference to psychological research.

To me, the primary value of this book was the way it conveyed the energy of living a life around your passion. Such a life is not just one where you feel happy -- at times, pursuing your passion may force you to make decisions that can make you deeply unhappy for a time -- but it is a life where you feel driven to do what you do.

At a wider level, the value brought by a vision like that in The Element is that everyone's element is different. It's not music in general; it may be a particular type of music or an instrument. It's not just programming, but perhaps it's handling complex interactions or giving users a delightful experience. Because of the varieties of talent we have, the author believes that schools need reform. Schools define intelligence narrowly and demand conformity. He spends the last chapter of the book discussing this.

Although the book did not focus on how to find your element, it is possible to extract some tips. Although I used the terms "passion" and "element" interchangeably above, your element is really where your passion and your talents intersect. So looking for those things that both energize you and which you are good at is a part of finding your element.

Another key part to building your element is finding your tribe -- the group of people who share your passion. Your tribe can help you develop your skills, provide inspiration, provide role models, and more.

Taking advantage of opportunities that arise is also key. Often times, these opportunities will require adding more work to an already busy life, but the energy you get from doing the thing you really love can help you push through that and shape your life to hit the right balance.

Sometimes, what you need is not a new idea, but an old idea described well. That is what The Element gives us.

This was very underwhelming. And frustrating.
I was better served by watching TED lectures.

It's like he tries to make conversation and keeps forgetting the audience is there.

FINAL VERDICT : SKIP

Robinson desarrolla en Escuelas creativas las ideas de su famosa charla TED «Cómo la escuela mata la creatividad» y ofrece soluciones innovadoras y revolucionarias para uno de los problemas más relevantes de nuestra sociedad: cómo transformar un sistema educativo que no funciona

One of several books I must read for a project. Terrible.

Without a doubt Robinson is an exemplary communicator. In The Element he formulates the argument that if we find that thing which ignites both passion and talent (aka the element), we feel most ourselves, most inspired, learn how to "flow," and achieve our highest level of success. And he argues that if we can empower others to find their element, we will be access true human potential and empower humanity to overcome the difficulties ahead of us.

Throughout he floods the reader with countless stories of smash hit successes in a diversity of fields. Sometimes we cannot engage our element in our full time jobs but find in through serious hobbies/recreation, becoming amateurs, in the truest sense of the word.

Overall, it was a good book, and I plan on reading the follow-up book, Finding Your Element. In a sense, he is describing what feels like a similar idea as that in The Alchemist, who refers repeatedly to one's "Personal Legend." The author of The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho) is one of many examples of someone who found their element and Robinson references him. Coelho was forced into a mental hospital by his parent actually for wanting to be a writer, instead of a lawyer as they preferred.

My only pushback on the overall argument is that the many many examples he gave were of people who seemed extraordinary, and incredibly talented in their respective fields. I feel like this might build unrealistic expectations on some level. The vast majority of us cannot be extraordinary. We shouldn't even desire it, but learn contentment, joy, and diligence in where we find ourselves in life. Can someone love something profoundly and be just mediocre? Of course. Does everyone have the capacity to excel at any one thing? I don't know. What if someone is just barely above average at a few things, but they love them? Enjoying what you do seems more important to me than talent and wild success. To conclude, your element may or may not be extraordinary. But it will make life rich. I'm not sure if I have "one element" or a handful of things I love to do... I'll let you know after I finish the next one.

Yawn

Sir Ken Robinson has the right theories, for sure. But as an educator, I found myself saying, "Yes, and..." a lot. Theories of creativity are all well and good. Yes, our schools and attitudes towards schools need to change. So how do we start from the bottom up, in each classroom unit? That question is never answered, and it is to the book's practical detriment.

I read this book for three reasons. First, I’ve been a fan of Sir Ken Robinson since I watched his first TED Talk, “Schools Kill Creativity” along with his subsequent talks on TED.com. Second, I’m an English teacher and I agree wholeheartedly with Robinson that our educational systems need to be redesigned beyond the current industrialism model. Third, I assigned this book to my current English 302 class and wanted to read it along with them.

I was not disappointed. It’s easy to read, full of examples for every point Robinson makes, and dotted with humorous references in every chapter. My students mostly liked it too (most gave it 4-5/5 stars. My only criticism is that most of the book is filled with anecdotal examples, and it isn’t until the last chapter that Robinson actually offers some very doable suggestions for making changes.

The book is filled with some very relatable sentences that make sense and offer good advice or bring the reader to an epiphany. For example, Robinson says, “Creative insights often come in nonlinear ways, through seeing connections and similarities between things that we hadn’t noticed before. Creative thinking depends greatly on what’s sometimes called divergent or lateral thinking, and especially on thinking in metaphors or seeing analogies.”

A few pages later he writes, “We don’t just see the world as it is; we interpret it through the particular ideas and beliefs that have shaped our own cultures and our personal outlook.”

My favorite chapter is the last one, “Making the Grade.” It makes reading the anecdotes worthwhile as Robinson describes ways in which we can transform our current educational system into one that encourages creativity and happiness. I highly recommend this book for all educators, from teachers to administrators, and to policy makers, parents, and students. As Robinson says regarding life and education, “we can always try to think differently.”

It was OK. Not quite what I was expecting. Maybe that is more of an indictment on me than the book...

In a complex world, we need creative solutions more than ever. Yet, the very systems that are "designed" to prepare us for the real world, the working world, instead are stripping us from or denying us access to our creative capabilities. This is the message that Sir Ken Robinson outlines in detail in his book, Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative*. If you have ever watched Robinson speak, you will not be too surprised what you find in the book; however, it was useful for me to get more of the details to the stories he has presented in person. Read more

Even in Portuguese (only version found in Portugal) , Ken Robinson knows what to say and the examples he give in here are something to consider.

Very Recomendable book

Informative book on describing the Element, your passion and how to recognize it. Doesn’t do much for helping find your passion. Shares a lot of stories of people excelling in their Element. Worth reading once.

Ken Robinson's Creative Schools offers a splendid and convincing vision for what training must move toward becoming. His intense suggestion to take action refers to superb cases where the instruction without bounds is occurring today. Try not to miss this imperative book!"— TONY WAGNER, writer of Creating Innovators and The Global Achievement Gap and Expert In Residence at Harvard University's Innovation Lab https://globalresearchessays.com/argumentative-essay

Ken Robinson is a well known speaker, author and international speaker for the arts. He has done many talks dealing with education and living a fulfilled life. The Element is yet another example of his work and passion. When reading this book I felt I could hear him speaking just like I had seen on many video clips. What he said in his book made so much sense to me in that he truly highlighted how a person playing to their passion makes all the difference to not only their own lives but also to how easily performing all the relevant tasks for the job comes for them. To further highlight this Ken used examples of many different celebrities and how they found their element. Whilst it was good to have these examples the proliferation of them became a bit annoying and detracted from the overall feel of the book. In spite of this though it is still a worthwhile read for anybody and especially for those who are trying to find where their passion is.

An excellent analysis with implications for education, business, and society as a whole.

Although a light read, this book was basically boring. There were far too many anecdotal stories of individuals finding their element (a.k.a passion) which soon made the book repetitive and tiresome. I am not a fan of self-help books at the best of time and this one certainly didn't endear me to the genre. In fact, the exercises suggested throughout "Finding Your Element" terrified me! Mind maps, vision boards, etc. . . . Argh!!!!

This was the textbook for a research class I'm taking, but I find myself recommending it to so many people. It really is about learning to be creative and how important creativity is in all aspects of business and society.

This was the textbook for a research class I'm taking, but I find myself recommending it to so many people. It really is about learning to be creative and how important creativity is in all aspects of business and society.