While watching the film “Most Likely to Succeed”, I couldn’t help but be reminded of a TEDtalk by Sir Ken Robinson. Throughout his speech, he emphasizes the need for a more creativity-focused education system. He discusses how our current school system is flawed in that it encourages “success” more than fostering individual student’s passions; students are pressured to pursue education in what will eventually give them financial security, with priorities like passion and enjoyment being pushed to the back burner.
I think this relates to the film Most Likely to Succeed in a number of ways. Primarily, they both discuss the flaws in standardized testing systems and the need to shift towards a system that allows for proof of knowledge in creative and engaging ways. Moreover, both the film and the talk discuss how the current, typical education system is not preparing students for the real world, as it is impossible to predict what society will look like in the next 5 years. Robinson argues that by fostering creativity and passion, we give students the opportunity to be excellent in what they care about. I think that High Tech High inspires a similar notion of allowing students to excel in ways which suit their passion.
What is perhaps most interesting to think about is that many of Ken Robinson’s ideas, which are from 2006, can be seen manifested in High Tech High. While I don’t necessarily agree that High Tech High is the perfect model of education, it is valuable to assess how different modes of education can be equally if not more effective. I would be curious to hear Robinson’s opinion of the school as it pertains to his vision of what education should look like.
