Book Review: Out of Our Minds

inIn a complex world, we need creative solutions more than ever. Yet the systems meant to prepare us for work can limit our creativity or deny us opportunities to develop it. This is the message that Sir Ken Robinson outlines in his book, Out of Our Minds: Learning to Be Creative*. If you have ever watched Robinson speak, the book’s revelations will not surprise you much. However, it was useful for me to get more of the details of the stories he has presented in person. I recently saw him in person at the ASTD 2013 conference.

While I read the Kindle version of the book, the hardcover book has 352 pages and is now in its second edition. Robinson covers his content in 10 chapters. In the preface, Robinson explains the reasons he called the book Out of Our Minds. 

• “First, human intelligence is profoundly and uniquely creative.”
• “Second, realizing our creative potential is partly a question of finding our medium, of being in our element.”
• “Finally, there is a kind of mania driving the present direction of educational policy.”

How Education Limits Creativity

Throughout the book, Robinson fairly harshly critiqued our education system and the direction that it is going. He believes it is crippling creativity, which is hampering our developmental process. I agree with him. Schools, in their zeal to cater to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), are stripping art, music, theater, and fitness from the equation. In a push for standardized testing, we are developing clones that can answer multiple-choice questions, but are not creative enough to develop unique solutions.

Robinson began by defining creativity and its importance to our ability to navigate an increasingly complex and ever-changing world. He stressed that because of transforming times driven by technology and population growth, we need to think differently. We need to be more creative. He pointed out that many recognize that our key to success will be education and learning. But he also added, “many succeeded only after they had recovered from their education” (p. 8).  Robinson noted our current education system is hampering progress because it was designed and built for a period that is long gone. We need an updated education system that serves this period and the future. Businesses are critical of the current education system because it is not producing the “thoughtful, creative, self-confident people they urgently need” (p. 15)

“If someone had told you fifteen years ago that you could sit on the beach with a small wireless telephone and search the Library of Congress, send instant mail, download music and videos, book your holidays, arrange a mortgage and check your cholesterol, you would have thought they were being ridiculous” (Chapter 2, Section: Supercharging your brain, para. 6). Robinson highlighted the rapid change of technology and our need to stay current.

Technology and Educational Change

Technology is found in all aspects of our lives and is being used in unexpected ways with unexpected consequences. Because of technology, we are tied to a 24/7 information stream, we have the opportunity to learn from anyone, anytime, and anywhere. However, in most schools, access to technology and information is restricted; schools are clinging to a past that is no longer applicable.

How Education Prioritizes Subjects

In chapter 3, Robinson outlined the history of education along with the challenges we currently face because of its history. “The assumption that there is a direct linear relationship between general education and subsequent employment puts schools under pressure to prioritize those subjects that seem most relevant to the economy” (Chapter 3, Section: The culture of education, para. 7). Unfortunately, disciplines such as art, music, theater, and fitness do not seem relevant to the economy and are often discarded; however, these disciplines are gateways to creativity.

In Chapter 4, Robinson continued exploring education’s history. He also examined how technology changed teaching and learning. He explored Thomas Kuhn‘s work. Some of the periods examined included medieval world, Renaissance, Reformation, Enlightenment, Industrial Revolution, and others. He also explored how current changes to our education system came about.

He concluded this chapter with a look at the academy. “Professors of English are not employed to produce literature: they are employed to write about it” and “Producing works of art doesn’t often count as appropriate intellectual work in an arts department” (Chapter 4, Section: Arts and Sciences, para. 7). “So why is it that in universities writing about novels is thought to be a higher intellectual calling than writing novels; or rather, if writing novels is not thought to be intellectually valid, why is writing about them?” (Chapter 4, Section: Arts and Sciences, para. 7).

Developing Our Creative Potential

Robinson next explored how the brain works. For me, the most important takeaway was the importance of learning about arts, language, music,and other creative subjects while young, while the brain was still flexible and developing connections. Robinson illustrated the benefits of engaging different parts of the brain. He also explored what happens when we neglect them. Another lesson is the importance of supporting others on their paths of learning; it is easy to cripple a career path with only a couple of words.

Creativity, Failure, and Finding Your Medium

In the second half of the book, Robinson focused more on the concepts of creativity, imagination, and innovation and ways to develop these ideas.

He stressed the importance that failure had in the learning and creativity process. If we were not willing to fail, we could not discover unique concepts. It is interesting that schools certainly do not reward you for failure, and instead make you averse to failure to where you do not want to take risks. How many great ideas have education stifled?

Robinson believes it is important to find a medium as an outlet for creativity. He exclaimed everyone is creative. However, we may not have yet found the right medium. “We all have creative capacities but very many people conclude that they are not creative, when in truth they have never learnt and practiced what is involved” (Chapter 6, Section: Conclusion, para. 1).

Throughout the book, Robinson highlighted how people stereotype scientists and artists: one being more analytical and the other being more emotional. In chapter 7, he poked holes in these stereotypes and provided details on why each needed key elements of the other for the pursuit of creativity. Chapter 7 also contained details about scholars who have been pursuing a more creative education system such as Montessori and Dewey.

Collaboration and Creative Ideas

Robinson stressed the importance of collaboration with others has on the creative process. The input and influence of others rarely fail to shape the development of a unique idea. He pointed out the importance of integrating with other cultures to learn and merge ideas. Again, he commented on the impact technology had on cultures and disciplines such as the arts, which resulted in new art forms. Specific examples he included were cameras, pigments, and digital representation and their impact on painting. He highlighted the impact social media and cell phones are currently having on creativity.

Creativity in the Workplace

In chapter 9, Robinson explored the impact the organization has on creativity and innovation. As expected, organizational leadership has to set the tone. If leaders do not value it, the organization will not regard it as significant.

Employees need both the ability to do their work and the passion to pursue it. Organizations must give employees challenging assignments that promote their growth. Robinson listed several corporations that have their own universities for exposing employees to new ideas as well as allowing employees from different disciplines to network. He urged organizations to hire people with diverse perspectives. In addition, he challenged us to reconsider workplace layouts and working hours.

Robinson summarized his book by again looking at the purpose of education. He pointed out that most people associate education and learning with youth, school, and teachers. However, learning is a lifetime activity. Our education system should prepare individuals for a lifetime of learning rather than killing off the desire to learn. Our education system should be for exposing individuals to a broad range of topics in order to help them find what they are good at. Instead, we continue to narrow the scope. Thus, we deny individuals an opportunity to live to their true and full potential.

“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” ~Socrates

My Reflections and Recommendation

I have been critical of our education system, especially as we narrow the scope of topics and eliminate essential topics necessary for creativity. While I believed my primary and secondary years offered a good balance, I wish someone had encouraged me to participate more in the arts. All these years later, I regret having no talent. More importantly, my lack of talent in the arts is holding me back as an effective instructional technologist.

I believe Out of Our Minds serves as an excellent resource on the topic and offers numerous arguments for redesigning our schools to achieve greater balance. It is not as prescriptive as it could be. He leaves it up to the reader to find the answers. Instead of specific answers, he continuously raises questions. Read this book if you are involved in education.

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