so the other day I was eating dinner
with my students when angel a 15 year
old asked me a question she said mr. t
when you were in high school did you
ever feel like you didn’t know what you
want to do in the future I just laughed
and I said angel that’s how I felt all
she said you know sometimes the future
seems really bright but most of the time
it’s unpredictable how can I find my
path she asked me I said well I think at
this point in time you should be trying
all kinds of activities meeting new
people going new places reading all
kinds of books because in doing this you
can discover your interests and then you
can develop your abilities according to
your interests and she said yeah that’s
what I want to do but we’re in school
now we don’t have a chance to discover
artists most if not all of us here have
the sense that we participate in school
not because we want to not because we
choose to but because we must it’s
embedded into our minds from a young age
that our schooling is a necessary step
towards a future of success and so we’re
pressured to maneuver from one exam to
another while our teachers are required
to assemble us subject by subject as we
move down this line towards our
graduation and graduation is a
celebration of the completion of a
product so what was once a curious
courageous creative young person it is
now already made worker for the economy
is this really the best that we can do
as innovators in education that’s what
we’re here to ask today students
teachers school administrators policy
makers how can we do this better so I’m
here as Valentin said an art and design
teacher a soccer coach
a student of the Chinese language and
I’m here to share a vision which is
based on my experience as a teacher what
I’ve learned from my students it’s also
based on what I’ve learned from other
innovators in other parts of the world
my vision is about how we reconfigure
our educational institutions better now
first I want to deal with this topic of
better learner I have three questions
for you as a good teacher I’m going to
be questioning you and I’m hoping that
you’ll think with me about the answers
what is better learning what I mean by
that now my first question to get at
what better learning is is why do we
learn why do we learn I want to offer an
answer which it comes through it an
experience ahead witness these two
students of mine Harry and Jerry and yes
those are their real names
now Harry and Jerry found me in my
classroom recently and they were so
excited they said Mr T we had this idea
that we want to show you but you can’t
tell anyone about it I said okay what is
it guys they wanted to design and build
and then sell the product and they had
this whole plan but they wanted some
advice so I said okay guys here’s some
questions I have for you they scribbled
it down and then they went off for their
next lesson now about a week later Jerry
who’s on the right side here came back
to me with this neatly drawn diagram of
their product which he placed on my
table in a week’s time these boys that
visited their biology teacher their
business teacher their art teacher and
they learn necessary information for
what they wanted to learn for their
project they even bought a similar
device which they would dissect the
understand its inner workings why did
they do that it wasn’t because somebody
told him to do that it wasn’t because
someone said you need to take an exam on
us later it was
because they were afraid if they didn’t
do it that they might not have a
successful future no they did it because
they wanted to why it can be learned
it’s quite simple actually
we’re natural learners and we will learn
because we want it we will learn when we
want it now this is called interest
baseline about interest based learning
which some of us have heard about but
this is not central to our current
educational institutions the way that
they do things interesting things
learning is really at the heart of what
I’m talking about today but when you
want to learn something then we will
learn well now how do we learn something
well that’s our next question how do we
learn now this question I will admit
that there’s a lot more debate
surrounding it so this would be the part
of my speech where normally I start
quoting educational philosophers and
recent cognitive studies but I won’t be
doing that instead I’d like to share an
experience how I learned effectively I
remember one evening it was summertime I
was about 8 years old probably this tall
and my dad took me outside and he had
some pieces of wood and he had some
tools and he said sterling what do you
want to make and I thought about it for
a minute I said dad I want to make this
submarine he said ok so let’s make a
submarine he took these two tools and he
started demonstrating or showing me how
to use them on a piece of wood and then
he handed them to me he saw that I was
very hesitant because as an 8-year old
boy with my little hands I had never
used those tools before and he he
responded by simply saying sterling if
you make a mistake it’s ok the important
part is that you tried making mistakes
as part of the learning process he said
if you need more wood there’s more here
and actually you will learn how to use
these tools by simply using them so if
you were to go there back in time with
me and see me in my room later he
wouldn’t see me flying my submarine
through the sky with a big smile on my
face because I
I made it myself with my dad’s help now
there are some principles that I would
like to share with you which have to do
with something called project-based
learning effective learning through
projects now to reiterate what I already
said we learn because we want to I
wanted to make a submarine right so I
had to learn how to use those tools but
number two we need the resources and the
opportunity to learn if I didn’t have
that space that time those materials
those tools which my dad provided for me
I couldn’t learn number three
project-based learning our that is
mentorship my dad was my mentor he was
not the traditional idea of a teacher he
didn’t give me a textbook on how to make
a submarine out of a piece of wood he
showed me he understood me in a personal
way but I would like and he gave me
freedom to make a choice he encouraged
me that failure was part of the learning
process
he didn’t scare me away from Philly now
a fourth point about how we learn is
that we learn by doing I have to be
careful here because I want you to
understand I’m not saying that we only
learn by doing my dad did other things
he demonstrated he discussed okay and
you know sometimes you might want to
learn how to tie a tie like I think when
I was in high school I didn’t know how
to tie a tie nobody showed you before so
I went on YouTube
and I watched a video how to tie tie and
I learned because I watched that video
if I had tried to learn how to tie a tie
simply by doing it I think I would still
be there trying right now okay so I’m
not saying that we don’t lecture that we
don’t read textbooks that we don’t learn
in other ways I’m saying that those
should be precursors to learning by
doing which is much more effective at
retaining knowledge and mastering
knowledge and skills now my last point
about project-based learning how we
learn is that we learn by teaching
others I will not forget the things on
to you right now because I’m sort of
standing here as a teacher my dad was
also a learner that evening he was
learning through his discussion with me
through this demonstration okay so these
are the principles which have to do with
the project-based learning which is kind
of like a brother or a sister to
interest bass player now my next
question and my last question having to
do with what better learning is is to
what end do we learn think about that
for yourself another way to ask this is
what we hope is the result of your
learning what do you want to get out of
it some people some of my students
that’s an easy question to answer they
would say I want to get a high grade a
high mark on my next exam but I’m not
talking about that I’m talking about in
the long run in your heart what you
really want to get out of your learning
now at the beginning of the school year
because I’m talking about interest based
learning and project-based learning
I designed their project for my students
which would allow them to find their
interest and also learn from project the
product was that they would design a
useful and beautiful piece of furniture
out of recycled materials or now this is
something they had never done before
they were using new tools that they have
never held before or even seen before
and it was challenging to them
but here you see Lucia and Tim and they
were able to work together to decide on
building a chair now what was the use of
their chair they wanted to create a
chair which recline so that students or
teachers considered it to take a rest
between their tires and lessons and
here’s the important point we’re talking
about to what end do we learn or what is
the motivation for our learning it would
be another way to say it
Tim de Lucia we’re not making that chair
they were not coming into the classroom
at extra hours and building that chair
and asking questions because of they
were thinking about what they were
making that chair because they knew that
students and teachers would be sitting
in it they knew that they would be
making different isn’t that what we want
doesn’t that make you happy if you can
actually make a difference in someone
else’s life again this is not
necessarily involved in our school so
here you see a space where students are
allowed to move around to collaborate to
work on a project that they’re
interested in and this is something
which is called community it’s not only
in the community that we learn but also
for community that we learn now you
should have seen you can’t see her here
but you should have seen Lucia in Tim’s
face they were so proud when they first
out on their chair and it helped their
weight you should have seen their faces
when they finished painting it and
teachers from other subjects in the
school were coming into the art
classroom to try it themselves the
english’s they were so satisfied with
what they had learned and all the while
that was their motivation community
thanks now we’ve entered my first three
questions right and as a good teacher
Here I am lecturing you and not letting
you have a chance to speak interest
based learning project-based learning
community basically but I have one more
question remember I’m trying to share a
vision about how we reconfigure our
educational institutions for this kind
of learning so what do we need in order
to learn that’s my last question the
basic elements that we need in order to
learn our space time resources and
mentorship if you can think of any more
come talk to me after my speech because
I’m always willing to learn space time
resources mentorship now what’s
interesting is we already have these
elements in our current educational
institutions here’s a spool they can
take a look at the space that we see
here outside world separate from our
school interesting curriculum creators
the ones who decide what you learn
they’re not in the learning
where you learn they’re not involved
with the people who are learn teachers
and students although I have to be
careful here because I have so many
teachers who have been amazing in my
life who I carried with me as a teacher
as well but teachers are actually
required to teach in this kind of a way
insert information into their students
now you even have classrooms which are
separated from each other because why
should math and arts have a relationship
that’s the thought resources see those
red squares down there resources are in
special places separate from the rest
books are in the library that’s the only
place for books right art supplies are
in the art room that’s the only place to
make something creative right
instruments are in the music room now
let’s compare this to another
institution here we have a prison very
similar in many ways you’ve got the
cells which are separate from each other
you’ve got the outside world which is
distant you’ve got resources in a prison
as well which they have access to
sometimes interesting the similarities
now another similarity you might not see
just by looking at the space of the way
that time is controlled in a prison and
in a school in a prison we don’t trust
these people because they’re bad people
they’re criminals in a school we don’t
trust them either it’s very strange
so we say you need to be locked in this
room at this time and then you have some
outside time a little bit later and then
you know when you meet over here later
and you’ve always got someone following
you around to make sure you’re not
getting into trouble and I’m not talking
about
we have the same elements that we need
that I just mentioned space-time
mentorship resources but how do we
reconfigure them how do we now here
we’re coming to a close where we can
actually answer an important question
and I want you to imagine this with me
if you have to close your eyes feel free
imagine is space which is for learning
which is more like a sports stadium when
the action happens in the middle through
collaboration and there’s a goal there
and people are not working against each
other they’re working with each other
and yes there are coaches there are
mentors but they are there to be
accessed as you need them they’re not
there to control all that is happening
they’re not there to decide for you what
we’re learning or what are you doing you
collaborate with other learners in this
shared space to learn based on common
interests maybe you want to learn how to
cook French dishes maybe you want to
learn how to build a piece of furniture
using wood maybe you want to design and
market your own kind of public
transportation now in this space you
have resources which are there just like
you would find in a workshop or in a
studio places where creativity is
encouraged and inspired places where you
learn by doing and you learn by
collaborating in this space you have the
freedom to choose your own length of
time to learn and accomplish something
real which makes a difference for the
community in this space you have
curriculum creators but they would
probably be called project designers and
these people are there to give you a
menu like if you walk in a restaurant
and you have a menu with these dishes
like I don’t know in Chinese I really
like untidy for example right but I got
some laughs on that one and it’s a
delicious dish you’ve got different
ingredients
flavors added in there so I’m interested
in that dish I want to eat that fish now
what about a menu of projects weird
taking some physics and you’re taking
some math and you’re taking some design
and you’re making a project where you’re
learning all of these things but it’s
flavorful instead of a menu with seven
items that you eat every day same items
here’s your Apple here’s your bread
here’s your carrot and they’re all
separate this is a vision for how we
reconfigure our educational institutions
now I mentioned to you Harry and Jerry
earlier Harry just recently came to me
he said Mr T it was lunchtime we were
sitting down he said Mr T I want to
start the school in the future 17-year
old Harry and I said Harry why do you
want to do that and he said when I’m a
grandfather I want to sit with my
grandkids and I want them to know that I
did something good I want to make a
difference I just smiled at him I said
Harry don’t be afraid to do that we need
people like Harry to go out and make a
difference to reconfigure our
educational institutions because like
Ken Robinson says the fact is that given
the challenges we face education doesn’t
need to be reformed it needs to be
transformed it needs to be transformed
and the key to this transformation is
not to standardized education but to
personalize it to build achievement on
discovering the individual talents of
each child to put students in an
environment where they want to learn and
where they can naturally discover their
true passion
can we do this I think we can
you
[Applause]
[Music]
with my students when angel a 15 year
old asked me a question she said mr. t
when you were in high school did you
ever feel like you didn’t know what you
want to do in the future I just laughed
and I said angel that’s how I felt all
she said you know sometimes the future
seems really bright but most of the time
it’s unpredictable how can I find my
path she asked me I said well I think at
this point in time you should be trying
all kinds of activities meeting new
people going new places reading all
kinds of books because in doing this you
can discover your interests and then you
can develop your abilities according to
your interests and she said yeah that’s
what I want to do but we’re in school
now we don’t have a chance to discover
artists most if not all of us here have
the sense that we participate in school
not because we want to not because we
choose to but because we must it’s
embedded into our minds from a young age
that our schooling is a necessary step
towards a future of success and so we’re
pressured to maneuver from one exam to
another while our teachers are required
to assemble us subject by subject as we
move down this line towards our
graduation and graduation is a
celebration of the completion of a
product so what was once a curious
courageous creative young person it is
now already made worker for the economy
is this really the best that we can do
as innovators in education that’s what
we’re here to ask today students
teachers school administrators policy
makers how can we do this better so I’m
here as Valentin said an art and design
teacher a soccer coach
a student of the Chinese language and
I’m here to share a vision which is
based on my experience as a teacher what
I’ve learned from my students it’s also
based on what I’ve learned from other
innovators in other parts of the world
my vision is about how we reconfigure
our educational institutions better now
first I want to deal with this topic of
better learner I have three questions
for you as a good teacher I’m going to
be questioning you and I’m hoping that
you’ll think with me about the answers
what is better learning what I mean by
that now my first question to get at
what better learning is is why do we
learn why do we learn I want to offer an
answer which it comes through it an
experience ahead witness these two
students of mine Harry and Jerry and yes
those are their real names
now Harry and Jerry found me in my
classroom recently and they were so
excited they said Mr T we had this idea
that we want to show you but you can’t
tell anyone about it I said okay what is
it guys they wanted to design and build
and then sell the product and they had
this whole plan but they wanted some
advice so I said okay guys here’s some
questions I have for you they scribbled
it down and then they went off for their
next lesson now about a week later Jerry
who’s on the right side here came back
to me with this neatly drawn diagram of
their product which he placed on my
table in a week’s time these boys that
visited their biology teacher their
business teacher their art teacher and
they learn necessary information for
what they wanted to learn for their
project they even bought a similar
device which they would dissect the
understand its inner workings why did
they do that it wasn’t because somebody
told him to do that it wasn’t because
someone said you need to take an exam on
us later it was
because they were afraid if they didn’t
do it that they might not have a
successful future no they did it because
they wanted to why it can be learned
it’s quite simple actually
we’re natural learners and we will learn
because we want it we will learn when we
want it now this is called interest
baseline about interest based learning
which some of us have heard about but
this is not central to our current
educational institutions the way that
they do things interesting things
learning is really at the heart of what
I’m talking about today but when you
want to learn something then we will
learn well now how do we learn something
well that’s our next question how do we
learn now this question I will admit
that there’s a lot more debate
surrounding it so this would be the part
of my speech where normally I start
quoting educational philosophers and
recent cognitive studies but I won’t be
doing that instead I’d like to share an
experience how I learned effectively I
remember one evening it was summertime I
was about 8 years old probably this tall
and my dad took me outside and he had
some pieces of wood and he had some
tools and he said sterling what do you
want to make and I thought about it for
a minute I said dad I want to make this
submarine he said ok so let’s make a
submarine he took these two tools and he
started demonstrating or showing me how
to use them on a piece of wood and then
he handed them to me he saw that I was
very hesitant because as an 8-year old
boy with my little hands I had never
used those tools before and he he
responded by simply saying sterling if
you make a mistake it’s ok the important
part is that you tried making mistakes
as part of the learning process he said
if you need more wood there’s more here
and actually you will learn how to use
these tools by simply using them so if
you were to go there back in time with
me and see me in my room later he
wouldn’t see me flying my submarine
through the sky with a big smile on my
face because I
I made it myself with my dad’s help now
there are some principles that I would
like to share with you which have to do
with something called project-based
learning effective learning through
projects now to reiterate what I already
said we learn because we want to I
wanted to make a submarine right so I
had to learn how to use those tools but
number two we need the resources and the
opportunity to learn if I didn’t have
that space that time those materials
those tools which my dad provided for me
I couldn’t learn number three
project-based learning our that is
mentorship my dad was my mentor he was
not the traditional idea of a teacher he
didn’t give me a textbook on how to make
a submarine out of a piece of wood he
showed me he understood me in a personal
way but I would like and he gave me
freedom to make a choice he encouraged
me that failure was part of the learning
process
he didn’t scare me away from Philly now
a fourth point about how we learn is
that we learn by doing I have to be
careful here because I want you to
understand I’m not saying that we only
learn by doing my dad did other things
he demonstrated he discussed okay and
you know sometimes you might want to
learn how to tie a tie like I think when
I was in high school I didn’t know how
to tie a tie nobody showed you before so
I went on YouTube
and I watched a video how to tie tie and
I learned because I watched that video
if I had tried to learn how to tie a tie
simply by doing it I think I would still
be there trying right now okay so I’m
not saying that we don’t lecture that we
don’t read textbooks that we don’t learn
in other ways I’m saying that those
should be precursors to learning by
doing which is much more effective at
retaining knowledge and mastering
knowledge and skills now my last point
about project-based learning how we
learn is that we learn by teaching
others I will not forget the things on
to you right now because I’m sort of
standing here as a teacher my dad was
also a learner that evening he was
learning through his discussion with me
through this demonstration okay so these
are the principles which have to do with
the project-based learning which is kind
of like a brother or a sister to
interest bass player now my next
question and my last question having to
do with what better learning is is to
what end do we learn think about that
for yourself another way to ask this is
what we hope is the result of your
learning what do you want to get out of
it some people some of my students
that’s an easy question to answer they
would say I want to get a high grade a
high mark on my next exam but I’m not
talking about that I’m talking about in
the long run in your heart what you
really want to get out of your learning
now at the beginning of the school year
because I’m talking about interest based
learning and project-based learning
I designed their project for my students
which would allow them to find their
interest and also learn from project the
product was that they would design a
useful and beautiful piece of furniture
out of recycled materials or now this is
something they had never done before
they were using new tools that they have
never held before or even seen before
and it was challenging to them
but here you see Lucia and Tim and they
were able to work together to decide on
building a chair now what was the use of
their chair they wanted to create a
chair which recline so that students or
teachers considered it to take a rest
between their tires and lessons and
here’s the important point we’re talking
about to what end do we learn or what is
the motivation for our learning it would
be another way to say it
Tim de Lucia we’re not making that chair
they were not coming into the classroom
at extra hours and building that chair
and asking questions because of they
were thinking about what they were
making that chair because they knew that
students and teachers would be sitting
in it they knew that they would be
making different isn’t that what we want
doesn’t that make you happy if you can
actually make a difference in someone
else’s life again this is not
necessarily involved in our school so
here you see a space where students are
allowed to move around to collaborate to
work on a project that they’re
interested in and this is something
which is called community it’s not only
in the community that we learn but also
for community that we learn now you
should have seen you can’t see her here
but you should have seen Lucia in Tim’s
face they were so proud when they first
out on their chair and it helped their
weight you should have seen their faces
when they finished painting it and
teachers from other subjects in the
school were coming into the art
classroom to try it themselves the
english’s they were so satisfied with
what they had learned and all the while
that was their motivation community
thanks now we’ve entered my first three
questions right and as a good teacher
Here I am lecturing you and not letting
you have a chance to speak interest
based learning project-based learning
community basically but I have one more
question remember I’m trying to share a
vision about how we reconfigure our
educational institutions for this kind
of learning so what do we need in order
to learn that’s my last question the
basic elements that we need in order to
learn our space time resources and
mentorship if you can think of any more
come talk to me after my speech because
I’m always willing to learn space time
resources mentorship now what’s
interesting is we already have these
elements in our current educational
institutions here’s a spool they can
take a look at the space that we see
here outside world separate from our
school interesting curriculum creators
the ones who decide what you learn
they’re not in the learning
where you learn they’re not involved
with the people who are learn teachers
and students although I have to be
careful here because I have so many
teachers who have been amazing in my
life who I carried with me as a teacher
as well but teachers are actually
required to teach in this kind of a way
insert information into their students
now you even have classrooms which are
separated from each other because why
should math and arts have a relationship
that’s the thought resources see those
red squares down there resources are in
special places separate from the rest
books are in the library that’s the only
place for books right art supplies are
in the art room that’s the only place to
make something creative right
instruments are in the music room now
let’s compare this to another
institution here we have a prison very
similar in many ways you’ve got the
cells which are separate from each other
you’ve got the outside world which is
distant you’ve got resources in a prison
as well which they have access to
sometimes interesting the similarities
now another similarity you might not see
just by looking at the space of the way
that time is controlled in a prison and
in a school in a prison we don’t trust
these people because they’re bad people
they’re criminals in a school we don’t
trust them either it’s very strange
so we say you need to be locked in this
room at this time and then you have some
outside time a little bit later and then
you know when you meet over here later
and you’ve always got someone following
you around to make sure you’re not
getting into trouble and I’m not talking
about
we have the same elements that we need
that I just mentioned space-time
mentorship resources but how do we
reconfigure them how do we now here
we’re coming to a close where we can
actually answer an important question
and I want you to imagine this with me
if you have to close your eyes feel free
imagine is space which is for learning
which is more like a sports stadium when
the action happens in the middle through
collaboration and there’s a goal there
and people are not working against each
other they’re working with each other
and yes there are coaches there are
mentors but they are there to be
accessed as you need them they’re not
there to control all that is happening
they’re not there to decide for you what
we’re learning or what are you doing you
collaborate with other learners in this
shared space to learn based on common
interests maybe you want to learn how to
cook French dishes maybe you want to
learn how to build a piece of furniture
using wood maybe you want to design and
market your own kind of public
transportation now in this space you
have resources which are there just like
you would find in a workshop or in a
studio places where creativity is
encouraged and inspired places where you
learn by doing and you learn by
collaborating in this space you have the
freedom to choose your own length of
time to learn and accomplish something
real which makes a difference for the
community in this space you have
curriculum creators but they would
probably be called project designers and
these people are there to give you a
menu like if you walk in a restaurant
and you have a menu with these dishes
like I don’t know in Chinese I really
like untidy for example right but I got
some laughs on that one and it’s a
delicious dish you’ve got different
ingredients
flavors added in there so I’m interested
in that dish I want to eat that fish now
what about a menu of projects weird
taking some physics and you’re taking
some math and you’re taking some design
and you’re making a project where you’re
learning all of these things but it’s
flavorful instead of a menu with seven
items that you eat every day same items
here’s your Apple here’s your bread
here’s your carrot and they’re all
separate this is a vision for how we
reconfigure our educational institutions
now I mentioned to you Harry and Jerry
earlier Harry just recently came to me
he said Mr T it was lunchtime we were
sitting down he said Mr T I want to
start the school in the future 17-year
old Harry and I said Harry why do you
want to do that and he said when I’m a
grandfather I want to sit with my
grandkids and I want them to know that I
did something good I want to make a
difference I just smiled at him I said
Harry don’t be afraid to do that we need
people like Harry to go out and make a
difference to reconfigure our
educational institutions because like
Ken Robinson says the fact is that given
the challenges we face education doesn’t
need to be reformed it needs to be
transformed it needs to be transformed
and the key to this transformation is
not to standardized education but to
personalize it to build achievement on
discovering the individual talents of
each child to put students in an
environment where they want to learn and
where they can naturally discover their
true passion
can we do this I think we can
you
[Applause]
[Music]
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