During the last week we have been introduced to Sir Ken Robinson and Dr Sugata Mitra‘s theories about the traditional Educational System, its shortcomings and how to implement it to keep up with the current society.
Tu sum up (not to trivialise), they claim that our schools are built on old needs and academic basis killing creative thinking and the natural instinct for testing and innovation that belong to every child. Kids are told that there is always a “right” answer and to get stick to set paths to do the “right” thing avoiding mistakes.
They don’t mention how a clear distinction between right and wrong is reassuring but I think we could read it between the lines.
“Someday the other museums will be showing this stuff” – at the Design museum entrance
I visited the London Design Museum this weekend and I found it surprisingly not-human-oriented. I was looking for the process, explanations about how that brilliant designer went through research and prototyping, keen to know why he choose those materials etc. but I found just technical explanations of a series of successes.
Ettore Sottsass – Logos Olivetti (one of my favourites)
After my visit I asked myself the fateful “why”. I don’t believe this approach to be intentional, but just tuned on the general practice.
As in the academic environment, in every field – from law to architecture – there is a technical language that contribute to cut out anyone who is not a professional. The feeling that there are things many of us can’t understand – knowledge we haven’t been introduced to – ends up drawing elite circles in which only some like-minded people are allowed to take part to the conversation. Everyone else stays outside scared to make mistakes.
Innovation comes from inter-disciplinary collaboration, from discussions with people with different backgrounds. Innovation in design comes also from emphaty, it’s made for people researching people’s needs.
It’s not about building walls but reevaluating human capacities: on one hand, the capacity to understand beyond scholastic notions and take part to the conversation with different point of view that worth listening; on the other hand, the capacity to put oneself ideas into discussion and to change.
This needs courage and humility and it’s scaring because leads us to potentially “wrong” unexplored paths, but I guess it’s the most effective way to innovation.
thoughtfromthemace 