How to escape education's death valley | Sir Ken Robinson | TED

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

譯者: Julia Xu 審譯者: Allen Li

謝謝大家

Thank you very much.

I moved to America 12 years ago with my wife Terry and our two kids.

我12年前搬到美國

與我的妻子泰瑞和兩個孩子

Actually, truthfully, we moved to Los Angeles --

其實我們是搬到洛杉磯 （笑聲）

(Laughter)

thinking we were moving to America, but anyway --

還以為我們搬到了美國

反正，從洛杉磯到美國

(Laughter)

It's a short plane ride from Los Angeles to America.

坐飛機也用不了多久

(Laughter)

我 12 年前來到這裡

I got here 12 years ago,

and when I got here, I was told various things,

剛到的時候，聽過各種說法

like, "Americans don't get irony."

例如「美國人聽不懂諷刺」

(Laughter)

Have you come across this idea?

你們聽說過這個說法嗎？

It's not true.

但這不是真的，我旅行全美各地

I've traveled the whole length and breadth of this country.

完全不認為美國人聽不懂諷刺

I have found no evidence that Americans don't get irony.

It's one of those cultural myths,

這就是所謂的文化迷思

like, "The British are reserved."

還有人說「英國人很保守」

(Laughter)

I don't know why people think this.

我不知為何有人這麼想

We've invaded every country we've encountered.

我們侵略每個遇到的國家

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But it's not true Americans don't get irony,

說美國人聽不懂諷刺，絕對是假的

but I just want you to know that that's what people

我只想讓你們知道

are saying about you behind your back.

別人在背後怎麼說你們

You know, so when you leave living rooms in Europe,

當美國人在歐洲起身離開客廳

people say, thankfully, nobody was ironic in your presence.

大家會說，還好沒人當你的面諷刺

(Laughter)

我知道美國人完全了解諷刺

But I knew that Americans get irony

when I came across that legislation, "No Child Left Behind."

就在我聽到「沒有孩子落後」時 (有教無類法案 No Child Left Behind)

(Laughter)

Because whoever thought of that title gets irony.

命名者一定了解什麼叫諷刺

(Laughter)

Don't they?

不是嗎，因為…

(Applause)

（笑聲）（掌聲）

Because it's leaving millions of children behind.

因為幾百萬孩子落後了

Now I can see that's not a very attractive name for legislation:

如果法案叫做「百萬孩子落後」

"Millions of Children Left Behind."

也不合適，這我明白

I can see that.

What's the plan?

我們打算怎麼做呢？我們建議

We propose to leave millions of children behind,

讓百萬孩子落後

我們這麼做

and here's how it's going to work.

而且成效顯著

And it's working beautifully.

(Laughter)

In some parts of the country,

美國的某些地區

60 percent of kids drop out of high school.

60% 的孩子從高中輟學

In the Native American communities,

美國原住民社區

it's 80 percent of kids.

輟學率更高達 80%

If we halved that number,

若能把數字減半，預計

one estimate is it would create a net gain to the U.S. economy

會對美國經濟

over 10 years, of nearly a trillion dollars.

十年內貢獻淨值近一兆美元

從經濟角度來看

From an economic point of view,

this is good math, isn't it, that we should do this?

非常划算，對吧？ 那是不是該做呢？

It actually costs an enormous amount

要花極高成本

to mop up the damage from the dropout crisis.

才能解決輟學危機的傷害

But the dropout crisis is just the tip of an iceberg.

但輟學危機只是冰山一角

What it doesn't count are all the kids who are in school

還沒包括人在學校

but being disengaged from it, who don't enjoy it,

但心不在學校的孩子 他們不喜歡上學

who don't get any real benefit from it.

也沒從學校獲益

And the reason is not that we're not spending enough money.

根本原因

不是經費不足

America spends more money on education than most other countries.

美國花在教育的投資

比世界上大多數國家都多

Class sizes are smaller than in many countries.

班級人數也較少

And there are hundreds of initiatives every year

每年有幾百件方案

to try and improve education.

嘗試改善教育

The trouble is, it's all going in the wrong direction.

問題是，這些嘗試都走錯了方向

There are three principles on which human life flourishes,

有三大法則

讓人活得精彩

and they are contradicted by the culture of education

現有教育文化卻背道而馳，因此

under which most teachers have to labor

老師教得辛苦

and most students have to endure.

學生學得痛苦

第一項法則是：

The first is this, that human beings are naturally different and diverse.

人類天生就各不相同

Can I ask you, how many of you have got children of your own?

請問一下

在座多少人有子女？

Okay. Or grandchildren.

有孫子或孫女嗎？

How about two children or more? Right.

有兩位以上子女的？好

And the rest of you have seen such children.

其他人應該也看過小孩吧

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

Small people wandering about.

不管哪裡都有小孩

(Laughter)

I will make you a bet,

我跟各位打賭

and I am confident that I will win the bet.

我一定會贏

If you've got two children or more,

如果你有兩位以上子女

I bet you they are completely different from each other.

我打賭他們一定截然不同

Aren't they?

對吧？對吧？（掌聲）

(Applause)

You would never confuse them, would you?

你永遠不會搞混，對吧？

Like, "Which one are you? Remind me."

你不會說「提醒我誰是哥哥？

(Laughter)

你媽和我打算用顏色區別，

"Your mother and I need some color-coding system

免得把你們搞混了。」

so we don't get confused."

「有教無類法案」所倡導的教育

Education under "No Child Left Behind"

is based on not diversity but conformity.

並非基於多樣性，而是要統一

What schools are encouraged to do is to find out

學校只被要求

what kids can do across a very narrow spectrum of achievement.

在狹窄範圍內探索學生潛力

One of the effects of "No Child Left Behind"

「有教無類法案」的影響之一是

has been to narrow the focus onto the so-called STEM disciplines.

只重視數理主科

這些學科很重要

They're very important.

I'm not here to argue against science and math.

我不是要說，科學及數學不重要

它們很重要，只是還不夠

On the contrary, they're necessary but they're not sufficient.

A real education has to give equal weight

真正的教育應同樣重視

to the arts, the humanities, to physical education.

藝術、人文、體育

An awful lot of kids, sorry, thank you --

許多孩子，抱歉，謝謝…（掌聲）

(Applause)

One estimate in America currently is that something like 10 percent of kids,

據估計目前在美國

約有 10% 的孩子

getting on that way,

被診斷出各種症狀

are being diagnosed with various conditions

under the broad title of attention deficit disorder.

結果一律被稱為 注意力不足障礙 (ADD)

ADHD.

或 注意力不足過動症 (ADHD) 我不是說這種病不存在

I'm not saying there's no such thing.

I just don't believe it's an epidemic like this.

但我不相信會如此盛行

If you sit kids down, hour after hour,

如果讓孩子坐好幾小時

doing low-grade clerical work,

不用頭腦，只是機械性抄寫

don't be surprised if they start to fidget, you know?

坐不住是很正常的

(Laughter)

（笑聲）（掌聲）

(Applause)

大多數的孩子

Children are not, for the most part, suffering from a psychological condition.

並沒有心理問題

They're suffering from childhood.

只是因為童年而受煎熬 （笑聲）

(Laughter)

And I know this because I spent my early life as a child.

我知道，因為我也經歷過童年

而且是完整經歷過

I went through the whole thing.

Kids prosper best with a broad curriculum that celebrates their various talents,

孩子要茁壯，該有廣泛課程

開發他們不同的天分

not just a small range of them.

而不是只有其中幾科

And by the way, the arts aren't just important

順帶一提，藝術的重要性

because they improve math scores.

不是數學可以考高分

而在於可和孩子一些

They're important because they speak to parts of children's being

本來碰觸不到的部分對話

which are otherwise untouched.

The second, thank you --

第二項…謝謝… （掌聲）

(Applause)

The second principle that drives human life flourishing

要活得精彩，第二項法則是：

is curiosity.

好奇心

If you can light the spark of curiosity in a child,

如果你能激發孩子的好奇心

they will learn without any further assistance, very often.

通常不用幫忙，他就會主動學習

Children are natural learners.

孩子天生就會學習

It's a real achievement to put that particular ability out,

無論是激發或扼殺這項能力

or to stifle it.

都會產生巨大影響

Curiosity is the engine of achievement.

好奇心是成就的火車頭

Now the reason I say this

我會這麼說是因為

is because one of the effects of the current culture here,

我大膽的說，當前文化的影響之一

if I can say so,

是剝奪了教師的專業性

has been to de-professionalize teachers.

There is no system in the world or any school in the country

世界上沒有哪個教育體系的品質、

沒有哪個學校的品質，

能超過其教師的品質

that is better than its teachers.

Teachers are the lifeblood of the success of schools.

教師是學校成功的關鍵

But teaching is a creative profession.

教書是需要創造力的職業

Teaching, properly conceived, is not a delivery system.

好的老師不只是傳遞知識

You know, you're not there just to pass on received information.

不只是把收到的資訊傳下去

好的老師不但傳授知識

Great teachers do that,

but what great teachers also do is mentor,

更是良師益友

stimulate, provoke, engage.

刺激、誘導、吸引

You see, in the end, education is about learning.

歸根究柢，教育的核心是 學生主動學習

If there's no learning going on, there's no education going on.

沒有學習

就沒有教育

And people can spend an awful lot of time

人們花了太多時間

discussing education without ever discussing learning.

只談教育、不談學習

The whole point of education is to get people to learn.

教育的目的就是讓人主動學習

An old friend of mine -- actually very old, he's dead.

我有個朋友，老朋友－真的很老

已經死了 （笑聲）

(Laughter)

That's as old as it gets, I'm afraid.

人最老也不過如此

(Laughter)

But a wonderful guy he was, wonderful philosopher.

他是個了不起的人 是個偉大的哲學家

He used to talk about the difference

他曾談到，「進行」一件事

between the task and achievement senses of verbs.

和「完成」一件事，意義大不相同

You can be engaged in the activity of something,

你可以進行著某件事

但沒有成果

but not really be achieving it, like dieting.

像節食就是個很好的例子

(Laughter)

It's a very good example.

There he is. He's dieting.

他一直節食，體重有減輕嗎？沒有

Is he losing any weight? Not really.

(Laughter)

Teaching is a word like that.

教學也是這樣

你可以說，「戴老師在教室教書」

You can say, "There's Deborah, she's in room 34, she's teaching."

But if nobody's learning anything,

但如果沒人學到東西

she may be engaged in the task of teaching but not actually fulfilling it.

他就只是在「進行」教學

但沒有真正「完成」教學任務

The role of a teacher is to facilitate learning.

教師的角色是促進學習，這是重點

That's it.

And part of the problem is, I think,

我認為部分問題在於

that the dominant culture of education has come to focus

教育的主流文化重視的

on not teaching and learning, but testing.

不是教與學，而是考試

Now, testing is important.

考試很重要的，標準化測驗有必要

Standardized tests have a place.

But they should not be the dominant culture of education.

但不該主導教育文化

They should be diagnostic. They should help.

考試應該是診斷、是輔助

(Applause)

（掌聲）

If I go for a medical examination, I want some standardized tests.

如果我參加體檢

我當然也要做常規檢驗

I do.

I want to know what my cholesterol level is

我想知道我的膽固醇指數

在標準尺度下和他人的比較

compared to everybody else's on a standard scale.

I don't want to be told on some scale my doctor invented in the car.

我不想參考

我醫生發明的標準：

(Laughter)

「你的膽固醇指數為橘色。」

"Your cholesterol is what I call Level Orange."

"Really?"

「是嗎？是好消息嗎？」 「不知道。」

(Laughter)

"Is that good?" "We don't know."

(Laughter)

But all that should support learning.

測驗應該是輔助、而非妨礙學習

It shouldn't obstruct it, which of course it often does.

可惜目前經常是妨礙

So in place of curiosity, what we have is a culture of compliance.

就好奇心而言

我們的教育文化要求服從

Our children and teachers are encouraged to follow routine algorithms

鼓勵孩子和老師

遵守固定規則

rather than to excite that power of imagination and curiosity.

而不是激發想像力和好奇心

第三項法則是：

And the third principle is this: that human life is inherently creative.

人生的本質就是創造性

我們的經歷各不相同

It's why we all have different résumés.

We create our lives,

我們創造自己的命運

and we can recreate them as we go through them.

我們經歷的同時，也在重新創造

It's the common currency of being a human being.

這是人類的共同價值

It's why human culture is so interesting and diverse and dynamic.

人類文化也因此多采多姿、

充滿活力

I mean, other animals may well have imaginations and creativity,

其他動物可能也有想像力

與創造力，但和人類相比

but it's not so much in evidence, is it, as ours?

就沒那麼明顯

I mean, you may have a dog.

比方說你有隻狗

And your dog may get depressed.

得了憂鬱症

You know, but it doesn't listen to Radiohead, does it?

但牠不會因此開始聽電台司令的歌吧？ (Radiohead 樂團)

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

And sit staring out the window with a bottle of Jack Daniels.

牠不會喝傑克丹尼威士忌，對窗外 發呆 (Jack Daniels)

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

你如果說，「想出去走走嗎？」

"Would you like to come for a walk?"

"No, I'm fine."

牠不會說，「不，我沒事，

(Laughter)

"You go. I'll wait. But take pictures."

去吧，我要靜一靜， 記得拍點照片。」

(Laughter)

We all create our own lives through this restless process

我們經由不斷變化的過程 創造人生

of imagining alternatives and possibilities,

不斷想像有哪些選擇、哪些可能

and one of the roles of education

教育目的之一

就是喚醒並發展創造力

is to awaken and develop these powers of creativity.

Instead, what we have is a culture of standardization.

但現在教育反而走向標準化

Now, it doesn't have to be that way.

不該是這樣，真的不應該

It really doesn't.

Finland regularly comes out on top in math, science and reading.

芬蘭學生在全球名列前茅

不論數學、科學、或閱讀

Now, we only know that's what they do well at,

我們只知道他們擅長這些科目

because that's all that's being tested.

因為現在只考了這幾科

That's one of the problems of the test.

這就是測驗的問題之一

They don't look for other things that matter just as much.

你無法找出同樣重要的其他因素

The thing about work in Finland is this:

芬蘭所作的努力是這樣的：

他們不只重視這幾科

they don't obsess about those disciplines.

They have a very broad approach to education,

他們的教育範圍很廣

which includes humanities, physical education, the arts.

包括人文、體育、藝術

其次，芬蘭沒有標準化考試

Second, there is no standardized testing in Finland.

I mean, there's a bit,

當然有些考試

but it's not what gets people up in the morning,

但用意不是要學生早起晨讀

不是要把學生綁在書桌前

what keeps them at their desks.

The third thing -- and I was at a meeting recently

第三，最近我參加了一個會議

有邀請芬蘭人、真正芬蘭來的人

with some people from Finland, actual Finnish people,

and somebody from the American system was saying to the people in Finland,

有位美國教育體系的人

問芬蘭人：

「芬蘭的輟學率多高？」

"What do you do about the drop-out rate in Finland?"

And they all looked a bit bemused, and said,

芬蘭人呆住了，說：

「我們一個輟學生都沒有。

"Well, we don't have one.

Why would you drop out?

為什麼要輟學呢？

If people are in trouble, we get to them quite quickly

學生有困難，我們很快會發現，

並幫助他們、支持他們。」

and we help and support them."

Now people always say,

有人會說：

"Well, you know, you can't compare Finland to America."

「不能拿芬蘭和美國比。」

No. I think there's a population of around five million in Finland.

不，芬蘭人口

大約只有 500 萬

但你可拿芬蘭和美國一州相比

But you can compare it to a state in America.

Many states in America have fewer people in them than that.

美國許多州人口還沒芬蘭多

I mean, I've been to some states in America

我去過美國的一些州

and I was the only person there.

就只有我一個人（笑聲）

(Laughter)

Really. Really.

真的，真的 還有人叫我走的時候要鎖門

I was asked to lock up when I left.

(Laughter)

（笑聲）

But what all the high-performing systems in the world do

全球許多優秀教育體系的做法

is currently what is not evident, sadly,

在美國很難看到，很可惜

across the systems in America --

我是指美國整體而言

I mean, as a whole.

One is this:

做法之一是：教學與學習個人化

they individualize teaching and learning.

They recognize that it's students who are learning

他們認為，學生是學習的主體

and the system has to engage them,

教育體系應該吸引學生

their curiosity, their individuality, and their creativity.

重視好奇心、個別性、創造力

That's how you get them to learn.

才能讓學生想要學習

The second is that they attribute a very high status

第二種做法是：

to the teaching profession.

給教師崇高的地位

They recognize that you can't improve education

他們認為教育不可能改善

if you don't pick great people to teach and keep giving them

除非挑選優秀人才教書、

除非給老師不斷支持、

constant support and professional development.

以及專業發展機會

Investing in professional development is not a cost.

老師的專業發展不是花費

It's an investment,

而是投資

and every other country that's succeeding well knows that,

每個成功的國家都清楚這點

whether it's Australia, Canada,

不論澳洲、加拿大、韓國、新加坡、

South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong or Shanghai.

香港、上海。大家都清楚這點

They know that to be the case.

第三種做法是，下放教育的責任

And the third is,

they devolve responsibility to the school level

到學校層級

for getting the job done.

You see, there's a big difference here

這和我們教育

between going into a mode of command and control in education --

指揮與控制的模式差別很大

That's what happens in some systems.

有些教育體系

由中央政府決定

Central or state governments decide,

或由州政府決定

they know best and they're going to tell you what to do.

他們覺得自己最懂，因此發號施令

The trouble is that education doesn't go on

問題是，教育並不是在

in the committee rooms of our legislative buildings.

立法機關的會議室進行的

It happens in classrooms and schools,

而是在教室和學校進行的

and the people who do it are the teachers and the students,

老師和學生是教育的主體

and if you remove their discretion, it stops working.

如果剝奪了他們的自主權 就會產生問題

必須把自主權還給他們

You have to put it back to the people.

(Applause)

（掌聲）

There is wonderful work happening in this country.

現在美國有些了不起的成就

But I have to say it's happening

但我不得不說

in spite of the dominant culture of education,

教育界的主導文化 是這些成就的阻力

not because of it.

而非助力

It's like people are sailing into a headwind all the time.

變成要不斷逆風航行

And the reason I think is this:

我認為原因在於

that many of the current policies

許多現行教育政策，是基於

are based on mechanistic conceptions of education.

把教育當作機器的觀念

It's like education is an industrial process

教育好像是工廠在生產

that can be improved just by having better data,

調整參數就可以改善

and somewhere in the back of the mind of some policy makers

而我認為，這些政策的背後

制定者的想法是

is this idea that if we fine-tune it well enough, if we just get it right,

只要參數調得夠好，就能成功

it will all hum along perfectly into the future.

就能完美航向未來

It won't, and it never did.

不可能，從來都沒有過

The point is that education is not a mechanical system.

關鍵在於，教育不是機械的系統

It's a human system.

而是人的系統，核心在人

It's about people,

people who either do want to learn or don't want to learn.

有人想學習、有人不想

Every student who drops out of school has a reason for it

每個輟學的孩子，背後都有原因

which is rooted in their own biography.

可能來自他個人經歷

They may find it boring.

可能覺得無聊、覺得無關緊要

They may find it irrelevant.

可能覺得學習

They may find that it's at odds with the life they're living outside of school.

和校外現實生活有衝突

原因類似，但背後故事個個不同

There are trends, but the stories are always unique.

我最近在洛杉磯參加了一個會議

I was at a meeting recently in Los Angeles of --

they're called alternative education programs.

主題是：替代性教育課程

These are programs designed to get kids back into education.

目的在幫助孩子重返教育

They have certain common features.

課程有些共同特點

They're very personalized.

課程非常個人化

They have strong support for the teachers,

對教師強力支持

close links with the community and a broad and diverse curriculum,

與社區緊密聯繫

課程廣泛多樣

and often programs which involve students outside school as well as inside school.

有些課程包括了

外校學生、本校學生

And they work.

這些課程確實有效

What's interesting to me is, these are called "alternative education."

我覺得最有趣的一點是

課程名稱叫「替代性教育」

(Laughter)

You know?

你知道嗎？

And all the evidence from around the world is,

由全球得到的證據顯示

if we all did that, there'd be no need for the alternative.

如果教育本來就是這樣 就不需要替代性教育了

(Applause)

（掌聲）

(Applause ends)

我們必須擁抱另一種作法

So I think we have to embrace a different metaphor.

We have to recognize that it's a human system,

必須認知，教育是人的系統

and there are conditions under which people thrive,

有些環境會使人成功

有些則不會

and conditions under which they don't.

We are after all organic creatures,

我們本質上都是有機生物

and the culture of the school is absolutely essential.

學校的文化極為重要

Culture is an organic term, isn't it?

文化也是個有機的名詞，不是嗎？

Not far from where I live is a place called Death Valley.

我家附近有個地方叫死亡谷 (Death Valley)

Death Valley is the hottest, driest place in America,

死亡谷是美國最熱最乾的地方

and nothing grows there.

沒有生物可以生長

沒有雨水，生物無法生長

Nothing grows there because it doesn't rain.

Hence, Death Valley.

所以叫死亡谷

In the winter of 2004, it rained in Death Valley.

2004 年冬天，死亡谷下雨了

Seven inches of rain fell over a very short period.

短期內降雨 7 英寸 (約 180 公釐)

2005 年春天，奇蹟發生了

And in the spring of 2005, there was a phenomenon.

The whole floor of Death Valley was carpeted in flowers for a while.

死亡谷開滿了花朵

花朵盛開了一段時間

What it proved is this:

這證明了：死亡谷並沒有死亡

that Death Valley isn't dead.

只是在沉睡

It's dormant.

Right beneath the surface are these seeds of possibility

地底下埋了各種可能性的種子

等待時機、迸發而出

waiting for the right conditions to come about,

and with organic systems, if the conditions are right,

對於有機系統，只要條件適合

生命的發生是必然的，總是這樣

life is inevitable.

It happens all the time.

You take an area, a school, a district,

選個學科、選個學校、選個地區

you change the conditions, give people a different sense of possibility,

改變條件，讓人覺得有不同可能、

a different set of expectations, a broader range of opportunities,

不同期待、

更多機會、

you cherish and value the relationships between teachers and learners,

珍惜並重視師生關係

給予創造力的自主權

you offer people the discretion to be creative

and to innovate in what they do,

讓每個人都能創新

and schools that were once bereft spring to life.

學校就能起死回生

Great leaders know that.

偉大的領導人都清楚

The real role of leadership in education --

教育界領導者的真正角色－

and I think it's true at the national level,

不管在國家層級、各州層級、

the state level, at the school level --

學校層級…

is not and should not be command and control.

都不是、也不該是指揮與控制

The real role of leadership is climate control,

領導者的真正角色 應該是控制大環境

creating a climate of possibility.

創造一種充滿可能性的環境

And if you do that, people will rise to it

若能如此，人們就會挺身而出

and achieve things that you completely did not anticipate

得到的成果，不但出乎意料

and couldn't have expected.

更會超出期望

There's a wonderful quote from Benjamin Franklin.

富蘭克林 (Benjamin Franklin) 有句偉大的名言：

"There are three sorts of people in the world:

「世界上有三種人：

Those who are immovable,

第一種人不知不覺，

他們不想改變、不願改變、

people who don't get it,

or don't want to do anything about it;

更阻礙改變；

there are people who are movable,

第二種人後知後覺，

people who see the need for change

他們知道必須改變，

and are prepared to listen to it;

並樂觀其成；

and there are people who move,

第三種人知覺而動，

people who make things happen."

他們造成改變。」

And if we can encourage more people, that will be a movement.

如果我們可以激勵更多人

就可以形成運動

And if the movement is strong enough,

如果聲勢夠大

that's, in the best sense of the word, a revolution.

就能成為革命

And that's what we need.

這正是我們需要的

Thank you very much.

謝謝大家！

(Applause)

（掌聲）

非常感謝！（掌聲）

Thank you very much.

(Applause)