What do you think?
Rate this book
The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything
From one of the world's leading thinkers and speakers on creativity and self-fulfillment, a breakthrough book about talent, passion, and achievement
The element is the point at which natural talent meets personal passion. When people arrive at the element, they feel most themselves and most inspired and achieve at their highest levels. "The Element" draws on the stories of a wide range of people, from ex-Beatle Paul McCartney to Matt Groening, creator of "The Simpsons"; from Meg Ryan to Gillian Lynne, who choreographed the Broadway productions of "Cats" and "The Phantom of the Opera"; and from writer Arianna Huffington to renowned physicist Richard Feynman and others, including business leaders and athletes. It explores the components of this new paradigm: The diversity of intelligence, the power of imagination and creativity, and the importance of commitment to our own capabilities.
With a wry sense of humor, Ken Robinson looks at the conditions that enable us to find ourselves in the element and those that stifle that possibility. He shows that age and occupation are no barrier, and that once we have found our path we can help others to do so as well. "The Element" shows the vital need to enhance creativity and innovation by thinking differently about human resources and imagination. It is also an essential strategy for transforming education, business, and communities to meet the challenges of living and succeeding in the twenty-first century.
The element is the point at which natural talent meets personal passion. When people arrive at the element, they feel most themselves and most inspired and achieve at their highest levels. "The Element" draws on the stories of a wide range of people, from ex-Beatle Paul McCartney to Matt Groening, creator of "The Simpsons"; from Meg Ryan to Gillian Lynne, who choreographed the Broadway productions of "Cats" and "The Phantom of the Opera"; and from writer Arianna Huffington to renowned physicist Richard Feynman and others, including business leaders and athletes. It explores the components of this new paradigm: The diversity of intelligence, the power of imagination and creativity, and the importance of commitment to our own capabilities.
With a wry sense of humor, Ken Robinson looks at the conditions that enable us to find ourselves in the element and those that stifle that possibility. He shows that age and occupation are no barrier, and that once we have found our path we can help others to do so as well. "The Element" shows the vital need to enhance creativity and innovation by thinking differently about human resources and imagination. It is also an essential strategy for transforming education, business, and communities to meet the challenges of living and succeeding in the twenty-first century.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 8, 2009
About the author
Ken Robinson
35 books1,643 followersSir Ken Robinson (born Liverpool 4 March 1950) is an internationally recognized leader in the development of innovation and human resources. He has worked with national governments in Europe and Asia, with international agencies, Fortune 500 companies, national and state education systems, non-profit corporations and some of the world’s leading cultural organizations. They include the Royal Shakespeare Company, Sir Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, the Royal Ballet, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, the European Commission, UNESCO, the Council of Europe, the J Paul Getty Trust and the Education Commission of the States. From 1989 - 2001, he was Professor of Arts Education at the University of Warwick.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,744 reviews
May 4, 2010
I was very fond of Ken Robinson after seeing his Ted speech, so I followed my friend's recommendation to read this book. This was a mistake.
If you're wondering what wisdom lies in this book, don't bother; I'll summarize it for you:
"Little Johnny didn't like school very much. He sucked at math and couldn't concentrate and everyone told him he was a moron. But then he quit school and read my book and joined a rockband, and now he's a multi-billionaire who won at life. This could be you, and the only reason it hasn't happened to you is because you're not following my advice. So don't feel bad if you're an underachieving dumbass, because it's not your fault, you just never had the RIGHT education."
Basically, Ken Robinson tells a bunch of success stories of the one in a million people who end up making it big in risky industries, then insists that it was simply because they found their "element", a term he invented which is actually the same thing as "passion". If you're wondering how to find your "element", don't look here, because Robinson never actually explains that. He does, however, tell you about all the people who found theirs and as a result are much prettier than you.
I gave this book two stars because, in the process of spacing out while reading it, I actually came up with some decent ideas of my own. But if you're seeking out a long-winded motivational speech, I recommend looking elsewhere.
If you're wondering what wisdom lies in this book, don't bother; I'll summarize it for you:
"Little Johnny didn't like school very much. He sucked at math and couldn't concentrate and everyone told him he was a moron. But then he quit school and read my book and joined a rockband, and now he's a multi-billionaire who won at life. This could be you, and the only reason it hasn't happened to you is because you're not following my advice. So don't feel bad if you're an underachieving dumbass, because it's not your fault, you just never had the RIGHT education."
Basically, Ken Robinson tells a bunch of success stories of the one in a million people who end up making it big in risky industries, then insists that it was simply because they found their "element", a term he invented which is actually the same thing as "passion". If you're wondering how to find your "element", don't look here, because Robinson never actually explains that. He does, however, tell you about all the people who found theirs and as a result are much prettier than you.
I gave this book two stars because, in the process of spacing out while reading it, I actually came up with some decent ideas of my own. But if you're seeking out a long-winded motivational speech, I recommend looking elsewhere.
January 5, 2012
I had came across with Ken Robinson’s speech on TED | Talks for TED Conference 2006. It was one of those I’m lost, what should I do afternoons. Every word, every sentence that he said has penetrated to my heart and soon enough my heart just couldn’t help it and started to scream: “I told you several times! You are a teacher; please stop going against your fate, your true calling!” Though the epiphany has yet to come only after I have read his book – The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything. All my doubts, questions, and uncertainties about my true Element, Ken Robinson did not fail to reconcile each one of them through his book. And I know, this book is going to change my life forever.
Without a shadow of a doubt, after reading this book, it had helped me reassured what my true calling is. It did not fail to inspire me in pursuing my dream of becoming a professional teacher. This book is full of inspirational stories of how people found their Element and how they fought for their way to further explore their element.
The book has to be read not only with an open mind, but with an open heart as well. One must not be sceptical and circumscribe its thought by thinking “Isn’t it what the book is saying obvious?” or “I’ve heard these stories a dozen of times already; what’s new?” As you leaf through each page, uncover each chapter, you’ll find yourself reconciling with your inner doubts and accepting of who you truly are. Or, at the very least, open yourself to the possibility of re-exploring who are you as a person. You must be patient when reading this book before internalisation and self-realisation will surface.
This book is a must to each and every one of us; imagine each one of us at our Element...
Without a shadow of a doubt, after reading this book, it had helped me reassured what my true calling is. It did not fail to inspire me in pursuing my dream of becoming a professional teacher. This book is full of inspirational stories of how people found their Element and how they fought for their way to further explore their element.
The book has to be read not only with an open mind, but with an open heart as well. One must not be sceptical and circumscribe its thought by thinking “Isn’t it what the book is saying obvious?” or “I’ve heard these stories a dozen of times already; what’s new?” As you leaf through each page, uncover each chapter, you’ll find yourself reconciling with your inner doubts and accepting of who you truly are. Or, at the very least, open yourself to the possibility of re-exploring who are you as a person. You must be patient when reading this book before internalisation and self-realisation will surface.
This book is a must to each and every one of us; imagine each one of us at our Element...
April 28, 2009
The author defines "The Element" as the thing you are both passionate about doing and good at doing. He offers some basic ideas on ways to find the element for yourself, drawing on examples as illustrations. On the whole, I prefered Marcus Buckingham's "THe One Thing You Need to Know."
One idea from the book did stand out. In talking about standards for educatuion, Robinson offers an analogy to standards for restaurants. Fast food restaurants have very rigorous standards which get applied to the letter. The results are predictable but don't lead to excellence. The other option is the Michelin Guide, which defines standards more broadly and leaves it up to each restaurant to interepret them. THey are evaluated by experts based on Michelin criteria. In education, programs like No Child Left Behind are held to a fast food standard, but the author argues a Michelin approach would serve us better.
One idea from the book did stand out. In talking about standards for educatuion, Robinson offers an analogy to standards for restaurants. Fast food restaurants have very rigorous standards which get applied to the letter. The results are predictable but don't lead to excellence. The other option is the Michelin Guide, which defines standards more broadly and leaves it up to each restaurant to interepret them. THey are evaluated by experts based on Michelin criteria. In education, programs like No Child Left Behind are held to a fast food standard, but the author argues a Michelin approach would serve us better.
Want to read
January 3, 2010I don't really need to read a whole book on finding the crosspoint between passion and talent, but this is the quote that got me:
p. 238 The most powerful method of improving education is to invest in the improvement of teaching and the status of great teachers. There isn’t a great school anywhere that doesn’t have great teachers working in it. But there and plenty of poor schools with shelves of curriculum standards and reams of standardized tests.
The fact is that given the challenges we face, education doesn’t need to be reformed—it needs to be transformed. The key to this transformation is not to standardize 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 passions.
If he can convince non-believers of that, then this book will be gold.
I actually had Aidan's teacher (2nd grade) tell me that since he's already so good at art, she doesn't want him to have the role of "artist" in his small group but instead to focus on his spelling. I know her intentions are good---she's aiming for well-rounded students. I just wish elementary teachers could spend time with "well-rounded" passionless high school students and realize their role in killing enthusiasm for learning. No one wants to do that, especially not teachers, but so often we do just that.
p. 238 The most powerful method of improving education is to invest in the improvement of teaching and the status of great teachers. There isn’t a great school anywhere that doesn’t have great teachers working in it. But there and plenty of poor schools with shelves of curriculum standards and reams of standardized tests.
The fact is that given the challenges we face, education doesn’t need to be reformed—it needs to be transformed. The key to this transformation is not to standardize 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 passions.
If he can convince non-believers of that, then this book will be gold.
I actually had Aidan's teacher (2nd grade) tell me that since he's already so good at art, she doesn't want him to have the role of "artist" in his small group but instead to focus on his spelling. I know her intentions are good---she's aiming for well-rounded students. I just wish elementary teachers could spend time with "well-rounded" passionless high school students and realize their role in killing enthusiasm for learning. No one wants to do that, especially not teachers, but so often we do just that.
May 10, 2011
An amazing book. I first discovered Ken Robinson via Ted Talks and was absolutely captivated by his speech, primarily because he spoke to something I've always believed was true but had never heard articulated so well. The specific chord that resonated for me was that schools are failing our students because of the hierarchy established in school subjects and how schools are only assessing certain types of intelligence. So many children are being told they're not bright or talented if their interests and gifts fall outside the realm of the valued subjects of math, science, or English.
In The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, Ken Robinson elaborates on the themes touched on in the TED Talks. In many ways it can be viewed as a Self-Help book, one that aims at helping the reader find and explore their passions. However, Ken Robinson hits readers with good level of psychological and educational research, along with some great philosophy, which makes this book feel more grounded in truth than some typical self-help fluff. The book also includes great case studies of people who have found "The Element", celebrity and non-celebrity alike, and what their journey has been like. These case studies really give some practical life application for the principles Robinson talks about.
In helping readers find the calling for their lives, he asks not "How creative are you?" but rather, "How are you creative?" That question may be my favorite part of the book. He challenges the reader to do some digging and some turning inward to determine what sort of activities, passions, pursuits they really connect with and encourages the pursuit of those things inside or outside of a career. He argues quite well that we are all talented and creative in our own way.
I recently heard a commencement speech by Steve Jobs where he said the only way to do great work is to love the work you're doing. That's really at the heart of Robinson's book and I enjoyed every minute of it.
In The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, Ken Robinson elaborates on the themes touched on in the TED Talks. In many ways it can be viewed as a Self-Help book, one that aims at helping the reader find and explore their passions. However, Ken Robinson hits readers with good level of psychological and educational research, along with some great philosophy, which makes this book feel more grounded in truth than some typical self-help fluff. The book also includes great case studies of people who have found "The Element", celebrity and non-celebrity alike, and what their journey has been like. These case studies really give some practical life application for the principles Robinson talks about.
In helping readers find the calling for their lives, he asks not "How creative are you?" but rather, "How are you creative?" That question may be my favorite part of the book. He challenges the reader to do some digging and some turning inward to determine what sort of activities, passions, pursuits they really connect with and encourages the pursuit of those things inside or outside of a career. He argues quite well that we are all talented and creative in our own way.
I recently heard a commencement speech by Steve Jobs where he said the only way to do great work is to love the work you're doing. That's really at the heart of Robinson's book and I enjoyed every minute of it.
March 13, 2017
25 March 2016: minor edits to correct sloppy proofing
Like many millions (literally) round the world I am captivated by Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talks on education.
He makes so much sense, by emphasising the need for education to be adapted to each individual, and pointing out that intelligence can manifest itself in a multitude of ways. He asked people in the audience to say how creative they are; usually they underrated themselves.
Sir Ken’s thesis is that education is an industrial process which is applied in a one size fits all approach, combined with an emphasis on university entrance requirements and focussing on particular subjects (maths, science, English) with the humanities and the arts downgraded - even within the arts there is a hierarchy - visual arts comes in ahead of the performing arts, with dance last of all. This tends to distort intelligence and reduce creativity. Sir Ken uses many good examples to show the variety of intelligence and creativity. Despite narrowness and homogeneity in our education systems, a number of diverse individuals have led outstanding lives replete with achievements, even though their talent, skills and potential failed to be recognised in their schooling.
Some of the examples: a hyperactive child who became a gymnast, a pool player who fell in love with the magic of the pool hall and a boy who wanted to be a fireman, disparaged by a teacher for his aspiration, ultimately saving the teacher’s life (and that of the teacher's wife) when he pulled them out of a crashed car.
So I went straight out and bought this book – you can probably tell there is a ‘but’ coming. Sir Ken introduces the concept of ‘The Element’, how to find it and the joy of being in it. The element is that calling, pursuit or activity which is an ideal match for a person’s intelligence and creativity.
However, the concept rings slightly hollow. This is because ‘the element’ seems identifiable by a number of other already familiar names like ‘passion’, ‘great love’ or ‘enthusiasm’, the activity which occupies your time and attention and makes the clock stand still. There seems to be no added quality or characteristic which could distinguish the term from ones which already exist. This is a shame because this construct - if we could all find 'the element' we could be happy and fulfilled, is valid, but perhaps more valid when expressed in conventional terms. Sir Ken’s educational observations are deep and profound; his attempt to add to that a new concept to find one’s calling is not made out as well.
Perhaps I was looking for a silver bullet - to find out what makes me fulfilled and happy. Well no such bullet exists and Sir Ken probably knows that. I know that reading and writing and sharing my views with others puts me in a happy place.
Elementary, my dear Watson…
Like many millions (literally) round the world I am captivated by Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talks on education.
He makes so much sense, by emphasising the need for education to be adapted to each individual, and pointing out that intelligence can manifest itself in a multitude of ways. He asked people in the audience to say how creative they are; usually they underrated themselves.
Sir Ken’s thesis is that education is an industrial process which is applied in a one size fits all approach, combined with an emphasis on university entrance requirements and focussing on particular subjects (maths, science, English) with the humanities and the arts downgraded - even within the arts there is a hierarchy - visual arts comes in ahead of the performing arts, with dance last of all. This tends to distort intelligence and reduce creativity. Sir Ken uses many good examples to show the variety of intelligence and creativity. Despite narrowness and homogeneity in our education systems, a number of diverse individuals have led outstanding lives replete with achievements, even though their talent, skills and potential failed to be recognised in their schooling.
Some of the examples: a hyperactive child who became a gymnast, a pool player who fell in love with the magic of the pool hall and a boy who wanted to be a fireman, disparaged by a teacher for his aspiration, ultimately saving the teacher’s life (and that of the teacher's wife) when he pulled them out of a crashed car.
So I went straight out and bought this book – you can probably tell there is a ‘but’ coming. Sir Ken introduces the concept of ‘The Element’, how to find it and the joy of being in it. The element is that calling, pursuit or activity which is an ideal match for a person’s intelligence and creativity.
However, the concept rings slightly hollow. This is because ‘the element’ seems identifiable by a number of other already familiar names like ‘passion’, ‘great love’ or ‘enthusiasm’, the activity which occupies your time and attention and makes the clock stand still. There seems to be no added quality or characteristic which could distinguish the term from ones which already exist. This is a shame because this construct - if we could all find 'the element' we could be happy and fulfilled, is valid, but perhaps more valid when expressed in conventional terms. Sir Ken’s educational observations are deep and profound; his attempt to add to that a new concept to find one’s calling is not made out as well.
Perhaps I was looking for a silver bullet - to find out what makes me fulfilled and happy. Well no such bullet exists and Sir Ken probably knows that. I know that reading and writing and sharing my views with others puts me in a happy place.
Elementary, my dear Watson…
February 9, 2016
؟ (your Element) كيف يمكن أن تكتشف جوهرك
أعني كيف يمكن أن تعرف المجال الذي تبدع فيه .. المجال الذي لديك حماسة و حرقة لفعله ؟ و يسميه الكاتب بــالجوهر
يحاول الكتاب أن يقدم الجواب بشكل مبسط و واقعي .. يبين لنا الوسائل التي تؤدي بنا لاكتشاف أنفسنا و اكتشاف الجوهر
و ينتقد النظام التعليمي الحالي باختصاره للإنسان إلى آلات تتقن الرياضيات و الفيزياء و الطب
و تحصر مفهوم الذكاء ضمن نطاق ضيق تقتل مواهب الطلاب و إبداعاتهم
يؤدي هذا النظام التعليمي بالكثير منا إلى مهن و مسالك لا نحبها .. نفعلها كي نكسب المال أو كي نمضي أوقاتنا
فلا نساهم في تحقيق غاياتنا و لا نساهم في تطوير المجتمع
ما هو الجوهر ؟
( يتألف الجوهر من سمتين موجودتين أصلا فينا و هما: الموهبة و الحب ( أي حبنا وانفعالنا لهذه الموهبة
و ينبغي أيضاً أن يتوفر شرطان نستطيع التحكم بهما ولا يتم الجوهر إلا بهما و هما: الموقف (أي موقفنا تجاه هذه الموهبة ) و الفرصة المواتية لاستغلالها
إذن الجوهر هو موهبة نتمتع بها و نحبها حينما نمارسها و نعمل على تطويرها دائماً ضمن الظروف المحيطة المساعدة
يشرح الكتاب بالتفصيل من خلال قصص الناس الذين وجدوا جوهرهم و أبدعوا في الحياة هذه العناصر الأربعة للجوهر
كي تساعدنا على اكتشاف ما بداخلنا من طاقات و استغلالها أحسن استغلال و تجنب التأثير السلبي للمجتمع و الثقافة على جوهرنا الحقيقي
الكتاب مشجع جداً أمدني بطاقة و أمل كبيرين.. و جعلني أكثر وعياً بالمحيط الذي حولي
أدركني الأسى كثيراً و أنا أقرأ فكم من مواهب قُتلت ؟ و كم من طاقات دمُرت ؟ بسبب رؤية ضيقة و تعريف للنجاح بشكل سطحي و تافه
أنصـــح به و بشــدة للأصدقاء غير التقليديين .. الذين هم في رحلة اكتشاف ذواتهم
أعني كيف يمكن أن تعرف المجال الذي تبدع فيه .. المجال الذي لديك حماسة و حرقة لفعله ؟ و يسميه الكاتب بــالجوهر
يحاول الكتاب أن يقدم الجواب بشكل مبسط و واقعي .. يبين لنا الوسائل التي تؤدي بنا لاكتشاف أنفسنا و اكتشاف الجوهر
و ينتقد النظام التعليمي الحالي باختصاره للإنسان إلى آلات تتقن الرياضيات و الفيزياء و الطب
و تحصر مفهوم الذكاء ضمن نطاق ضيق تقتل مواهب الطلاب و إبداعاتهم
يؤدي هذا النظام التعليمي بالكثير منا إلى مهن و مسالك لا نحبها .. نفعلها كي نكسب المال أو كي نمضي أوقاتنا
فلا نساهم في تحقيق غاياتنا و لا نساهم في تطوير المجتمع
ما هو الجوهر ؟
( يتألف الجوهر من سمتين موجودتين أصلا فينا و هما: الموهبة و الحب ( أي حبنا وانفعالنا لهذه الموهبة
و ينبغي أيضاً أن يتوفر شرطان نستطيع التحكم بهما ولا يتم الجوهر إلا بهما و هما: الموقف (أي موقفنا تجاه هذه الموهبة ) و الفرصة المواتية لاستغلالها
إذن الجوهر هو موهبة نتمتع بها و نحبها حينما نمارسها و نعمل على تطويرها دائماً ضمن الظروف المحيطة المساعدة
يشرح الكتاب بالتفصيل من خلال قصص الناس الذين وجدوا جوهرهم و أبدعوا في الحياة هذه العناصر الأربعة للجوهر
كي تساعدنا على اكتشاف ما بداخلنا من طاقات و استغلالها أحسن استغلال و تجنب التأثير السلبي للمجتمع و الثقافة على جوهرنا الحقيقي
الكتاب مشجع جداً أمدني بطاقة و أمل كبيرين.. و جعلني أكثر وعياً بالمحيط الذي حولي
أدركني الأسى كثيراً و أنا أقرأ فكم من مواهب قُتلت ؟ و كم من طاقات دمُرت ؟ بسبب رؤية ضيقة و تعريف للنجاح بشكل سطحي و تافه
أنصـــح به و بشــدة للأصدقاء غير التقليديين .. الذين هم في رحلة اكتشاف ذواتهم
August 15, 2021
چگونه با یافتن علاقه قلبی خود هرچیز رنگ دیگری به خود میگیرد.
کتاب شامل یازده فصل بود و یه موخره که خب به نظرم نه تا فصل اولش مطالبش شبیه بهم بود
نه اینکه بدردنخور باشه ولی خب جدایی فصل ها رو نفهمیدم برا چی بود
ولی دو فصل آخر واقعا آدم و به فکر فرو میبره
اسم خیلی از آدم های معروفی که میشناسیم و توی این کتاب میبینیم و سرگذشتشون جالب بود
حقیقتا برای این دوره که اغلب پدر و مادرا بر این باورند برو تجربی ریاضی یا انسانی درکنارش هنرم ادامه بده خیلی کتاب خوبی بود
نه اینکه همش زده باشه تو سر مهندسا و دکترا:)
در کل هدفش این بود که المنت خودت و سعی کن پیدا کنی حتی اگ مجبور باشی از سیستم (سمی)نظام آموزشی جدابشی
معمولا کتاب این تیپی رو خیلی طول میکشه بخونم چون میزارم برای آخر شب که بشه قشنگ روش تمرکز کرد بخاطر همین خیلی طول میکشه که تموم بشه
ولی حداقل راضی ام از اینکه خوندنم طوطی وار نبوده:)))
.
ترجمه رحمان رحمان زاده
نشر پیام امروز
.
پیشنهاد یکی از دوستان که خیلی دوست داره من زندگیمو پشت کنکور صرف نکنم و برم دنبال علاقم
ولی من با دوتا فصل آخرش تصمیمم جدی تر شد:))))
کتاب شامل یازده فصل بود و یه موخره که خب به نظرم نه تا فصل اولش مطالبش شبیه بهم بود
نه اینکه بدردنخور باشه ولی خب جدایی فصل ها رو نفهمیدم برا چی بود
ولی دو فصل آخر واقعا آدم و به فکر فرو میبره
اسم خیلی از آدم های معروفی که میشناسیم و توی این کتاب میبینیم و سرگذشتشون جالب بود
حقیقتا برای این دوره که اغلب پدر و مادرا بر این باورند برو تجربی ریاضی یا انسانی درکنارش هنرم ادامه بده خیلی کتاب خوبی بود
نه اینکه همش زده باشه تو سر مهندسا و دکترا:)
در کل هدفش این بود که المنت خودت و سعی کن پیدا کنی حتی اگ مجبور باشی از سیستم (سمی)نظام آموزشی جدابشی
معمولا کتاب این تیپی رو خیلی طول میکشه بخونم چون میزارم برای آخر شب که بشه قشنگ روش تمرکز کرد بخاطر همین خیلی طول میکشه که تموم بشه
ولی حداقل راضی ام از اینکه خوندنم طوطی وار نبوده:)))
.
ترجمه رحمان رحمان زاده
نشر پیام امروز
.
پیشنهاد یکی از دوستان که خیلی دوست داره من زندگیمو پشت کنکور صرف نکنم و برم دنبال علاقم
ولی من با دوتا فصل آخرش تصمیمم جدی تر شد:))))
July 26, 2019
I have a great respect for Ken Robinson's opinions, especially as an educator. His opinions and theories that schools are partly responsible for the decline in human creativity are opinions shared by many. I appreciate that he does not blame teachers for this decline, but rather how schools are currently set up and functioning. If one spends any extended period of time talking with public school education teachers, the majority will talk about their distaste for the negative effects of testing on their children and in their classrooms. It's stealing the joy not only from the students, but from the teachers as well.
Education reform is desperately needed; re-form as in the actual definition of "making improvements or amendments to what is wrong". I wish Robinson went into more details as far as how to implement these reforms. His "schools are wrong, fix them" chapter felt a little too simplistic and seemed to gloss over how to *actually* make changes. I felt like this book needed a few more chapters on HOW to fix the problems, rather than the myriad of chapters and examples of WHAT the problem is.
I also felt like he ignored how adults should go about finding their passion. What if there are several things that make people happy? What if you are in the middle of nowhere without access to classes to explore interests, or are too poor to explore the options nearby? What if you have a more than full time job, or multiple jobs, or have kids? Exploring more into how people can find their passion is a whole other book, and part of that is going to just be the responsibility of the person themselves, but I still felt that more could have been expanded on in this book.
I also felt that Robinson ignored the aspects of luck and hard work are necessary to find success in these fields. I appreciated Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers for delving into how working hard gets you prepared for when luck arrives and appreciated Angela Duckworth's book Fostering Grit for uncovering how perseverance when the going gets tough is what makes good great.
Overall, this was a great read and is a great conversation starter. I would look forward to reading more about this subject, especially in terms of how to solve the creativity crisis in our education system and how to help the next generation navigate their way through the many paths that are available to them.
[Side note: this was wayyyy longer than originally intended. So, I guess, thanks for coming to my TED talk lol]
Education reform is desperately needed; re-form as in the actual definition of "making improvements or amendments to what is wrong". I wish Robinson went into more details as far as how to implement these reforms. His "schools are wrong, fix them" chapter felt a little too simplistic and seemed to gloss over how to *actually* make changes. I felt like this book needed a few more chapters on HOW to fix the problems, rather than the myriad of chapters and examples of WHAT the problem is.
I also felt like he ignored how adults should go about finding their passion. What if there are several things that make people happy? What if you are in the middle of nowhere without access to classes to explore interests, or are too poor to explore the options nearby? What if you have a more than full time job, or multiple jobs, or have kids? Exploring more into how people can find their passion is a whole other book, and part of that is going to just be the responsibility of the person themselves, but I still felt that more could have been expanded on in this book.
I also felt that Robinson ignored the aspects of luck and hard work are necessary to find success in these fields. I appreciated Malcolm Gladwell's book Outliers for delving into how working hard gets you prepared for when luck arrives and appreciated Angela Duckworth's book Fostering Grit for uncovering how perseverance when the going gets tough is what makes good great.
Overall, this was a great read and is a great conversation starter. I would look forward to reading more about this subject, especially in terms of how to solve the creativity crisis in our education system and how to help the next generation navigate their way through the many paths that are available to them.
[Side note: this was wayyyy longer than originally intended. So, I guess, thanks for coming to my TED talk lol]
August 3, 2011
I really like Ken Robinson. I feel that he is a very insightful thinker into changing education paradigms (in fact, if you youtube "changing education paradigms, ken robinson" a very excellent video of one of his speeches comes up.) I love hearing his talks. They tend to be very enlightening, concise and entertaining.
Unfortunately, this book wasn't much of either of those. I felt that while some of the examples he gave were useful to help readers see how other people have reached their element, the fact that there were so many meant you had to trudge through example after example to get to the good stuff. While the points he did bring up were important, they were just to cluttered in filler (to give you an idea, my notes for the element covered a grand total of 3/4ths of a page, from a person that usually needs 3-5 pages for a 250 page book).
If you've got an empty afternoon, I think its worth giving it a short glance. I can see how it could be just what some people need to hear. If not, I wouldn't kill myself over missing out.
Unfortunately, this book wasn't much of either of those. I felt that while some of the examples he gave were useful to help readers see how other people have reached their element, the fact that there were so many meant you had to trudge through example after example to get to the good stuff. While the points he did bring up were important, they were just to cluttered in filler (to give you an idea, my notes for the element covered a grand total of 3/4ths of a page, from a person that usually needs 3-5 pages for a 250 page book).
If you've got an empty afternoon, I think its worth giving it a short glance. I can see how it could be just what some people need to hear. If not, I wouldn't kill myself over missing out.
August 18, 2013
Skeptical of Robinson's TED talk, I picked up this book and found it even more disappointing. There are some sensible ideas: too many people give up on doing things better, testing had it's downsides, kids should be taught more music and art, and similar homilies.
It's great to have such opinions, but these don't yet make an argument. Instead of offering such a substantiated argument, Robinson relies on anecdotes of his kids doing homework, or of some famous people that he talked to. No sane person should take such writings seriously, and if anything illustrates the perilous situation of our schools it is that so many people give any credence to such slapdashary.
What's most irking is just how pompous Robinson is, and how dismissive of alternative approaches, as if we didn't already have far too many people with underexamined convictions.
Again, the basic sentiments are laudable but this is an awful and pernicious book. For good reading on education, turn to Paul Tough and other similar writers. For some of the background science, Steven Pinker writes lucidly and accessibly.
It's great to have such opinions, but these don't yet make an argument. Instead of offering such a substantiated argument, Robinson relies on anecdotes of his kids doing homework, or of some famous people that he talked to. No sane person should take such writings seriously, and if anything illustrates the perilous situation of our schools it is that so many people give any credence to such slapdashary.
What's most irking is just how pompous Robinson is, and how dismissive of alternative approaches, as if we didn't already have far too many people with underexamined convictions.
Again, the basic sentiments are laudable but this is an awful and pernicious book. For good reading on education, turn to Paul Tough and other similar writers. For some of the background science, Steven Pinker writes lucidly and accessibly.
June 2, 2021
A classic example of survivor bias. I generally agree with the message in the book but a whole bunch of stories of rare, highly talented, successful people get boring after a while... How about the many millions that followed their passion and did not succeed? What can we learn from them? What's the balance between passion and practicality?
April 18, 2012
My brother sent me a link to a video by Ken Robinson about education:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcD...#!
I liked it so much that I wanted to learn more, and found out about his books on his website.
"The Element" is for the most part a disappointment--pop self-help at its worst. We learn about many people and how they overcame adversity to find, and become successful and well-known, for doing what they love. Which is fine. But everyone can't be Paul McCartney or Monica Seles or Meg Ryan or Apraham Lincoln or Ray Charles. Robinson makes it sound like all you need to do is discover what you love and you'll reach this zone where everything falls into place--mentors and opportunities, fame and fortune.
It's actually kind of depressing, like "what's wrong with me?--I know what I love to do, but no mentor has shown up to help and support me, and meanwhile my attempts to support myself doing it have utterly failed." Ask anyone who loves to act: there are many more opportunities in restaurants and health clubs than on stage or screen.
Well then, he says: do it in your "spare time" and the drudgery you perform for 40 or 60 hours a week will become easier and more satisfying.
Of course you enjoy doing what you love more than most work you can get that will support you and your family. But I think he's wrong to imply that most of us can hope to do more than fit it into our lives where and when we can. In that respect, the book offers no help or insight at all.
At the very end of "The Element", Robinson does talk about education, and cover the same points as he did in the video. Here the book comes alive.
Still, the video is much better, and enough. Take the time you would have spent reading this book and instead spend it doing what you love.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcD...#!
I liked it so much that I wanted to learn more, and found out about his books on his website.
"The Element" is for the most part a disappointment--pop self-help at its worst. We learn about many people and how they overcame adversity to find, and become successful and well-known, for doing what they love. Which is fine. But everyone can't be Paul McCartney or Monica Seles or Meg Ryan or Apraham Lincoln or Ray Charles. Robinson makes it sound like all you need to do is discover what you love and you'll reach this zone where everything falls into place--mentors and opportunities, fame and fortune.
It's actually kind of depressing, like "what's wrong with me?--I know what I love to do, but no mentor has shown up to help and support me, and meanwhile my attempts to support myself doing it have utterly failed." Ask anyone who loves to act: there are many more opportunities in restaurants and health clubs than on stage or screen.
Well then, he says: do it in your "spare time" and the drudgery you perform for 40 or 60 hours a week will become easier and more satisfying.
Of course you enjoy doing what you love more than most work you can get that will support you and your family. But I think he's wrong to imply that most of us can hope to do more than fit it into our lives where and when we can. In that respect, the book offers no help or insight at all.
At the very end of "The Element", Robinson does talk about education, and cover the same points as he did in the video. Here the book comes alive.
Still, the video is much better, and enough. Take the time you would have spent reading this book and instead spend it doing what you love.
May 10, 2009
Although "The Element" was authored by Ken Robinson, this is the book I've been writing for the past ten years.
For a long time, I've been arguing that passion is a bridge between our unique human potential and our social responsibility. I begin almost every workshop, speech, and lecture by asking my participants to talk about one of their personal or professional passions.
Eyes light up and the temperature in the room rises as people connect to what Robinson would call "their element."
His book is a collection of stories about people who have discovered their unique gifts—their element—the point at which natural talent meets personal passion. His writing is like a having a coach in the pages of the book.
I wasn't surprised, in fact, I was waiting for his discussion of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's "flow state," a concept I've been including as one of the key ingredients for social profit sustainability in my recent talks.
I liked the book a great deal. It made me think. It helped me realize how lucky I am to be among the very few who get to do what they really love; and it reminded me of my responsibility in helping others to uncover their own path—their own element.
For a long time, I've been arguing that passion is a bridge between our unique human potential and our social responsibility. I begin almost every workshop, speech, and lecture by asking my participants to talk about one of their personal or professional passions.
Eyes light up and the temperature in the room rises as people connect to what Robinson would call "their element."
His book is a collection of stories about people who have discovered their unique gifts—their element—the point at which natural talent meets personal passion. His writing is like a having a coach in the pages of the book.
I wasn't surprised, in fact, I was waiting for his discussion of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's "flow state," a concept I've been including as one of the key ingredients for social profit sustainability in my recent talks.
I liked the book a great deal. It made me think. It helped me realize how lucky I am to be among the very few who get to do what they really love; and it reminded me of my responsibility in helping others to uncover their own path—their own element.
March 19, 2009
For us dreamers, books like The Element are thoroughly enjoyable because it encourages us to continue doing what we do best..dream. However this book is not exclusive; it does not have a specific target market and therefore would be readable for people from all walks of life. Outside of reminding myself to be constantly looking for ways to engage my passions, this book changed the way I think about certain things such as intelligence, creativity, and believe it or not, the education system. The author does a wonderful job of pairing the importance of discovering what we do very well with how that discovery can lead to personal growth and benefit those in our sphere of influence. Although challenging, it is not full of idealistic and unattainable concepts which is refreshing. I would especially recommend this book to those individuals that feel like they are not doing something meaningful or for those that feel unsure about what steps to take next in this journey we call life. If anything it will make you think, which is usually always a good thing.
April 16, 2016
I checked this out of the library because I was looking for interesting audiobooks and the name caught my eye. It wasn't until I started listening that I recognized the author from a TED talk he had given a few years back- (If you haven't seen it, look it up. It is absolutely worth the 20 minutes.)
I found this book to be inspirational, entertaining, and intimidating- all at the same time. Robinson is a good storyteller, and the book is chock full of interesting anecdotes of both famous and not-so-famous people who lived happy lives because they found their element.
What is the element? Robinson says: "The element is the point at which natural talent meets personal passion." By finding and nurturing this quality, we can ignite our creativity, and bring more vitality and passion to our lives and to the world.
Robinson tells many stories of famous folk who are famous mostly because they found their passion early and were able to follow where that passion led. I found this part intimidating; how could I ever be like John Lennon, or Ray Charles, or Richard Feynman? He answered this question by many tales of not-so-famous folk, folk who discovered the element late in life, or who do work other than their passion to pay the bills. These people were particularly interesting, as it was very clear that the fact that they invested energy into their passion helped them with the other work in their lives that they were not quite so passionate about.
As an educator, he really stressed the importance of discovering and nurturing these passions in our youth. He points out that the jobs of the future may not have even been invented yet, and that teaching kids a set of facts will not necessarily prepare them for this unknown future. Rather, fostering innovation, creativity, and collaboration can help them be ready for whatever the future brings.
I enjoyed this book as an audiobook. Robinson reads it himself, and his British accent made the stories all the more enjoyable.
I found this book to be inspirational, entertaining, and intimidating- all at the same time. Robinson is a good storyteller, and the book is chock full of interesting anecdotes of both famous and not-so-famous people who lived happy lives because they found their element.
What is the element? Robinson says: "The element is the point at which natural talent meets personal passion." By finding and nurturing this quality, we can ignite our creativity, and bring more vitality and passion to our lives and to the world.
Robinson tells many stories of famous folk who are famous mostly because they found their passion early and were able to follow where that passion led. I found this part intimidating; how could I ever be like John Lennon, or Ray Charles, or Richard Feynman? He answered this question by many tales of not-so-famous folk, folk who discovered the element late in life, or who do work other than their passion to pay the bills. These people were particularly interesting, as it was very clear that the fact that they invested energy into their passion helped them with the other work in their lives that they were not quite so passionate about.
As an educator, he really stressed the importance of discovering and nurturing these passions in our youth. He points out that the jobs of the future may not have even been invented yet, and that teaching kids a set of facts will not necessarily prepare them for this unknown future. Rather, fostering innovation, creativity, and collaboration can help them be ready for whatever the future brings.
I enjoyed this book as an audiobook. Robinson reads it himself, and his British accent made the stories all the more enjoyable.
July 31, 2012
I loved this book. I was particularly touched by the various stories that are told in which people have struggled with academics in school, and yet found their passion and became wildly successful. Gillian Lynne was a bundle of energy in second grade, and couldn't sit still or pay attention in class. Her teachers were sure there was something wrong with her (this occurred in the pre-ADD days) and urged her parents to take her to a psychologist. After interviewing her, the psychologist became convinced that there was nothing "wrong" with her, she was just a dancer, and needed to be in dance school. Her mother signed her up, and soon Gillian was taking ten dance classes a week. Guess what? She grew up to be a very famous and accomplished professional dancer and choreographer, dancing professionally all over the world with the Royal Ballet Company (based out of London). Later in life, she also collaborated with a fellow named Andrew Lloyd Webber and helped to create a couple of very successful musicals you might have heard of: Cats and The Phantom of the Opera. All of this happened because someone recognized that she had a talent for dancing. I'm wondering that if in today's day and age, where sadly the arts are not valued in our schools, if she'd would have just been medicated in order to "calm her down", and her gift for dancing and choreography would have gone unnoticed. Sadly, creativity and innovation are traits that our school systems seemingly don't value at all.
There are many, many other examples given in this fabulous book that point out the magic of "finding your element", which means finding the thing that you are meant to do. Sir Kenneth Robinson says that "the Element is the place where the things we love to do and the things we are good at come together." I urge you to read this book and see if you can find your element. If you are an educator, you might want to read this book twice. I think I will.
There are many, many other examples given in this fabulous book that point out the magic of "finding your element", which means finding the thing that you are meant to do. Sir Kenneth Robinson says that "the Element is the place where the things we love to do and the things we are good at come together." I urge you to read this book and see if you can find your element. If you are an educator, you might want to read this book twice. I think I will.
June 9, 2021
I think the book helped me understand the importance in having passions and setting aside time for them/dedicating your life to them, but it didn’t help me understand HOW I can find my passion(s). But overall feeling a little bit more connected with myself and others after reading this
July 21, 2013
Overall, this was a good read but not a must read. If you watched Ken Robinson's TED talks, and it left you wanting more of the same, then you'll enjoy the book. If those talks were sufficient for you, this doesn't offer much new, just more depth.
In the book, the author describes the importance of finding your passion. He doesn't describe -- and doesn't try to describe -- how to find your own passion. Rather, he describes what it feels like and looks like to live a life activated by passion. He does this with a mix of personal stories, stories of others, and reference to psychological research.
To me, the primary value of this book was the way it conveyed the energy of living a life around your passion. Such a life is not just one where you feel happy -- at times, pursuing your passion may force you to make decisions that can make you deeply unhappy for a time -- but it is a life where you feel driven to do what you do.
At a wider level, the value brought by a vision like that in The Element is that everyone's element is different. It's not music in general; it may be a particular type of music or an instrument. It's not just programming, but perhaps it's handling complex interactions or giving users a delightful experience. Because of the varieties of talent we have, the author believes that schools need reform. Schools define intelligence narrowly and demand conformity. He spends the last chapter of the book discussing this.
Although the book did not focus on how to find your element, it is possible to extract some tips. Although I used the terms "passion" and "element" interchangeably above, your element is really where your passion and your talents intersect. So looking for those things that both energize you and which you are good at is a part of finding your element.
Another key part to building your element is finding your tribe -- the group of people who share your passion. Your tribe can help you develop your skills, provide inspiration, provide role models, and more.
Taking advantage of opportunities that arise is also key. Often times, these opportunities will require adding more work to an already busy life, but the energy you get from doing the thing you really love can help you push through that and shape your life to hit the right balance.
Sometimes, what you need is not a new idea, but an old idea described well. That is what The Element gives us.
In the book, the author describes the importance of finding your passion. He doesn't describe -- and doesn't try to describe -- how to find your own passion. Rather, he describes what it feels like and looks like to live a life activated by passion. He does this with a mix of personal stories, stories of others, and reference to psychological research.
To me, the primary value of this book was the way it conveyed the energy of living a life around your passion. Such a life is not just one where you feel happy -- at times, pursuing your passion may force you to make decisions that can make you deeply unhappy for a time -- but it is a life where you feel driven to do what you do.
At a wider level, the value brought by a vision like that in The Element is that everyone's element is different. It's not music in general; it may be a particular type of music or an instrument. It's not just programming, but perhaps it's handling complex interactions or giving users a delightful experience. Because of the varieties of talent we have, the author believes that schools need reform. Schools define intelligence narrowly and demand conformity. He spends the last chapter of the book discussing this.
Although the book did not focus on how to find your element, it is possible to extract some tips. Although I used the terms "passion" and "element" interchangeably above, your element is really where your passion and your talents intersect. So looking for those things that both energize you and which you are good at is a part of finding your element.
Another key part to building your element is finding your tribe -- the group of people who share your passion. Your tribe can help you develop your skills, provide inspiration, provide role models, and more.
Taking advantage of opportunities that arise is also key. Often times, these opportunities will require adding more work to an already busy life, but the energy you get from doing the thing you really love can help you push through that and shape your life to hit the right balance.
Sometimes, what you need is not a new idea, but an old idea described well. That is what The Element gives us.
September 1, 2020
Ken Robinson's TED talk, "Do Schools Kill Creativity?", is one the most viewed talks. I assume lots of its viewers decided to read this book too. I had high hopes of him and even scheduled a plan to read the other book that he published after this one, "Finding Your Element". But the reality was different than what I thought about this book and I got more frustrated as I went through this book, again and again.
The plot is repetitive in each chapter: you'll read about some rare situations and stories of people who found their "Element" and it changed their lives. There are pure toxic suggestions about "find your passion" things and completely ignoring the fact that without others factors, privileges, chances and what-I-can't-see-now things in the whole process this so-called miraculous turn wouldn't happen.
There was a point that I couldn't continue reading and decided to end this nonsense: Robinson was trying to show with pictures that how little The Earth(actually, we humans) is, in comparison to all of these galaxies and stars in them. Then, like these awful therapist and old guys who try to give some wisdom, continued with «I mean, really, whatever you woke up worrying about this morning, get over it. How important in the greater scheme of things can it possibly be? Make your own peace and move on.» I mean, really?! To be honest, I was reluctant, even from the beginning, to start a book that want to talk about the importance of "The Element", but I was telling myself that you shouldn't judge it by its name and I was TOTALLY wrong. I grew up while hearing "Other people and countries have worse situations than you. Get over it, move on, go thank god and be greatful for it.", I can't tolerate this shit anymore. Like no-one knows it's not good to be unproductive or depressed and all are waiting for someone like you to tell them and they start a fresh life again after your call.
I shouldn't forget to add that it's utterly boring to read in every paragraph that finding what you love to do is amazing and following your passion is going to help you change your entire life.
To summarize: Don't read it, save your time.
The plot is repetitive in each chapter: you'll read about some rare situations and stories of people who found their "Element" and it changed their lives. There are pure toxic suggestions about "find your passion" things and completely ignoring the fact that without others factors, privileges, chances and what-I-can't-see-now things in the whole process this so-called miraculous turn wouldn't happen.
There was a point that I couldn't continue reading and decided to end this nonsense: Robinson was trying to show with pictures that how little The Earth(actually, we humans) is, in comparison to all of these galaxies and stars in them. Then, like these awful therapist and old guys who try to give some wisdom, continued with «I mean, really, whatever you woke up worrying about this morning, get over it. How important in the greater scheme of things can it possibly be? Make your own peace and move on.» I mean, really?! To be honest, I was reluctant, even from the beginning, to start a book that want to talk about the importance of "The Element", but I was telling myself that you shouldn't judge it by its name and I was TOTALLY wrong. I grew up while hearing "Other people and countries have worse situations than you. Get over it, move on, go thank god and be greatful for it.", I can't tolerate this shit anymore. Like no-one knows it's not good to be unproductive or depressed and all are waiting for someone like you to tell them and they start a fresh life again after your call.
I shouldn't forget to add that it's utterly boring to read in every paragraph that finding what you love to do is amazing and following your passion is going to help you change your entire life.
To summarize: Don't read it, save your time.
March 4, 2023
A book I have an opinion on!
I disagree with a lot of what this books says. Ken makes a lot of claims and does not back them up with research and data. He does use the stories of the lives of others, which is awesome, but I don’t think that’s enough to fully support what he’s saying.
I truly believe not everyone on earth just has some “untapped, undiscovered talent” that will lead them to a life of Ken’s definition of success for many reasons. For starters, the world is not accommodating. It does not value everyone’s niche and does not always provide you with the resources and support even if you have found your “element”. Secondly, many people have very similar “elements”, or as close as they will get to what he describes. By this I mean most people are well rounded, and may be slightly more inclined to one thing than their neighbor. This is a good thing! Unfortunately, the world often also only pays attention to outliers. It is an incredible gift for a person to be more exceptional in one area by a large margin, to have happened upon that area, to be able to pursue it (financially/vocationally) and to also find joy in doing it simultaneously… but it is also incredibly rare. It does not just happen through will of mind and introspection.
Overall, Ken was close, but focused too much on fame, wealth, and achievement as an indicator of someone who has found their Element. I’m also not entirely sure I believe in this “there’s an Element for everyone” thing…He did help me further define my English research thesis though! Success is very internal. It is good and right to be able to do something you enjoy and are good at (obviously). But I think success more comes from making the most of the cards you are dealt with emotionally, spiritually, physically, relationally… whole sh’bang.
I disagree with a lot of what this books says. Ken makes a lot of claims and does not back them up with research and data. He does use the stories of the lives of others, which is awesome, but I don’t think that’s enough to fully support what he’s saying.
I truly believe not everyone on earth just has some “untapped, undiscovered talent” that will lead them to a life of Ken’s definition of success for many reasons. For starters, the world is not accommodating. It does not value everyone’s niche and does not always provide you with the resources and support even if you have found your “element”. Secondly, many people have very similar “elements”, or as close as they will get to what he describes. By this I mean most people are well rounded, and may be slightly more inclined to one thing than their neighbor. This is a good thing! Unfortunately, the world often also only pays attention to outliers. It is an incredible gift for a person to be more exceptional in one area by a large margin, to have happened upon that area, to be able to pursue it (financially/vocationally) and to also find joy in doing it simultaneously… but it is also incredibly rare. It does not just happen through will of mind and introspection.
Overall, Ken was close, but focused too much on fame, wealth, and achievement as an indicator of someone who has found their Element. I’m also not entirely sure I believe in this “there’s an Element for everyone” thing…He did help me further define my English research thesis though! Success is very internal. It is good and right to be able to do something you enjoy and are good at (obviously). But I think success more comes from making the most of the cards you are dealt with emotionally, spiritually, physically, relationally… whole sh’bang.
July 5, 2018
Ken Robinson gave a lot of interesting stories and anecdotes in this book, but for some reason it fell flat for me in terms of igniting inspiration and sparking new motivation and thought. I enjoyed this book, but I was hoping for more.
There were many times it brought up good questions to invite you to ponder on different aspects of what you want out of life however (my favorite being "HOW are you intelligent?"). He then goes on to talk more about divergent thinking and how you can only inspire others if you yourself are working from inspired action in a field that flows with how you are wired.. However there were a lot of extra things added that continuously made me think where is this going?"
All in all still a good book, even laughed out loud a few times at some of his little quips.
"If a man speaks his mind alone in a forest and no one is around to hear him is he still wrong?"
This is one of my favorite quotes and I want it printed and framed so I can appreciate it for years to come haha
There were many times it brought up good questions to invite you to ponder on different aspects of what you want out of life however (my favorite being "HOW are you intelligent?"). He then goes on to talk more about divergent thinking and how you can only inspire others if you yourself are working from inspired action in a field that flows with how you are wired.. However there were a lot of extra things added that continuously made me think where is this going?"
All in all still a good book, even laughed out loud a few times at some of his little quips.
"If a man speaks his mind alone in a forest and no one is around to hear him is he still wrong?"
This is one of my favorite quotes and I want it printed and framed so I can appreciate it for years to come haha
May 25, 2014
I respect Sir Ken Robinson and his message. However, i unfortunately, felt that if you listened to the TED talk, you did not need to read the book.
August 31, 2015
“My aim in writing [this book] is to offer a richer version of human ability and creativity and of the benefits to us all of connecting properly with our individual talents and passions. This book is about issues that are of fundamental importance in our lives and in the lives of our children, our students, and the people we work with. I use the term the Element to describe the place where the things we love to do and the things we are good at come together. I believe it is essential that each of us find his or her Element, not simply because it will make us more fulfilled but because, as the world evolves, the very future of our communities and institutions will depend on it.”
~ Sir Ken Robinson from The Element
Sir Ken Robinson.
You might have caught Sir Ken’s genius energy in his brilliant TED talk.
Not only is he one of the world’s leading experts on creativity, he’s an all-around cool guy and... he’s a KNIGHT! How cool is that?! That’s pretty saucy I say. :)
This book goes into depth on how you can tap into “‘The Element”—that “place where the things we love to do and the things we are good at come together” and our lives take on a magical awesomeness.
Sir Ken goes off on IQ tests, Myers-Briggs tests and the idea that “intelligence” can be measured by any one scale. Fact is, it can’t be.
So, let’s stop asking ourselves *whether* or not we’re smart and start asking ourselves HOW we are smart!!
I’m excited to share some of my Big Ideas:
1. How Are You Intelligent? - NOT “How intelligent are you?”
2. Creativity - = Applied imagination.
3. Loving What We Do - Is a key element to The Element.
4. Getting Filled w/Energy - And flow.
5. What Draws You In? - Check in on that!
In sum: If we want to rock The Element, we’ve gotta have the courage to trust ourselves as we discover both what we love to do and what we’re good at!
Here's my video review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odgl1...
And click here to find 250+ more of my reviews:
http://bit.ly/BrianReviews
Brian
~ Sir Ken Robinson from The Element
Sir Ken Robinson.
You might have caught Sir Ken’s genius energy in his brilliant TED talk.
Not only is he one of the world’s leading experts on creativity, he’s an all-around cool guy and... he’s a KNIGHT! How cool is that?! That’s pretty saucy I say. :)
This book goes into depth on how you can tap into “‘The Element”—that “place where the things we love to do and the things we are good at come together” and our lives take on a magical awesomeness.
Sir Ken goes off on IQ tests, Myers-Briggs tests and the idea that “intelligence” can be measured by any one scale. Fact is, it can’t be.
So, let’s stop asking ourselves *whether* or not we’re smart and start asking ourselves HOW we are smart!!
I’m excited to share some of my Big Ideas:
1. How Are You Intelligent? - NOT “How intelligent are you?”
2. Creativity - = Applied imagination.
3. Loving What We Do - Is a key element to The Element.
4. Getting Filled w/Energy - And flow.
5. What Draws You In? - Check in on that!
In sum: If we want to rock The Element, we’ve gotta have the courage to trust ourselves as we discover both what we love to do and what we’re good at!
Here's my video review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odgl1...
And click here to find 250+ more of my reviews:
http://bit.ly/BrianReviews
Brian
March 12, 2019
Una recopilación de historias de científicos, artistas, docentes y empresarios, no tanto sobre sus carreras sino sobre cómo encontraron su pasión o vocación. Entretenido y constructivo. Un intento de crear un "teoría de la vocación" y un intento de propuestas de reformas del sistema educativo.
Al inicio trata de establecer un patrón de cómo encontrar la vocación, luego esa idea se diluye, mi intención al iniciar el libro era explorar lo primero, y al inicio se encuentra pero luego ya sólo quedan recopilaciones de historias, quizás para ilustrar esos puntos. La lectura de estas historias es entretenida y ligera pero no fue el motivo por el que inicié el libro. El libro es agradable, no le hará mal a nadie, es inspirador, pero pensé que incluía una teoría más elaborada sobre la vocación, educación y la creatividad.
En la segunda mitad se intensifica la mirada al sistema educativo convencional como un destructor del proceso de encontrar la vocación. Robinson propone incorporar la creatividad en la enseñanza de forma más activa y no en un segundo plano, de un modo que se me hace similar a la idea de Tercera Cultura (una propuesta para integrar, en vez de confrontar, Ciencias y Humanidades) expuesta por algún otro autor. Aparte de esa idea como generalidad y un par de casos de escuelas que programas innovadores ninguna idea concreta de cómo hacerlo, sólo frases de buenas intenciones.
PD: En la primera mitad del libro hay una incursión en la sociología de la ciencia que es muy interesante y agradezco mucho que se haya incluido. Trata especialmente de la importancia de una "tribu" para encontrar la vocación y que la creatividad fluya, y que esa tribu puede ser presente en tiempo y lugar pero no siempre (como el pertenecer a una escuela de pensamiento, o el "caminar a hombros de gigantes" que mencionaba Newton).
Al inicio trata de establecer un patrón de cómo encontrar la vocación, luego esa idea se diluye, mi intención al iniciar el libro era explorar lo primero, y al inicio se encuentra pero luego ya sólo quedan recopilaciones de historias, quizás para ilustrar esos puntos. La lectura de estas historias es entretenida y ligera pero no fue el motivo por el que inicié el libro. El libro es agradable, no le hará mal a nadie, es inspirador, pero pensé que incluía una teoría más elaborada sobre la vocación, educación y la creatividad.
En la segunda mitad se intensifica la mirada al sistema educativo convencional como un destructor del proceso de encontrar la vocación. Robinson propone incorporar la creatividad en la enseñanza de forma más activa y no en un segundo plano, de un modo que se me hace similar a la idea de Tercera Cultura (una propuesta para integrar, en vez de confrontar, Ciencias y Humanidades) expuesta por algún otro autor. Aparte de esa idea como generalidad y un par de casos de escuelas que programas innovadores ninguna idea concreta de cómo hacerlo, sólo frases de buenas intenciones.
PD: En la primera mitad del libro hay una incursión en la sociología de la ciencia que es muy interesante y agradezco mucho que se haya incluido. Trata especialmente de la importancia de una "tribu" para encontrar la vocación y que la creatividad fluya, y que esa tribu puede ser presente en tiempo y lugar pero no siempre (como el pertenecer a una escuela de pensamiento, o el "caminar a hombros de gigantes" que mencionaba Newton).
September 4, 2015
So much enlighting and reassuring. Each and every line of this book is gold, will make sure that my kids read it!
This is my second most favorite non-fiction after "The Outliers". It is the kind of books that you want to keep reading over and again, scratching down notes and researching further details for the mentioned stories.
It just reminded me of someone I know who dumped a good paid and secure job position because it was nt really what he felt doing for the rest of his life. For finding your true element requires COURAGEOUS ACTIONS.
Highly recommended.
This is my second most favorite non-fiction after "The Outliers". It is the kind of books that you want to keep reading over and again, scratching down notes and researching further details for the mentioned stories.
It just reminded me of someone I know who dumped a good paid and secure job position because it was nt really what he felt doing for the rest of his life. For finding your true element requires COURAGEOUS ACTIONS.
Highly recommended.
November 6, 2020
Inicio es muy interesante y enganchador, pero conforme vas avanzando, se vuelve muy repetitivo. Vendió muy bien el libro pero no es lo que esperaba.
November 12, 2009
“The Element” is nothing new, just recycling the idea of living your bliss, being in flow, but I’m willing to read many books on that concept. It does go into how our school systems don't encourage people to find their element, and ways to improve schooling.
p. 60 Awesome photos of Earth in comparison to other planets. Gives perspective of how tiny we are in the universe.
p. 117 Interaction with the field, in person or through their work, is as vital to our development as time alone with our thoughts. As the physicist John Wheeler said, “If you don’t kick things around with people, you are out of it. Nobody, I always say, can be anybody without somebody being around.” The physicist Freeman Dyson says that when he’s writing he closes the door, but when he’s actually doing science, he leaves it open. “Up to a point you welcome being interrupted because it is only by interacting with other people that you get anything interesting done.”
Isaac Newton, “If I saw further it was because I stood on the shoulders of giants.”
p. 223 “Happy individuals seem to have a whole lot more fun than the rest of us ever do,” Dr. Michael Fordyce said in his book Human Happiness. “They have many more activities they enjoy doing for fun, and they spend much more of their time, on a given day or week, doing fun, exciting, and enjoyable activities.”
p. 224 The Russian novelist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said, “If you want to change the world, who do you begin with, yourself or others? I believe if we begin with ourselves and do the things that we need to do and become the best person we can be, we have a much better chance of changing the world for the better.”
p. 238 The most powerful method of improving education is to invest in the improvement of teaching and the status of great teachers. There isn’t a great school anywhere that doesn’t have great teachers working in it. But there and plenty of poor schools with shelves of curriculum standards and reams of standardized tests.
The fact is that given the challenges we face, education doesn’t need to be reformed—it needs to be transformed. The key to this transformation is not to standardize 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 passions.
p. 248 School systems should base their curriculum not on the idea of separate subjects, but on the much more fertile idea of disciplines. Math, for example, isn’t just a set of information to be learned but a complex pattern of ideas, practical skills, and concepts. It is a discipline—or rather a set of disciplines. So too are drama, art, technology, and so on. The idea of disciplines makes possible a fluid and dynamic curriculum that is interdisciplinary.
Third, the curriculum should be personalized. The current processes of education do not take account of individual learning styles and talents. In that way, they offend the principle of distinctiveness.
p. 249 Whatever it might be for, enthusiasm is the main thing that needs to be developed.
The Element has implications for teaching. Too many reform movements in education are designed to make education teacher-proof. The most successful systems in the world take the opposite view. They invest in teachers. The reason is that people succeed best when they have others who understand their talents, challenges, and abilities. This is why mentoring is such a helpful force in so many people’s lives. Great teachers have always understood that their real role is not to teach subjects but to teach students. Mentoring and coaching is the vital pulse of a living system of education.
The Element has implications for assessment. Education is being strangled persistently by the culture of standardized testing. The irony is that these tests are not raising standards except in some very particular areas, and at the expense of most of what really matters in education.
To get a perspective on this, compare the processes of quality assurance in education with those in an entirely different field—catering. In the restaurant business, there are two distinct models of quality assurance. The first is the fast-food model. In this model, the quality of the food is guaranteed, because it is all standardized. The fast-food chains specify exactly what should be on the menu in all of their outlets. They specify what should be in the burgers or nuggets, the oil in which they should be fried, the exact bun in which they should be served, how the fries should be made, what should be in the drinks, and exactly how they should be served. They specify how the room should be decorated and what the staff should wear. Everything is standardized. It’s often dreadful and bad for you. Some forms of fast food are contributing to that massive explosion of obesity and diabetes across the world. But at least the quality is guarantee.
The other model of quality assurance in catering is the Michelin guide. In this model, the guides establish specific criteria for excellence, but they do not say how the particular restaurants should meet these criteria. They don’t say what should be on the menu, what the staff should wear, or how the rooms should be decorated. All of that is at the discretion of the individual restaurant. The guides simply establish criteria, and it is up to every restaurant to meet them in whatever way they see best. They are then judged no to some impersonal standard, but by the assessments of experts who know what they are looking for and what a great restaurant is actually like. The result is that every Michelin restaurant is terrific. And they are all unique and different from each other.
The future for education is not in standardizing but in customizing; not in promoting groupthink and “deindividuation” but in cultivating the real depth and dynamism of human abilities of every sort.
Afterword:
In 2006, the state of California spent $3.5 billion on the state university system. It spent $9.9 billion on the state prison system. I find it hard to believe that there are three times more potential criminals in CA than potential college graduates, or that the growing masses of people in jails throughout the country were simply born to be there. I don’t believe that there are that many naturally malign people wandering around, in CA or anywhere else. In my experience, the great majority of people are well intentioned and want to live lives with purpose and meaning. However, very many people live in bad conditions, and these conditions can drain them of hope and purpose.
In 1750, there were 1 billion people living on the planet. It took the whole of human existence for the world population to reach 1 billion. In 1930, there were 2 billion people. It took just one hundred and eighty years for the population to double. It took only forty more years for us to get to three billion. After that came a spectacular increase. On New Year’s Eve 1999, you were sharing the planet with six billion other people. The human population had doubled in thirty years. Some estimates suggest that we’ll hit nine billion by the middle of the twenty-first century.
By 2000, nearly half of the six billion people on Earth lived in cities. By 2020, there may be more than five hundred cities on Earth with populations above one million, and more than twenty megacities, with populations in excess of twenty million. Already, Greater Tokyo has a population of thirty-five million. This is greater than the total population of Canada, a territory four thousand times larger.
This massive growth in the size and density of human populations across Earth presents enormous challenges. It demands that we tackle the crisis in natural resources with urgency. But it demands too that we tackle the crisis in human resources and that we think differently about the relationships between the two.
We have to move beyond linear, mechanistic metaphors to more organic metaphors of human growth and development.
A living organism, like a plant, is complex and dynamic. Each of its internal processes affects and depends on the others in sustaining the vitality of the whole organism.
Michaelangelo once said, “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.”
p. 60 Awesome photos of Earth in comparison to other planets. Gives perspective of how tiny we are in the universe.
p. 117 Interaction with the field, in person or through their work, is as vital to our development as time alone with our thoughts. As the physicist John Wheeler said, “If you don’t kick things around with people, you are out of it. Nobody, I always say, can be anybody without somebody being around.” The physicist Freeman Dyson says that when he’s writing he closes the door, but when he’s actually doing science, he leaves it open. “Up to a point you welcome being interrupted because it is only by interacting with other people that you get anything interesting done.”
Isaac Newton, “If I saw further it was because I stood on the shoulders of giants.”
p. 223 “Happy individuals seem to have a whole lot more fun than the rest of us ever do,” Dr. Michael Fordyce said in his book Human Happiness. “They have many more activities they enjoy doing for fun, and they spend much more of their time, on a given day or week, doing fun, exciting, and enjoyable activities.”
p. 224 The Russian novelist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said, “If you want to change the world, who do you begin with, yourself or others? I believe if we begin with ourselves and do the things that we need to do and become the best person we can be, we have a much better chance of changing the world for the better.”
p. 238 The most powerful method of improving education is to invest in the improvement of teaching and the status of great teachers. There isn’t a great school anywhere that doesn’t have great teachers working in it. But there and plenty of poor schools with shelves of curriculum standards and reams of standardized tests.
The fact is that given the challenges we face, education doesn’t need to be reformed—it needs to be transformed. The key to this transformation is not to standardize 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 passions.
p. 248 School systems should base their curriculum not on the idea of separate subjects, but on the much more fertile idea of disciplines. Math, for example, isn’t just a set of information to be learned but a complex pattern of ideas, practical skills, and concepts. It is a discipline—or rather a set of disciplines. So too are drama, art, technology, and so on. The idea of disciplines makes possible a fluid and dynamic curriculum that is interdisciplinary.
Third, the curriculum should be personalized. The current processes of education do not take account of individual learning styles and talents. In that way, they offend the principle of distinctiveness.
p. 249 Whatever it might be for, enthusiasm is the main thing that needs to be developed.
The Element has implications for teaching. Too many reform movements in education are designed to make education teacher-proof. The most successful systems in the world take the opposite view. They invest in teachers. The reason is that people succeed best when they have others who understand their talents, challenges, and abilities. This is why mentoring is such a helpful force in so many people’s lives. Great teachers have always understood that their real role is not to teach subjects but to teach students. Mentoring and coaching is the vital pulse of a living system of education.
The Element has implications for assessment. Education is being strangled persistently by the culture of standardized testing. The irony is that these tests are not raising standards except in some very particular areas, and at the expense of most of what really matters in education.
To get a perspective on this, compare the processes of quality assurance in education with those in an entirely different field—catering. In the restaurant business, there are two distinct models of quality assurance. The first is the fast-food model. In this model, the quality of the food is guaranteed, because it is all standardized. The fast-food chains specify exactly what should be on the menu in all of their outlets. They specify what should be in the burgers or nuggets, the oil in which they should be fried, the exact bun in which they should be served, how the fries should be made, what should be in the drinks, and exactly how they should be served. They specify how the room should be decorated and what the staff should wear. Everything is standardized. It’s often dreadful and bad for you. Some forms of fast food are contributing to that massive explosion of obesity and diabetes across the world. But at least the quality is guarantee.
The other model of quality assurance in catering is the Michelin guide. In this model, the guides establish specific criteria for excellence, but they do not say how the particular restaurants should meet these criteria. They don’t say what should be on the menu, what the staff should wear, or how the rooms should be decorated. All of that is at the discretion of the individual restaurant. The guides simply establish criteria, and it is up to every restaurant to meet them in whatever way they see best. They are then judged no to some impersonal standard, but by the assessments of experts who know what they are looking for and what a great restaurant is actually like. The result is that every Michelin restaurant is terrific. And they are all unique and different from each other.
The future for education is not in standardizing but in customizing; not in promoting groupthink and “deindividuation” but in cultivating the real depth and dynamism of human abilities of every sort.
Afterword:
In 2006, the state of California spent $3.5 billion on the state university system. It spent $9.9 billion on the state prison system. I find it hard to believe that there are three times more potential criminals in CA than potential college graduates, or that the growing masses of people in jails throughout the country were simply born to be there. I don’t believe that there are that many naturally malign people wandering around, in CA or anywhere else. In my experience, the great majority of people are well intentioned and want to live lives with purpose and meaning. However, very many people live in bad conditions, and these conditions can drain them of hope and purpose.
In 1750, there were 1 billion people living on the planet. It took the whole of human existence for the world population to reach 1 billion. In 1930, there were 2 billion people. It took just one hundred and eighty years for the population to double. It took only forty more years for us to get to three billion. After that came a spectacular increase. On New Year’s Eve 1999, you were sharing the planet with six billion other people. The human population had doubled in thirty years. Some estimates suggest that we’ll hit nine billion by the middle of the twenty-first century.
By 2000, nearly half of the six billion people on Earth lived in cities. By 2020, there may be more than five hundred cities on Earth with populations above one million, and more than twenty megacities, with populations in excess of twenty million. Already, Greater Tokyo has a population of thirty-five million. This is greater than the total population of Canada, a territory four thousand times larger.
This massive growth in the size and density of human populations across Earth presents enormous challenges. It demands that we tackle the crisis in natural resources with urgency. But it demands too that we tackle the crisis in human resources and that we think differently about the relationships between the two.
We have to move beyond linear, mechanistic metaphors to more organic metaphors of human growth and development.
A living organism, like a plant, is complex and dynamic. Each of its internal processes affects and depends on the others in sustaining the vitality of the whole organism.
Michaelangelo once said, “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.”
November 21, 2012
Loy Machedo’s Book Review – The Element by Sir Ken Robinson
Sir Kenneth Robinson is an English Author, Speaker, and International Advisor on Education in the Arts to government, Non-Profits, Education, and Art Bodies. He shot to fame with his TED Talks Video ‘How Schools Kill Creativity’ which was viewed a staggering 13 million times since it was first uploaded in February 2006.
In 2010, the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce animated one of Robinson's speeches about changing "education paradigms". The video was viewed nearly half a million times in its first week on YouTube.
So if you liked Sir Ken Robinsons TED Talk, you will treasure this book – The Element.
The Element is about Intelligence. Not just academic but the whole wide spectrum of Diverse Human Intelligence and Creativity. It is a book that speaks profoundly about Personal Passion Meeting Natural Talent, Nurturing and Expressing Oneself, Developing Circles of Influence, Attitudes & Aptitudes, Importance of being Mentored, Investing in oneself, Sacrificing for one goals and an Intense Desire to commit to one’s true calling. It is a book that mixes the concepts of the flow state (the work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi) and Imagine (works of Jonah Richard Lehrer) combined with the research style of Outliners, The Tipping Point / Blink (Malcolm Gladwell) & Influence (Robert Caildini).
The author sites various personalities and anecdotes to strengthen his argument. He gives the examples of
1. George Harrison (The Beatles) and how he and Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynne formed their Album,
2. Zaha Hadid, the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize for Architecture who grew up in Iraq.
3. Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney,
4. Fleetwood Mac’s Founder & eponymous drummer Mick Fleetwood
5. Nobel Peace Laureate Physicist Richard Feynman,
6. Writer Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post
7. The Creator of The Simpsons Matt Groening,
8. Internationally Acclaimed Actress Meg Ryan,
9. Vidal Sassoon,
10. International Best Selling Author Paulo Coelho,
11. International Best Selling Author Susan Jeffers,
12. Gillian Lynne of The Broadway Productions Cats & The Phantom of the Opera,
13. Richard Branson of Virgin Group
14. Paul Potts success through Britian’s Got Talent
15. John Wilson, who though being blind played a crucial role in curing blindness for millions in Africa.
Some of the thought provoking statements he left me with were:
1. Gillian Lynne and Matt Groening who were hopeless at school but ending up giving pleasure to millions around the world because they found their Element.
2. The Element having two main features and two conditions aptitude (I get it), passion (I love it), attitude (I want it), opportunity (Where is it?).
3. How we take things for granted assuming we have only 5 or 6 senses – the 6th one being Intuition where are more diverse, dynamic and distinct senses.
4. How we should stop asking ourselves “How Intelligent Are You” and instead ask ourselves "How are you intelligent?"
5. Where the world population took, 180 years from 1750 to 1930 to double from 1 Billion to 2 Billion. It took only 29 years, from 1970 to 1999 for the population to double once again from 3 to 6 Billion. And how this uncontrolled explosion will impact Human Lives.
6. The three myths of creativity - only special people are creative, creativity is about special activities like the arts, design, or advertising and that people are either creative or not.
7. How imagination is different from creativity and how we should develop both.
8. The Zone is the place or time where we feel the true sense of freedom and authenticity.
9. That we are often confined in boxes like the MBTI personality test that group people into sixteen personality types. "My guess is that sixteen personality types might be a bit of an underestimate. My personal estimate would be closer to six billion."
10. The Importance of Finding Your Tribe and how Meg Ryan found her true self because she met people who gradually shape her Element.
11. How children are labeled as ADD or ADHD when in the past, no such category was invented and so Children were treated normally
12. The barriers to finding the Element are personal, social, and cultural.
13. How Attitude plays an important role in finding your Element.
14. How Mentors play an important role in the lives of people who have found their element.
15. The new definition of Amateurs, Professionals and Professional Amateurs.
16. The limitation of the current system of Education with its Hierarchy, Standardized Tests, Academic Inflation and in ability to customize itself to cater to different forms of creativity, imagination and talent.
Criticisms against the book.
I did a bit of research to see what the critics had to say. There were a few of them that stood out.
1. The inability of the author to answer how does one discover what their passion is?
2. Lack of Statistical & Factual Tools to Provide a Solution
3. The argument is based upon anecdotes rather than any meaningful survey or statistical analysis.
I thought about these questions and found a sensible answer to them.
1. How does one discover what their passion is?
Think, Reflect, Experiment and Find out.
2. Lack of Statistical & Factual Tools to Provide a Solution
Until we come out with a tool to measure Intuitive abilities, degrees of creativity and imagination and quantitative methods to numerically give value to thought and reason – I do not see this how this can be made possible.
3. The argument is based upon anecdotes rather than any meaningful survey or statistical analysis.
I doubt there is any statistical study undertaken to find out how many people are ambitious, how many have achieved their goals or have are focused on their goals. It is simply not possible. And if ever such a study had to be conducted, then we would require the experimenters and study group to dedicate their entire lives to this study without external factors like technology or innovations taking place – which in turn change the dynamics of the game.
Moment of Truth – The overall Summary
Even with such feeble criticisms, I have to applaud the author for taking such a pain-staking effort and dedication in grinding out the data to support, inspire and reveal such a thought-provoking book.
Among all the books I have read over the past so many years, including the 182 books that I have given written Reviews, I rate this book as among the top five of all time. It was so good, that I read it back to back – twice.
So if you were to ask me – I loved this book to bits and if you ever wish to do yourself or your loved ones a favor – this must be the book you should buy, keep, read, study, implement and share – Just as I have.
Overall Rating.
A Perfect Book - 10 out of 10.
Sir Ken Robinson – Thank you for such a Timeless Masterpiece.
Loy Machedo
loymachedo.com | loymachedo.tv
Sir Kenneth Robinson is an English Author, Speaker, and International Advisor on Education in the Arts to government, Non-Profits, Education, and Art Bodies. He shot to fame with his TED Talks Video ‘How Schools Kill Creativity’ which was viewed a staggering 13 million times since it was first uploaded in February 2006.
In 2010, the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce animated one of Robinson's speeches about changing "education paradigms". The video was viewed nearly half a million times in its first week on YouTube.
So if you liked Sir Ken Robinsons TED Talk, you will treasure this book – The Element.
The Element is about Intelligence. Not just academic but the whole wide spectrum of Diverse Human Intelligence and Creativity. It is a book that speaks profoundly about Personal Passion Meeting Natural Talent, Nurturing and Expressing Oneself, Developing Circles of Influence, Attitudes & Aptitudes, Importance of being Mentored, Investing in oneself, Sacrificing for one goals and an Intense Desire to commit to one’s true calling. It is a book that mixes the concepts of the flow state (the work of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi) and Imagine (works of Jonah Richard Lehrer) combined with the research style of Outliners, The Tipping Point / Blink (Malcolm Gladwell) & Influence (Robert Caildini).
The author sites various personalities and anecdotes to strengthen his argument. He gives the examples of
1. George Harrison (The Beatles) and how he and Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Tom Petty, and Jeff Lynne formed their Album,
2. Zaha Hadid, the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize for Architecture who grew up in Iraq.
3. Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney,
4. Fleetwood Mac’s Founder & eponymous drummer Mick Fleetwood
5. Nobel Peace Laureate Physicist Richard Feynman,
6. Writer Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post
7. The Creator of The Simpsons Matt Groening,
8. Internationally Acclaimed Actress Meg Ryan,
9. Vidal Sassoon,
10. International Best Selling Author Paulo Coelho,
11. International Best Selling Author Susan Jeffers,
12. Gillian Lynne of The Broadway Productions Cats & The Phantom of the Opera,
13. Richard Branson of Virgin Group
14. Paul Potts success through Britian’s Got Talent
15. John Wilson, who though being blind played a crucial role in curing blindness for millions in Africa.
Some of the thought provoking statements he left me with were:
1. Gillian Lynne and Matt Groening who were hopeless at school but ending up giving pleasure to millions around the world because they found their Element.
2. The Element having two main features and two conditions aptitude (I get it), passion (I love it), attitude (I want it), opportunity (Where is it?).
3. How we take things for granted assuming we have only 5 or 6 senses – the 6th one being Intuition where are more diverse, dynamic and distinct senses.
4. How we should stop asking ourselves “How Intelligent Are You” and instead ask ourselves "How are you intelligent?"
5. Where the world population took, 180 years from 1750 to 1930 to double from 1 Billion to 2 Billion. It took only 29 years, from 1970 to 1999 for the population to double once again from 3 to 6 Billion. And how this uncontrolled explosion will impact Human Lives.
6. The three myths of creativity - only special people are creative, creativity is about special activities like the arts, design, or advertising and that people are either creative or not.
7. How imagination is different from creativity and how we should develop both.
8. The Zone is the place or time where we feel the true sense of freedom and authenticity.
9. That we are often confined in boxes like the MBTI personality test that group people into sixteen personality types. "My guess is that sixteen personality types might be a bit of an underestimate. My personal estimate would be closer to six billion."
10. The Importance of Finding Your Tribe and how Meg Ryan found her true self because she met people who gradually shape her Element.
11. How children are labeled as ADD or ADHD when in the past, no such category was invented and so Children were treated normally
12. The barriers to finding the Element are personal, social, and cultural.
13. How Attitude plays an important role in finding your Element.
14. How Mentors play an important role in the lives of people who have found their element.
15. The new definition of Amateurs, Professionals and Professional Amateurs.
16. The limitation of the current system of Education with its Hierarchy, Standardized Tests, Academic Inflation and in ability to customize itself to cater to different forms of creativity, imagination and talent.
Criticisms against the book.
I did a bit of research to see what the critics had to say. There were a few of them that stood out.
1. The inability of the author to answer how does one discover what their passion is?
2. Lack of Statistical & Factual Tools to Provide a Solution
3. The argument is based upon anecdotes rather than any meaningful survey or statistical analysis.
I thought about these questions and found a sensible answer to them.
1. How does one discover what their passion is?
Think, Reflect, Experiment and Find out.
2. Lack of Statistical & Factual Tools to Provide a Solution
Until we come out with a tool to measure Intuitive abilities, degrees of creativity and imagination and quantitative methods to numerically give value to thought and reason – I do not see this how this can be made possible.
3. The argument is based upon anecdotes rather than any meaningful survey or statistical analysis.
I doubt there is any statistical study undertaken to find out how many people are ambitious, how many have achieved their goals or have are focused on their goals. It is simply not possible. And if ever such a study had to be conducted, then we would require the experimenters and study group to dedicate their entire lives to this study without external factors like technology or innovations taking place – which in turn change the dynamics of the game.
Moment of Truth – The overall Summary
Even with such feeble criticisms, I have to applaud the author for taking such a pain-staking effort and dedication in grinding out the data to support, inspire and reveal such a thought-provoking book.
Among all the books I have read over the past so many years, including the 182 books that I have given written Reviews, I rate this book as among the top five of all time. It was so good, that I read it back to back – twice.
So if you were to ask me – I loved this book to bits and if you ever wish to do yourself or your loved ones a favor – this must be the book you should buy, keep, read, study, implement and share – Just as I have.
Overall Rating.
A Perfect Book - 10 out of 10.
Sir Ken Robinson – Thank you for such a Timeless Masterpiece.
Loy Machedo
loymachedo.com | loymachedo.tv
July 15, 2018
Esta es una de esas lecturas curiosas que descubres y piensas que va a perdurar en tu memoria durante mucho tiempo. Sir Ken Robinson, con su habitual tono amable y a la vez cargado de sabiduría, nos expone en este libro una verdad como un templo.
"El Elemento" es un libro para paladear página a página. Está estructurado de una forma excepcional: a medida que se nos va describiendo la importancia de encontrar el Elemento en nuestras vidas y cómo podemos llegar a conocerlo, cada capítulo está salpicado de entrañables historias particulares, historias de personas exitosas pero tan reales como tú y como yo, que llegaron a ser lo que son porque tuvieron la suerte de encontrar lo que este libro describe.
Así, las narraciones de las trayectorias profesionales citadas describen cuidadosamente cómo llegaron a descubrir su pasión y han llegado a ser lo que son, y también cómo se sienten y cómo entienden sus talentos. Matt Groeging, Einstein, Gillian Lynne, George Harrison... son sólo algunos de los fascinantes ejemplos de los que estás deseando saberlo todo.
¿Qué es realmente el Elemento? Para saberlo deberás leer el libro y descubrirlo por ti solo. Como resumen te diré que encontrar el Elemento es sentir que estás en la zona donde puedes desarrollar todas tus capacidades al máximo, disfrutando sin importar del transcurrir del tiempo y sentir que has nacido para dedicarte a ello.
Se hace referencia no sólo al Elemento, sino a todos los factores que nos pueden ayudar a encontrarlo y a perfeccionarlo. La suerte es importante para hallarlo, pero la perseveración lo es más. Incluye al final una breve reflexión sobre si nuestras generaciones venideras pueden realmente encontrar el Elemento en el sistema escolar que les hemos preparado. Al fin y al cabo, Robinson es un experto en educación.
Todos estamos destinados a encontrar aquella tarea que nos da nuestro lugar inequívoco en el mundo, pero no es fácil. Ojalá este libro te dé alguna luz.
"El Elemento" es un libro para paladear página a página. Está estructurado de una forma excepcional: a medida que se nos va describiendo la importancia de encontrar el Elemento en nuestras vidas y cómo podemos llegar a conocerlo, cada capítulo está salpicado de entrañables historias particulares, historias de personas exitosas pero tan reales como tú y como yo, que llegaron a ser lo que son porque tuvieron la suerte de encontrar lo que este libro describe.
Así, las narraciones de las trayectorias profesionales citadas describen cuidadosamente cómo llegaron a descubrir su pasión y han llegado a ser lo que son, y también cómo se sienten y cómo entienden sus talentos. Matt Groeging, Einstein, Gillian Lynne, George Harrison... son sólo algunos de los fascinantes ejemplos de los que estás deseando saberlo todo.
¿Qué es realmente el Elemento? Para saberlo deberás leer el libro y descubrirlo por ti solo. Como resumen te diré que encontrar el Elemento es sentir que estás en la zona donde puedes desarrollar todas tus capacidades al máximo, disfrutando sin importar del transcurrir del tiempo y sentir que has nacido para dedicarte a ello.
Se hace referencia no sólo al Elemento, sino a todos los factores que nos pueden ayudar a encontrarlo y a perfeccionarlo. La suerte es importante para hallarlo, pero la perseveración lo es más. Incluye al final una breve reflexión sobre si nuestras generaciones venideras pueden realmente encontrar el Elemento en el sistema escolar que les hemos preparado. Al fin y al cabo, Robinson es un experto en educación.
Todos estamos destinados a encontrar aquella tarea que nos da nuestro lugar inequívoco en el mundo, pero no es fácil. Ojalá este libro te dé alguna luz.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,744 reviews