Last week, I had the great fortune to attend TEDxPatagonia. This expertly-produced event took place at TVN, one of Chile’s television networks. The event was SO inspiring. Each speaker had a different idea of how to reinvent education for Chile. Half the speeches were in person and the others were on video, and the videos were equally immersive and amazing as the in-person talks. Bravo to TVN, EducarChile, Fundación Chile, and everyone else behind this event.

The first speech I saw was this televised talk from Sir Ken Robinson.

He urged us to “disenthrall ourselves,” to stop being hypnotized by ideas we take for granted. He said that education should be placed in a linear/industrial model, since it’s not about scaling solutions. He described education as an agricultural/organic process, in which it is important to create the conditions in which each student can grow and flourish.

Next spoke Fernando Rojas, who defines himself as a gamer.

I took this from my iPod touch in a dark room. I'm sure better photos were taken, but you get the idea of what he looked like from my seat :)

He created a program to teach kids to make video games in schools. When he started, it was incredibly difficult, since most of the curriculum is eminently practical, and focused on coaching kids to do well on the PSU (standardized tests). But he kept his expectations high, and continued to lead this program in Penalolen, one of the poorest areas in Santiago. His site, aulagamer.com, describes this journey. One of the most powerful parts of this presentation for me was when he said, “Quiero ser abogado, médico…”. (I want to be a lawyer, doctor, etc) and then replaced the words abogado and médico with “yo mismo.” “I want to be myself.” What an idea.

Next we saw a televised talk by John Hunter, the teacher at the center of a documentary film called “World Peace and Other 4th Grade Achievements.” You should really watch this talk yourself (and maybe send it to your 4th-grade teacher). The part that touched me most is when he described watching the film for the first time and feeling himself just disappear. All he could see were the mannerisms and actions teachers that shaped him, especially his parents. The video contains a 4th-grader’s jaw-dropping description of Sun Tzu’s philosophy. I can’t do it justice in these cursory paragraphs. Really, just watch it.

Next spoke Juan Estéban Varela, a magician. When he filed his taxes, he wrote “magician” on the line where everyone needs to fill in an occupation. The tax assessor didn’t believe him. Next he gave a complex description involving creativity and education, and that time the tax assessor believed he had a “real” profession. He emphasized that magic does not belong to the musician; it lives in the mystery-filled eyes of the audience. He said that clarity is the enemy of knowledge, and urged us to abandon clarity in favor of embracing the shadow that lies within us all.

After that we saw a video about the Soccket, a soccer ball that generates electricity. This is so cool!

And that was just the first half or so. I have a lot more to say about TEDxPatagonia, so stay tuned. I hope you actually watch these videos. Enjoy!!