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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
If you are looking to find a new path in life or to confirm the one you have decided already, this book will definitely help you. I enjoyed it
This seemed fairly intuitive. People excel when they do something they like. I did appreciate the fact that he mentioned how the more unconventional ways people do things and are happy doing them. My main complaint is this is very anecdotal and uses success stories. I'd love to hear from people who went all out with something they loved and failed. I don't think one person is a better pool player than another simply because they loved it more. Someone else could have better life circumstances or other factors aiding them. Looking only at these stories of people being great in their fields gives you the sense that simply wanting it means you'll get it but that hardly ever seems to be the case. Socioeconomic factors and others are huge here too. On the pool topic, the girl was able to leave her family in the Sweden (I think) to move to America to train almost full time. These usually aren't feasible for many families. It's great to have the resources to do such a thing but life doesn't happen in a vacuum and unfortunately many people cannot follow their un-economical passions hoping to hit it big without having deep pockets or a large support system.
Awesome book. Really helped me think about where my passions are nested and how they might possibly work together. The final chapter alone is worth reading this book.
I read this book because it was suggested by my "tribe..." Teachers who started the idea of #GeniusHour (called 20% time in other places). Oh so many things to grasp! (If you want my detailed notes, email me and I'll get them to you!) One thing I know... I've dabbled in my Element, but I'm not there yet. My next step? Finding out what I need to do to feel whole... Is it informing others of all I learn? Is it being one-on-one with students? Is it photography? Is it playing my banjo? I think it's a mixture of some of these, and I'll keep searching for it. Yes, I'm fortunate to be happy doing what I do, but I still need to do more... And I need to keep encouraging students to find what ignites their fire, as well. Encourage them to pursue it. All of our students are geniuses in some way. Can we find it and help cultivate it? Give them the optimal conditions for following their dreams...? We've got to try.
If you've seen the videos or been lucky enough to hear him in person, there is not much new here. The message is solid and timely. A pleasurable read with his conversational style and great sense of humour. As an educator, I was hoping that he'd go deeper into educational issues and was confused by my book store's "self-help" classification but it all ties together now that I've read the book. If you are at all interested in finding your passion/Element or helping others to do so, this is a great book for you.
I loved the TED talk Ken Robinson gave about this topic, and I thought I would find the book inspiring, but I don't.
I also have an objection to his entire premise. Just because some people find something to be passionate about, that they love more than anything else and want to do all the time, that doesn't mean that everyone should. I really think that some people can enjoy lots of things equally and never want to give their lives to any of them.
And then what if someone finds a passion (element) that is completely worthless as a career option, like napping, or giving money away. I mean, in the far reaches of my imagination I can think of ways to turn any passion into a job, but I don't really believe that they are all realistic.
The funny thing is that I do agree with him mostly. I have always studied and worked at what I loved instead of what others thought I should do. I continually try new things, searching for my element. I just don't know if it as simple as that anymore. This book is unsettling, maybe I'll finish this someday, maybe not.
I also have an objection to his entire premise. Just because some people find something to be passionate about, that they love more than anything else and want to do all the time, that doesn't mean that everyone should. I really think that some people can enjoy lots of things equally and never want to give their lives to any of them.
And then what if someone finds a passion (element) that is completely worthless as a career option, like napping, or giving money away. I mean, in the far reaches of my imagination I can think of ways to turn any passion into a job, but I don't really believe that they are all realistic.
The funny thing is that I do agree with him mostly. I have always studied and worked at what I loved instead of what others thought I should do. I continually try new things, searching for my element. I just don't know if it as simple as that anymore. This book is unsettling, maybe I'll finish this someday, maybe not.
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
After watching Ken Robinson's Ted talk, I immediately checked out two of his books from the library: this one, and "Out of Our Minds." I'm hoping the other has a little more meat and not just anecdotes. I love the message of "The Element," but for me it's missing the "so what?" and "what do we do next?" factors. It did validate my choice to homeschool, but I didn't really need that. I want tips for helping my children discover their "Element."
I love Ken Robinson's ideas on education and the importance of passion. His books make me both motivated and frustrated because of how much time I spend in a broken system trying to change things (and answering banal questions like "how do you teach more than one grade in a class?" Or "I don't understand how you can have a combined English and history curriculum). Really, though, his books give me great ideas and encourage me not to give up. This one I've rated at a four simply because many of the ideas were repeats from previous books I've read of his. Still excellent though.