A New Education Story: a conversation with George the Poet
Simon Sinek
Optimist, New York Times bestselling author of "Start with Why" and "The Infinite Game", and founder of The Optimism Company
Last week I linked up for a long chat with George the Poet. George and I met through Big Change, an organization working to do something we both care about: to transform the potential of education so that it's really about learning, not just school. With all the challenges this year in making basic "school" happen, this is the ideal moment to be asking: why are we doing this? What do we really want schools to do? This conversation is part of the work we’re both doing to help build a #NewEducationStory: a new set of aspirations and ideas for what education can be like.
We started by talking about what makes an infinite game and why education is an infinite game, but school is not.
We reflected on what we got from our own educations and how they helped us to value education as an infinite game. Along the way, we talked about how we both studied social anthropology, and how that subject has been influencing George’s emerging Ph.D. ideas. George spoke about how he saw his friends growing up losing sight of their Why - they were doing things without knowing the reason for them. He realized that he was facing a set off finite games he couldn't win. Instead, he chose to play a different game: a more infinite game of self-creation.
The question we ended up with could really be the starting place for a New Education Story - and is certainly a question I’ve asked many times: where does a thirst for learning come from?
I’d love to hear your thoughts - and look out for other parts of the #NewEducationStory coming from our friends at Big Change. Here is Holly Branson introducing what it’s all about.
Product Manager | SaaS | ERP systems | Startups
1 年This tool is changing the conventional approach to learning: https://oomka.io/ Primarily for adults, it emphasizes personalization. Perhaps, someday, personalization will become an integral part of education for kids.
I partner with and help purpose & results-driven leaders create Effective Distinctive Leadership for employee trust, retention, long-term growth, profits & a sustainable organization
4 年Great interview Simon and always educational and thought provoking! I believe that it is critical that we learn "how to learn" and to "critically think" at a much earlier age. Our schools and education process should help us with our curiousness indulged on our own learning journeys (our new elective courses). If we teach children that learning is one of life's great adventures and a life long journey maybe more would take the trip! Also, I believe we should teach creativity and entrepreneurship as we are all here on planet Earth to help make our planet a little bit better for the next generation because we were here! :)
Financial Educator
4 年Thank you Simon, for once again showing someone 'the way', a break through that starts in the mind.