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I’m sitting here in tears listening to Sarah Montague interview Ken Robinson. Here’s a bit:
SM: Are you really saying that dance is as important as maths at school? KR: Yes. SM: You are? KR: Yes. SM: So every child should have as many dance lessons as they have maths lessons? KR: Yeah, absolutely, yeah. Yes, of course yes, because children, like you and me, are not brains on a stick. We are embodied. SM: But everything we do in life, almost, requires some mathematical ability, whether it’s going into a shop or buying your home or seeing your salary. You don’t dance, necessarily, that frequently. KR: No, but you live in your body all day long. You are in it right now. And our physical condition, how we relate to ourselves physically is of fundamental importance to our sense of self. I mean, when you say that we use mathematics every day, actually we really don’t. A lot of the mathematics we learn in school we never use again in any practical sense. Very few people after school use calculus or algebra. Yes, general arithmetic, things of that sort. I’m not arguing against that. I’m always keen to say this: I have never anywhere said that the arts are more important than the sciences, or that dance is more important than mathematics. What I am saying is that they are equally important and they are all connected.
The interview is here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04d4nvv. It’s worth listening to the entire talk, but it is towards the end when Robinson starts talking about how he believes schools and teaching should work that it is most remarkable.
If you are in a location that is geo-locked let me know and I’ll sort out something.