Ken Robinson’s “Changing Education Paradigms” is one of the first things students are shown when they enter Room 210. A copy of the RSA Animate version of it even hands on the wall in the classroom. It is inspirational, especially toward the end.

We have to think differently about human capacity. We have to get over this old conception of academic, non-academic, abstract, theoretical, vocational, and see it for what it is — a myth. Second, you have to recognize that most great learning happens in groups, that collaboration is the stuff of growth. If you atomize people and separate them and judge them separately, we form a kind of disjunction between them and their natural learning environment. And thirdly, it’s crucially about the culture of our institutions, the habits of institution and the habitats that they occupy.

At its heart, Robinson’s purpose is to encourage a change in the culture and habits of schools. He argues that this requires a more individualized, responsive view of student potential; a focus on group learning and collaboration; and a reconnection between students and their learning environments.

He also calls out a myth: that some students are "academic," while others are "non-academic." Early in his talk, he highlights the way education has split students this way — see the image to the right.

This makerspace levels the ground. The testimonials are the same. When it was eight of the top ten students, they spoke of the importance of eliminating traditional grades and shifting instruction and feedback. On this page, the students traditionally labeled "non-academic" agree.