After a distinguished career in education spanning more than three decades, Sir Ken Robinson has died. The author of several best-selling books, Robinson is best known for having given the most popular TED Talk of all time.

However, Robinson’s biggest legacy is the generation of educators he inspired with his strong encouragement to move away from schools as rigid test-prep factories toward a more artistic, liberating, and student-friendly environment. This was a much-needed and much-appreciated message.

Students in my courses know that I have used Robinson’s TED talks (and other materials) as a starting point for many discussions. His wisdom and humor will be greatly missed …