We all admire creative individuals, whether they’re artists, writers, architects, entrepreneurs, or scientists, but we fail to value creativity and the creative process in our educational system. Creativity is seen more as a gift rather than something we’re all born with that needs to be nurtured and developed.

Schools currently reward the children who can quickly follow tried-and-true solutions to problems and memorize with the greatest diligence. Through school and parenting, children become conditioned to fear being wrong. Children learn to find the ‘right’ answer as fast as possible and become increasingly hesitant of approaching problems in novel and creative ways. Moreover, the more obviously creative subjects--art, music and dance, for example--are little valued compared to the ‘serious’ subjects, namely math and the sciences. In short, school is anti-creative.

This is unfortunate because creativity is a hot commodity. Think about the business leader who creatively works with the dynamic tools of business--capital, people, markets, and ideas--and is able to successfully reorganize them in new and different ways. Creativity is a valuable attribute (and one that employers are willing to pay for). It is also skill or trait that is few and far between. This is not because only a handful of people are inherently creative; it’s because our creativity is not encouraged. Our educational system puts a low priority on children’s ability to approach challenges from a mindset of curiosity, adventure, experimentation, and risk.

The benefits of supporting creativity in children are significant. One study found that pupils who had the opportunity to work with creative individuals, such as writers and fashion designers, were better behaved and honed such skills as improvisation, resilience and collaboration.

Creativity is also necessary in today’s world, which is changing at an unprecedented speed. The amount of information teachers can pass on to children in the time they're at school is very limited. At the same time, access to all kinds of information has become incredibly easy.

Today, it’s not what is taught that matters, so much as making sure children know how to learn and innovate.

All over the world, businesses have repeatedly expressed what they expect from their work force. The new requirements are:

• Flexibility and creativity in the ways in which one thinks
• Being able to deal positivity with change (practically and emotionally)
• Confidence in knowing how to learn

To find out more about how to inspire children to become independent learners and creative thinkers, please visit INSPIRED LEARNING.

Listen to a funny and inspiring talk given by Sir Ken Robinson on the importance of nurturing creativity.