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.
this was very insightful and now here in 2008 we need to be reminded that the arts and creativity are the foundation of inspiration, but we really cannot begin to manage without math and literature and writing for there in is the ability to implement inspiration.
I loved this video...wish i had a code to attach it to my website. am nearly will to create a Delicious account just to share it faster.
[...] by Valerie on October 31, 2008 Here’s an interesting post about creativity in general. It’s in line with the basic premise of Alquimia 101, that everyone is creative, that the way [...]
Creativity and the solutions to all our problems comes from the intuition, which uses the whole brain instead of the 2 percent or so we now use. I can't emphasis it too much, but here is what Einstein said: "The Only Real Valuable Thing Is Intuition" That says it all. We can find that out sooner or later, the hard way or the easy way, but the rewards from finding it out are infinite. We really do have genius in us and we can "have it all" by developing the intuition. It can be had by dropping negative judgmental words and using only positive descriptive ones to access the subconscious. Try it. "A word to the wise is sufficient."
I think you have hit the nail on the head, so to speak. Every small child I have ever met has imagination and creativity, but in school, and from a lot of parents, they learn that their way of seeing things is not accepted. This is also true of so called psychic abilities. If it isn't mainstream, it's wrong.
My daughter, who is also a creative person, has three boys in whom she is trying to cultivate creativity. Now some of the things they get into obviously aren't going to work, but as they try and adapt, their creative talents are stimulated nonetheless. And the idea that they are wrong is not reinforced.
Good luck to all you parents raising children in this day and age.
Mellie: What are your thoughts on the whole Indigo Children phenomena.
I'm really interested in seeing what peoples thoughts on that are. Are our kids really a new generation of light beings? Or are they just adapted to a new world of technology and communication?
People, what are your thoughts?
Right now we are working with mentally challenged people. what I see that each one of them is unique & different.
Abd we need to know what each one can do! Rather than what they can not!
And to bring out the best - each trainer- teacher has to be very creative.
It makes sennse for all others. Each one is unique & power creative human being. We can not generalize all aspects of their expression- creativity. we need to create a space where they can express their creativity to the best. Like gardener is providing what individual plant needs- water-fertilizer- shed etc. so that plant can grow by itself!
Thank you
I loved hearing Ken's observations on appreciating,nurturing & valuing creativity, especially in relation to educating our children.
In the time of Charles Dickens, children were regarded as mere empty vessels to be filled with knowledge.Apparently, the education system we now have here in Australia -very similar to that of many other countries, I imagine- was modelled on that of England.That system was heavily influenced by the German model- aimed at producing "factory fodder" (compliant workers),& soldiers "war fodder".
Creativity is not a trait which would be required or appreciated in either of these lines of work.