I don't think schools kill creativity, I think education policy does. Students and teachers would run a school a lot differently then they are run now. As I watched the Sir Ken Robinson clip, I couldn't help but agree with everything he said. We are grooming student's education according to that hierarchy. Math and English are at the top and music/art are at the bottom. When I was in school, I used to have band every day plus one band lesson a week. Today, the band in my school meets once per 6 day cycle, so does chorus. I think that is absolutely horrible. If a student doesn't score appropriately, they are pulled from one of their electives and placed in a remediation for either math or writing. I teach history. As a core subject, I am probably the lowest on hierarchy. Part of me likes this. I am still a core subject, so I get to see the students everyday, but I am not high enough on the hierarchy to be tested. I do believe that this allows me to be a little more flexible with curriculum and integrate creativity into my classroom. I have always had the battle between time, creativity and finishing the curriculum. I choose the higher level thinking route. I don't want my students to just regurgitate dates, names and events. I can just tell them why the Revolutionary War was important, but I want them to figure that out on their own terms. I want them to see the world through the eyes of John Smith. I want them to be in his shoes building Jamestown and avoiding the mistakes made in the past. This is one of my favorite projects... I have the students rebuild Jamestown in order for it to be successful. They are to come up with a sketch of the new Jamestown and come up with a plan of government. As they are working on the project, I always circulate the room and pose questions that make them think. Every year I am amazed at their creativity and how they used it to solve the problems and create a successful colony. Here are some projects that blew me away!
I am so proud with what my students have created. They enjoy making the new Jamestown and the love explaining and creating something new. Sir Robinson said that students will take a chance. "If they don't know, they will have a go!" In the 8th grade, some students still have this. They really aren't afraid to make a mistake. I love seeing their light bulbs go off in class. With that being said, I am also seeing some students who just want to know what they need to for the test. I hate being asked, "Is this going to be on the test??" That is all some students care about. Its all our educational system has taught them. They are taught to memorize information, spit them out on a test, and score well. Sir Robinson is right when he said that we educate the creativity out of our students. They are taught making mistakes is wrong and undesired. That isn't true! Mistakes sometimes lead to the solution. If a child isn't willing to try because they are afraid of making a mistake, then our education system truly has failed our kids. This leads me to the next quote by Sir Ken Robinson.
http://etalks.me/blog/?p=88
Being original and creative are important aspects to higher level thinking. In order to reach that goal, students must be willing to take that leap of faith that they will reach that final answer. They must invest time and their hard work in order to be original. "All of us fail, and -- because they are bold and ambitious -- creators fail the most frequently and, often, most dramatically. Only a person who is willing to pick herself up and 'try an try again' is likely to forge creative achievements" (Gardner 2007). All teachers know and understand this yet we are forced to teach to the test and remove creativity from our students lives. Standardized testing and data mining has driven our school system to produce robots that can spit out the answer to a math problem or ace the PSSAs but they can't solve a problem with their original thoughts and creative minds. I truly believe that higher level thinking is strongly tied to creativity. Like Ken Robinson stated, "intelligence is dynamic... some people need to move to think!!" A standardized test does not measure intelligence.
There are many ways digital media can be used in the classroom to help spark creativity. I just learned that there is a program on our computers at school called google sketchup. I was thinking that next year I could have them use google sketch up, if they desire, to rebuild their Jamestown. In December, I am having my students create a "historybook" page using PowerPoint. They are going to be creating this page based on facebook on an important historical figure. I also think collaboration can spark creativity as group members work together to solve a problem. I have used Edmodo in the past to allow students to collaborate and create an original Revolutionary War Newspaper. I have learned a great deal from this master's program about different tools to use. I could have my students create movie poster about an important event and have the other students analyze the poster and determine which event it is. I can have them create a PSA or short video using animoto. They can create a unique and original Prezi on a subject. Students could create a podcast and create a news report on an historical time period. Digital media can really open some creative doors for students. I have had students create short movies and plays based on an historical theme or event. Project Based Learning really lends itself to technology and creativity. Students could use any digital media they need to solve a problem or answer an essential question. The possibilities really excite me! Using digital media, students can create an original and creative product. No two students will create the same project. Originality shows intelligence, not getting the most correct answers on a standardized test.
Gardner, Howard. (2007). Five Minds for the Future. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Sir Ken Robinson, "Do Schools Kill Creativity?"
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