Rethinking Creativity

 

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_changing_education_paradigms.html

This is a great (and entertaining) TED talk from Sir Ken Robinson about how our education system is killing creativity. Children are naturally creative, and he claims that they do not simply grow out of that state of mind, but are instead, educated out of it. In every school system in the world there is a hierarchy of subjects, with math and languages at the top, the humanities below that, and the arts at the bottom. When educational systems were developed in the 19th century, it was to meet the needs of industrialism. Children were taught things that were going to get them jobs. This same ideology exists today, and has resulted in a rigid way of thinking. Creativity has become undervalued and even stigmatized.

Creativity is a very important skill to have, not just in terms of the arts, but as a general way of thinking. Throughout school, kids are taught in a very specific manner how to solve problems. An essay is written this way, math problems must be solved that way, it has drained us of the ability to do things for ourselves. I'm starting to see this more and more with university students. University is far different from elementary and secondary school because there is no more hand-holding. You get told to do something, and are expected to do it without your professors listing off every step of the process. It's a huge shock because all of a sudden, you're expected to do things for yourself. I find it almost comical that so many "smart" people are neglecting this part of themselves. Creativity is like a workout for the mind. It helps you become a better problem-solver and a more flexible thinker over-all. If people don't start to realize how important creativity is and start to give the arts the credit that they are due, then society as a whole will suffer for it.