It was very eye opening when Sir Ken Robinson said that "the children entering school today are the people who will be retiring in the year 2065." I never thought about it that way, though it is something so obvious if I were to just stop and think about it. How are we supposed to educate them for such an unknown future? Like Sir Ken Robinson said shortly after that first comment, "we don't even know what 5 years from now is going to look like."
I guess it comes down to the main point of his speech: "Creativity now is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status." If we do not foster student creativity, how will they be the innovators of the future? It is very important to set them up with the skills that will propel us into the future, and one could argue even more so than it is to educate them in the areas that are important for today. Of course there is room for this in schooling.
What is creativity? It is so subjective. Sir Robinson, i believe, defines it as "outside the box" thinking and risk taking, allowing for divergent thinking and learning.
ReplyDeleteWhat is creativity, and what is an assignment that requires and/or fosters creativity?
ReplyDeleteI just had a conversation, with my 10th grade son, where he complained that the assignments in a program he was in "all have the chance to be creative crushed out of them" (he's kind of dramatic when he talks about things he doesn't like). This is his perception. I don't know if the majority of students would agree. If true, I doubt the teachers are doing this on purpose. This program has a reputation for getting students to think for themselves and express their own ideas, but I did look at a project he had to complete last night, and would say I found the format he had to use for his answers big on gathering data, but too limiting to allow personal expression... Just an anecdote for thought.