EDIM 508 - Creative Minds Don't Think Alike

A few years ago if someone asked, do schools kill creativity; I would have answer yes.  Now, I consider myself a pretty seasoned teacher at the peak of a change in the education system - preparing students for jobs that do not exist.  In my classroom I have established a general curriculum and pacing guide for myself, and I can finally add creative touches to my lessons by keeping 21st century skills in mind when developing them.  Sir Ken Robinson in one of his infamous TED Talks discusses that education was created during a time when skills were needed for the industrial era and general studies were established on this basis; and these skills are no longer the fulcrum that balances skills need for the current job market and what the education system actually produces (Robinson, 2007).  The creative mind, which is not catered to enough in education, is the one that will continuously establish new ideas and ways to solve problems.  The never ending creative mind is one that will be able to keep pace with the changing job market as stated in the following quote: Graduates today need to maximize their own creative potential, because jobs that don't require creativity are being outsourced and automated" (Sawyer, 2012). Creativity needs to stay in our schools at any cost.  We, as a society, can not afford to prepare students for jobs of yesterday and today.

Last summer I began my journey towards my Master's Degree and dove into 21st century skills.  I wrote a quick blog on Where are Web 2.0 Tools Taking Us? that summarizes some of the tools teachers can implement.  These tools allow teachers and students to think creatively and collaboratively at school and from home.  Digital media insights students to produce, and creating a product always begins the creative process.  By establishing more assessments that are project based and taking the time to for students to delve into the art based on the standard curriculum they just learned, we are allowing time to play, create, and time for kids to be themselves.


References:
Robinson, K. (Performer) (2007, January 06). Do schools kill creativity?. TED Talks. [Video podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY

Sawyer, R. K. (2012, December 08). Schools that foster creativity. Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-r-keith-sawyer/teaching-creativity_b_2258239.html

Image Credit
:www.beechlodgeschool.co.uk 
global2.vic.edu.au