"A feminist is a woman who does not allow anyone to think in her place."
Michele Le Doeuff
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Living Creatively
Creativity has many definitions, from generating new ideas or concepts to creativity as an assumptions-breaking process. “Creative ideas are often generated when one discards preconceived assumptions and attempts a new approach or method that might seem to others unthinkable.”
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creativity)
In “Dumbing Us Down” John Taylor Gatto identifies seven lessons of schoolteaching:
1. confusion,
2. class assignment,
3. dulled responses,
4. emotional dependency,
5. intellectual dependency
6. conditional self-esteem,
7. surveillance
“Nobody survives the 7-Lesson Curriculum unscathed, not even the instructors,” he says.
Schools are meant to prepare the students for their future. Can we imagine what our children's future is going to be? If we are to have a national curriculum, I would like it to focus on one thing: protect the children’s creativity. Don’t interrupt the flow. Let the truly innovative ideas come and let the actions follow.
I think we could also be parented, socialised and institiutionalized out of creativity.
We need to think in new, creative ways. The problem is we don’t know how to. It might be that our creativity has been miseducated out of us.
When I interact with little children, I take pleasure in how creative, open and unafraid to try they are. I was listening to Ken Robinson, talking at TED Conference in February 2006. He told a story of a little girl, who was drawing a picture. The teacher asked her what she was drawing. She answered: “God”.
“But nobody knows what God looks like,” said the teacher.
“They will in a minute,” replied the girl.
Einstein had this to say about schooling: "It is nothing short of a miracle that modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry." (http://courseweb.stthomas.edu/paschons/language_http/essays/Einstein.html)
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creativity)
In “Dumbing Us Down” John Taylor Gatto identifies seven lessons of schoolteaching:
1. confusion,
2. class assignment,
3. dulled responses,
4. emotional dependency,
5. intellectual dependency
6. conditional self-esteem,
7. surveillance
“Nobody survives the 7-Lesson Curriculum unscathed, not even the instructors,” he says.
Schools are meant to prepare the students for their future. Can we imagine what our children's future is going to be? If we are to have a national curriculum, I would like it to focus on one thing: protect the children’s creativity. Don’t interrupt the flow. Let the truly innovative ideas come and let the actions follow.
I think we could also be parented, socialised and institiutionalized out of creativity.
We need to think in new, creative ways. The problem is we don’t know how to. It might be that our creativity has been miseducated out of us.
When I interact with little children, I take pleasure in how creative, open and unafraid to try they are. I was listening to Ken Robinson, talking at TED Conference in February 2006. He told a story of a little girl, who was drawing a picture. The teacher asked her what she was drawing. She answered: “God”.
“But nobody knows what God looks like,” said the teacher.
“They will in a minute,” replied the girl.
Einstein had this to say about schooling: "It is nothing short of a miracle that modern methods of instruction have not yet entirely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry." (http://courseweb.stthomas.edu/paschons/language_http/essays/Einstein.html)
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Natural and Creative Learning
"Flow is the mental state of operation in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity." The concept proposed by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology.)
Children come to us ready and eager to learn. Our job is not to interrupt their learning.
Most of the time, this is not what schools do though. Most of the time, the schools stop the natural learning process, stop the flow and impose something else, which JT Gatto describes so well.
My son learnt how to read at two and a half years old. It was as simple as we walk, we talk, we read. He had natural creativity, critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills. Most of the children do, if the environment is supportive. They pose questions, are curious, inquisitive, critical and creative. They take joy in learning. They are in the flow. They explore the world around them. They are intrinsically motivated and interested. Then the school interrupts this process, tells the children what they should be interested in and bribes them with marks and external rewards. It is now about unlearning of creativity. If we continue to school children into mediocrity, the system will not change, it will not improve. It will continue to demoralize us and to destroy the only home we have.
If you believe that school is not an optimal learning environment for your child, then contact me. I can help.
I am also available for talks on creative living, creativity and learning.
Suggested reading: Janusz Korczak, John Dewey, Alexander Sutherland Neill, John Holt, Ivan Illich, Everett Reimer, Paul Goodman, Carl Rogers, John Taylor Gatto, Ken Robinson.
Children come to us ready and eager to learn. Our job is not to interrupt their learning.
Most of the time, this is not what schools do though. Most of the time, the schools stop the natural learning process, stop the flow and impose something else, which JT Gatto describes so well.
My son learnt how to read at two and a half years old. It was as simple as we walk, we talk, we read. He had natural creativity, critical thinking, problem solving and communication skills. Most of the children do, if the environment is supportive. They pose questions, are curious, inquisitive, critical and creative. They take joy in learning. They are in the flow. They explore the world around them. They are intrinsically motivated and interested. Then the school interrupts this process, tells the children what they should be interested in and bribes them with marks and external rewards. It is now about unlearning of creativity. If we continue to school children into mediocrity, the system will not change, it will not improve. It will continue to demoralize us and to destroy the only home we have.
If you believe that school is not an optimal learning environment for your child, then contact me. I can help.
I am also available for talks on creative living, creativity and learning.
Suggested reading: Janusz Korczak, John Dewey, Alexander Sutherland Neill, John Holt, Ivan Illich, Everett Reimer, Paul Goodman, Carl Rogers, John Taylor Gatto, Ken Robinson.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)