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)
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