Thursday, March 5, 2009
Education and Creativity
This has long been one of my favorite TED talks. (BTW... if you haven't visited TED before, you should. All sorts of awesome talks on amazing, cutting-edge topics).
This discussion pretty much nails one of the main reasons why I have decided to try homsechooling for my kids.
What do you all think?
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I enjoyed the presentation. I'm out of it, I've never seen TED before.
ReplyDeleteAt one of the schools where I teach they have been seized by testmania and have decreed that most students must take two math classes instead of one, which reduced my choral program ath that site from two choirs (for a total of 25 boys and 40 girls) to one choir of seven girls. I also teach a math class there now, and today, one 7th grade girl (who is hyper and not very good at math) said she wishes she could be in choir instead of the extra math class.
I agree that children are naturally creative, but are taught that they need to learn to conform in a practical way to the system and master a list of skills, to prepare them for the future. I think this is actually true; I see many students woefully unprepared. But I don't think it needs to be done at the expense of creative activities.
One other thought: I think creativity resides in our spirits. The scriptures do not seem to emphasize individual creativity. Maybe this is because people are that way already—we come into the world already possessing creative energy. The Gospel and its ordinances help us to focus that existing creative energy (and combine it with others people's), to bring about a much greater result than possible with a creative but chaotic state. With the Gospel, we die and are reborn (baptism, etc.)--i a way sacrifice our identities (including our creative selves) but receive them back (lose life and find it), now focused and in communion with the Holy Spirit and aligned and at one with Christ, and receiving gifts—which brings about the powerful focus of our creative energy.
I hadn't ever seen it before either. Very interesting (and entertaining, too).
ReplyDeleteI wish I had been taught to dance every day, too. I think I would be a lot more in tune with my body.
It is an interesting question because there is limited time in a school day (although I'm assuming that in a home-school day there is a lot more time since it's one-on-one learning without needing to discipline a whole class and make sure everyone's on the same page and go to assemblies and other waste-of-time things). What is there time to focus on? What priorities must be made?
But Dad, I think maybe you've mentioned this before-- take away the arts and creativity, and what do we have left to live for?
I think that having TWO math classes would probably be killer for anyone except Bryce.