Friday, April 8, 2016
Creativity?
Authors Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman published “The Creativity Crisis” in Newsweek.com in July 2010. They
reported that the Torrance Test, a test of creativity that has been administered to millions of people worldwide in
50 languages, indicates that the public’s “creativity quotient” has steadily crept downward since 1990. In their
article, Bronson and Merryman cite the claim of Professor Kyung Hee Kim at the College of William and Mary:
“It’s very clear, and the decrease is very significant.” Kim reports that it is the scores of younger children in
America—from kindergarten through sixth grade—for whom the decline is “most serious.”
Bronson and Merryman state that “[t]he potential consequences are sweeping. The necessity of human ingenuity is
undisputed. A recent IBM poll of 1,500 CEOs identified creativity as the No. 1 ‘leadership competency’ of the
future. Yet it’s not just about sustaining our nation’s economic growth. All around us are matters of national and
international importance that are crying out for creative solutions, from saving the Gulf of Mexico to bringing peace
to Afghanistan to delivering health care. Such solutions emerge from a healthy marketplace of ideas, sustained by a
populace constantly contributing original ideas and receptive to the ideas of others.”
One possible approach to this reputed decline in creativity is to explicitly teach creative thinking in school. Write to
your school board explaining what you mean by creativity and arguing for or against the creation of a class in
creativity.
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Creativity is a quality that everyone possesses, but what is it? Creativity is defined as "the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work," and there are many who exemplify this definition, but there also quite a few who are the exact opposite. Creativity is usually thought to only apply to the arts but it has many practical uses when brainstorming new ideas in any job field. My definition on creativity is the ability to develop new ideas or put a new spin on old ideas, so do we need a class to teach this? No.
ReplyDeleteThe main reason for my disagreement of a creative thinking class is that creativity is something that is developed, not taught. You can lead a student towards new ideas, but it is up to the individual to do the creative thinking themselves. Installing a creative thinking class would not be a horrible idea, but I do not think that is would have any effect on the data in the “The Creativity Crisis” article, even if every school in the country had a similar class. Rather than have a creative thinking class, I think it would be much more effective to have open response questions in every class, questions students actually have to think about, rather than google the first one and find the whole worksheet of answers. I also think that if the school had a more creative environment it would have an effect on students. The art room is a perfect example of this, rather than being a bland, unoriginal classroom, the art room has original painting, sculptures, and various forms of art that make the room seem full of life and interesting. I seem to feel much more dedicated to my work in the art room because it does not make me want to sleep like some other classes have. Now I am not saying ever room should have paintings on the ceilings or sculptures hanging or mounted everywhere, but rooms that were less dull would be another alternative to the class.
One other solution to the creativity crisis, although it would not have to replace the class, would be better control of media. I see plenty of children, some in pre-school or kindergarten, who would rather sit inside all day and play games on their parents phones, or maybe even their own phones. Rather than using their imagination and or playing their friends, they play mindless video games that require no thinking or effort, and people wonder why some young children fall behind in school, or can not make anything original. It is just as bad for teenagers and adults, but the issue is social media rather than games. Teens blow off schoolwork and sit on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and other various forms of social media for hours upon hours a day. What could they be doing on social media for so long? Many people view what famous people post or observe trends that pop up over night. And what does this do to teens? Teens view these people they idolize or see trends that they think are cool, and then they copy them, depriving them of uniqueness and originality, two of the main requirements of creativeness.
A change must be made before America is a bland society, but the change is not a creative thinking class. I think a restructuring of the way students are questioned, in a way that require more thought, and a shift towards a more creative environment would be a good enough start, but the easiest way to fix the issue is for the parents to limit social media time. As mentioned before, everyone has creativity, even though some do not show it, they do not show it because they are trying to copy others, whether it be off social media, someone they idolize or a "popular trend." If these issues are destroyed, and classes resulted in students thinking more, we would not have such a problem on our hands because children would not be mindlessly playing on their brand new iPhones and would actually be learning and imagining things, and teens would not waste their lives on social media trying to copy others, instead, they would be focusing on critically thinking and responding in a creative way.
John,
DeleteI like your point about brining open discussion into the classroom because I feel as if deep questions can be responded with deep responses. Also, your point about social media and video games is very strong, but what could we do to fix that? Although that is a very difficult question, it would be interesting to see the answers given. Ha ll good blog!
John,
DeleteWe had many of the same beliefs on this topic. I enjoyed how you said that you needed to control the media, that is not something that I had considered. Great blog, it was well thought out!
John,
DeleteGood blog! I loved your use of logic when stating how students don't do their homework because of social media and cell phones. This is a very powerful point. As you stated, creativity is something that needs to be developed not taught. In my blog, I stated this also but the way you put it made me think a little differently.
John Henry,
DeleteAfter reading your blog, I think you did a tremendous job establishing your view point on the topic. Also, by developing strong point on why a class should not be included strengthens the argument as well. I think social media exposes teens and other young children to some ideas that also may increase there creativeness, so social media isn't all entirely bad. But, when abused for hours on end, like you said, then that can become an issue that should be addressed by parents as well as society. Great blog!
Dear School Board,
ReplyDeleteI'm writing to you on behalf of the idea on creativity and how it should be taught, or encouraged, at school. I respect the ideas a d decisions you make on our school, but I thought this letter of encouragement can help persuade your thoughts to what I believe is the right frame of mind. First of all, to me creativity is the sharing and creating of new, beautiful, and completely unique set of ideas. Albert Einstein, a German-born physicist, made the comment that, “Creativity is intelligence having fun". Creativity is not a lack of intelligence or backup plan for not being smart. Creativity is intelligence, and art of the brain, and the opportunity think in our own way.
Unlike intelligence, you cannot put a grade on creativity. Why? The reasoning behind this is that creativity is so unique, special, and different that a teacher may not understand the students meaning. So, by bringing a class into schools that push creativity is not the best idea. Instead of creating one class just based of creativity, I think it would be more beneficial to make creativity more important in every classroom. Honestly, would adding another class to long school day encourage students to sign up and engage in it? Personally, I don't think so. I believe that making "Creativity 101" a course could decrease the appeal of wanting to express students innovative sides. We need to strengthen the pursuit or creativity in every single class. We cannot give a letter grade on creativity or even a pass/fail system. This cannot be possible because the students would be striving on getting a perfect grade, rather than finding their own sense of creativity. Even if it is a pass/fail grading system the class could seem as a blow off, not important, or just the strive to not "fail". How could a teacher fail a student on their own sense of imagination? Every mind is different and everyone has their own way of seeing the world and no one is the same. My creativeness could differ from yours, so what would be considered the "A" grade?
To advance my thoughts on creating a class based on creativity we must compare it with intelligence. In schools, being "intelligent" is basically the main goal that teachers are trying to connect to students. Teachers stress on studying, knowing the material, and getting 100% on tests. This of course is all important and necessary to being a successful student and human, but why do we not stress creativity in the same way? Physiologists and Neurologist have studied the brain and examined the way it works and they claim that the brain is split in two. The website psychology.about.com clearly states in article about the brain that, "People who identify as left-brain thinkers might feel that they have strong math and logic skills. Those who profess to be right-brain thinkers, on the other hand, feel that their talents are more on the creative side of things". So, if we are so worried about creativity being a problem in schools, why don't we stress creativity as much as we do in logically thinking? Why are we not questioning on creating a class named "Intelligence 101"? We need to stress both intelligence and creativity equally because not everyone thinks the same.
In all, creativity must pushed at an equally fast past as intelligence in every class room. Creativity is not something that only a few kids have or something that can be truly taught. Everyone has creativity, all students need to be allowed to opened up and let their thoughts flow without the shame of a grade. Once again, intelligence and creativeness go hand in hand, and we all must accept that to fix this problem. Thank you for giving me your time on reading this letter, I hope that my thoughts can be shared and considered.
Sincerely,
Reilly Herzing
Really,
DeleteYour quotes and outside data were so good. Bringing Einstein into this was a great idea. I enjoyed the part about the left and right sides of the brain. That was a fantastic aid to your argument that it can not be a graded class. Great job!!!
Really,
DeleteI thought the opening was great, especially the quote. You also had some great points supporting your argument, I had not thought about attendance of the class or how the grading system would work. I also liked how you mentioned an "Intelligence 101" class. Great blog.
Really,
DeleteI loved your blog! Your opening quote was great. I loved how you mentioned the "Creativity and Intelligence 101" classes. Your use of logic and facts made your agreement even stronger. Although I took the other side in this argument, your blog made me change my mind a bit.
Good job!
Reilly,
DeleteI think you established a strong argument within this letter. like Allie said, I also think mentioning creativity as well as intelligence mad people think about there stance and broadened the spectrum of the argument. You included many strong details and facts within the letter that shows you spent some time researching the topic. All in all, you had a strong central theme to your letter and I found it very influential. Great blog!
ReplyDeleteDear school board,
A lack of creativity is very evident in the world. The literal definition of creativity is "the ability to make new things or think of new ideas." It is such an important skill for students to learn because in jobs things are always going to be changing and you have to have enough creativity to adapt and think of solutions to the problems. I do not think that there should be a class on creativity because creativity is not something that you can sit there and teach someone. It has to be discovered by the student themselves.
Even if there was a class to teach creativity to students it would take away the hardest part of anything; thinking of the idea on your own. Take English classes for example, it is not always how you saw things but what it is that you say. You can teach students sentence structures to put things nouns and verbs in but without creativity the paper is going to be the same exact sentence just switching out a couple of words. That I think is creativity; having the ability to write about a unique topic and mix up diction and syntax. That is also not something a teacher can teach you, they can remind you that you need to mix it up but they can't make you see when to change gears. I think that that is why a creativity class can not be taught. Each individual persons creativity is so different for one another's.
I do not think of creativity by art because I am not artistic, rather I think that creativity is all in a students head because some people are so creative but lack the ability to illustrate their creativity. That is part of the reason that I am con a creativity class. You would have to go over all the forms of creativity and I think it would diminish the creativity of some students if they get down because everyone else's creativity is shown in these beautiful painting and sculptures. I do think that if the teacher takes the time to hang posters it can make a definite effort. Dr. Millinder used to always have posters with quotes and memes that I feel helped get my brain thinking. Her room was filled with colors and radiated a million different possibilities which is exactly what you need to help the creativity process. If you sit in a room that has nothing on the walls and just white walls it doesn't help get you mind turning and look at things in color rather than black and white. What is going to either make us stand out from fellow prospects of a job is to look at the whole picture and be able to come up with the ideas to overcome boundaries on top.
Our future employers do not want us to sit there and have a teacher tell us that, "the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work." That is not all that imagination is and a teacher reading your things about creativity is will not make you understand it. A student must develop their creativity on their own. Creativity is not limited to artistic work, it is shown in quotes like the ones in Dr. Milliners old room, the ability to change your diction in a paper, and the differing syntax throughout a paper. You do not want a teacher to teach you creativity because they will simply be teaching you someone's else's creativity or their own. No one knows how to get your own creativity out other than you. Once you have gotten the creativity out then you are able to illustrate yourself in your own unique way.
School board members, I ask you not to mandate a class for creativity but rather let us figure it out on our own so that our creativity is not polluted. I ask that you encourage teachers to make their rooms colorful and show all forms of creativity through poems, quotes, sculptures, paintings, or anything else that they deem necessary. Thank you for your time and for listening to my concerns.
Sincerely,
Makenzie Cashmer
Makenzie,
DeleteYou did a great job defining creativity in your opening, and the point that you made about how students have to discover their own creativity. The English example was great, I never really thought about that aspect of creativity, I also liked that you presented different aspects on creativity and how the surrounding environment has an effect on a student's creativity. Great blog.
Mackenzie,
DeleteYou offered a nice juxtaposition of English class and creativity. I never would have thought of that, and it was very clever. This made your argument very strong. Also, you brought in personal examples such as Dr. M's room. You're right, creativity cannot be taught by someone else, or else it is their ideas.
Mackenzie,
DeleteI thought you did a great job depicting the problem with the creativity at our school and I think what you said can also be applied across the nation. Creativity is not all showy art and pictures, rather it takes different forms depending on the student. I liked your example with Mondos room, as it clearly showed what you were talking about throughout the entire blog.
Dear school board,
ReplyDeleteIn our school system, the use of creativity should be taught and encouraged more. Creativity allows students and even teachers to use their imagination and to bring out their true God-given skills and abilities. Creativity in schools is on the down low and needs to be brought back up again. According to Professor Kyung Hee Kim at the College of William and Mary, the decrease in creativity is clear and significant. I believe teaching creativity would be great for the students, because it's not something you can study, it's something you need to find yourself. Creativity is something that is hard to find and hard to express which makes it harder than any other subject in the school system. That's why we need creativity in our curriculum. Our curriculum offers creative writing which is a great creativity course and I know of some other schools that offer creative drawing. In these classes, you can draw and write based on what your creative mind gives, why not combine them into one for a creativity class our school system can offer?
Creativity allows students to think harder than they ever would, which is why creativity is needed. Students need a deeper understanding of unique and artful ideas that they have not discovered yet. Finding this deep, creative aspect of our minds can make stronger students in other subjects as well. The "creativity class" could also accent onto other projects that are placed in different classes. Although the "creativity class" would be a big change and advancement in our curriculum, how would you teach this class? The "creativity class" could be a class that is independent, and just watched by a teacher. With the class being independent, it will allow students and teachers, if they want to take the class, to figure out their creativity for themselves which is what will make them seek out that they actually have true creativity. True creativity is creativity that can only be found through our own self.“To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong" by Joseph Chilton Pearce. In the "creativity class", you can never be wrong. This class is a class that you are always right in because you are truly expressing your own self, which is what students need to be doing more often.
People may say that we have creativity classes already in our curriculum. Art, drafting, and programming are all classes that express creativity. The quote Pearce gives us says that you can never be wrong in a life of creativity. In art, drafting, and programming there can be instances where you can be wrong. You might have made a line wrong, picked a wrong color, and chose the wrong software. This class will never have those instances. Those instances will vanish once you hit this creativity classroom.
You may ask: if you can never be wrong in this classroom, how can you get graded on it. The "creativity class" can be more like the study halls we have in our school system, but you can get a credit if you take it. This class can be one where if you use your time wisely and are utilizing your resources, you can take it. Everyone will have the advantage to take the class as long as you have room in your schedule. As a freshman and sophomore, there is usually not a lot of room in their schedule. No need to fear for these students. This class can be offered after school and can work around sports and club activities. It could be offered all night to the students.
Why am I so passionate about having this "creativity class" in our curriculum? It can do so much for our students and even our faculty. If students use this class as an advantage they can find their true self and use their mind to the best of its ability. Creativity is an art. It's an art that is unique, helpful, and uses your imagination to something that will actually accept it. Hopefully if the "creativity class" can be added to our curriculum, creativity will thrive more in the other classrooms as well.
Sincerely,
Allie Gier
Allie,
DeleteWe have similar yet opposing ideas on this blog. I believe that art class, drafting, and creative writing are enough, so why do we feel the need to make yet another class? There have been problems in classes like these, with students not doing what they are supposed to do. With this being said, you defend your stance very well. You provide interesting examples such as the "fear of being wrong" that strengthen your argument. Even though we disagree, I can see your point of view. Good blog!
I like how you approached this blog by making a plan for the creativity class. I can almost see this plan becoming a reality. Of course, it seems like a class that would be this independent would be taken advantage of by students. If the class was more structured though, it would take away from the creative process. Maybe there would be a screening process to determine who would get to take the class. Overall, you had a good approach and an interesting idea to the problem!
DeleteAllie,
ReplyDeleteI ins busily have different views on this topic, but you make very strong points! You use many rhetoric strategies that help support ideas! Good blog!
Dear school board,
ReplyDeleteOn behalf of myself and the other students who attend Elk County Catholic, I'd like to discuss within this paper the idea of creativity. A question has been raised for many years now wether or not kids, or even adults for that matter, lack creativity. The data collected within "The Creativity Crisis" shows that this is the case. Individuals lack the ideals of a creative mind and it is showing harmful effects all throughout society. So, what can be done to reverse this decline? The basis behind why I'm writing this letter is to either persuade you to add a creativity class to the curriculum or to not add a class. I do not believe it is necessary to include a class solely comprised on the ideas of developing creativity.
Creativity is not something that can be taught. It is an acquired skill of the mind that grows from uniqueness and individuality. Creativity is an expression of ones self. It shows how he or she feels about something. If a class on creativity were to be formed, how can you grade someone on an assignment. There would be no guidelines you could set for what each object or assignment must contain because it may constrict what materials a student can use or limit the words they want to express their passions in. The idea behind why a class should be created is beneficial, but ultimately the class itself would fail due to an inability for students to perform to the standards set by a teacher. A class cannot be formed where you go in each day and do whatever you want. Assignments must be required but in order for proper creativity to be performed it would not be possible for a teacher to comply with every students wants or needs.
In order for the mind to develop a creative sense, it must be exposed to it day after day. This may be an argument for why a class should be created, but what about increasing the levels within all the classes taken by students each day. Most teenage kids do not enjoy coming to school. Let me rephrase that, most teenage student like coming to school, but do not like putting in the effort when they do the same things in every class each day without a variety. Many teachers do not realize it but sometimes a routine is a bad thing. It annoys students when everyday you can predict exactly what the day will entail. Creativity starts with the teachers. Students learn from them;they learn in there rooms. Change it up a little. Each year you walk into the classrooms and there, in the same spots as last year, are all the motivational quotes that you have read over and over hundreds of times when you begin to drift off and daydream in class. If each teacher would increase his or her level of creativeness, which includes the classroom, teaching style, and homework assignments then students would be more engaged and there ability to think critically as well as creatively, would increase tenfold.
In conclusion, a student mind works at a million miles a minute everyday, stressing over every small distraction. So, in order to relive this stress and increase creativity I believe the best choice is to not include a designated Creativity class into the curriculum. Students would benefit much more if each class would turn up its creative abilities a couple clicks. By developing a students mind to think creatively, it will help to engage him or her in a higher level of thinking, which in return increases grades and life skills.
Dan,
DeleteWe essentially argued the same points. I too think that creativity is not a characteristic that can be taught, rather you are born with it. I found the "Creativity Crisis" that you spoke about in paragraph one to be very interesting. I had never heard of it previously to your blog, and am amused that many people actually study this in depth. Overall, you had a great blog!
Dan,
DeleteI agree with your point that creativity is something that cannot be taught. However, I think that students could benefit from a creativity class because it could expose them to think in ways that they had not previously. I think that a creativity class would relieve stress more than it would cause it. Your last sentence basically sums up what a creativity class could do for people. I enjoyed reading your blog!
Dear School Board,
ReplyDeleteAs stated by Professor Kyung Hee Kim, there has been a significant decline in creativity in our youth. How is our school going to react to this? Should there be a specific creativity class, or a specific curriculum to spark creativity? The fact is, creativity is not able to be taught. It is found in oneself through personal likes and dislikes. Creativity is the ability to generate original ideas and thoughts based on personal opinion and knowledge. It is the ability to come up with alternative solutions to problems as well as being able to do impromptu things, such as in art. Not every student has the same idea of creativity, so therefore this is no way it can be a course. Creativity is self-acquired and cannot be forced upon students.
Just as in any class, students are led in a direction of thought in order to achieve a goal. But, there comes a point where a student must venture off on their own. They must want to learn on their own and know the material well. This same rule applies to creativity. Students can be led in a direction, but must make something their own. As it is now, all the classes that students enroll in at our school have a creative element built in. Teachers are constantly assigning projects in which the students must be creative and think outside the box. Therefore, a specific 'Creativity' class would be a waste. Every day in school students are encouraged to find the creativity within themselves and use it in their work. With this being said, the classes offered at our school should offer more opportunities for group discussion. Projects cannot do it all, and unplanned discussion is very beneficial to students. This forces students to think on the spot and use their creativity in a beneficial way, just as in the workplace.
I believe that our school provides a creative environment, especially in the art room. Obviously art class is the biggest supporter of creativity, as it should be. I believe that all students should take an art class at least once in the course of a year. It opens many windows in the mind and leads the brain into a creative direction. Even this small spark can be enough to develop someone's creativity. If this is started at a young age, such as preschool or kindergarten, I believe that the results of the test would be much different. Having frequent art classes would surely impact the results of the "Creativity Crisis." This foundation would allow for proper building of creative thinking, which is what I believe to be causing a problem. Also, Creative Writing is a course that focuses on brainstorming and imagination. So technically, there is a 'Creativity' class offered at our school. These options are enough to prepare students for problem solving and leadership in the work force.
Creativity is self-expression, and everyone discovers this at a different pace. Students cannot be taught how to think in a creative manner. Students need to be independent and know that they can rely on themselves in the real world. They cannot do this through 'Creativity' class, but rather need to figure it out on their own. Employers look for the people who are dependent and know themselves. I believe that through the classes offered at school now, there are many opportunities to find creative spark within oneself. An open-minded, open-discussion curriculum allows for students to create their image so that when they graduate, they can take on anything. Creativity class is not necessary, and I hope that you see it this way as well.
Sincerely,
Kara Detsch
Kara,
DeleteYou make some good points within your paper. One thing that you talk about that I disagree with is taking art class. People pay money to go to high school so that they can become well equipped for college. Art is something that anyone can do at any time. There is no reason to waste money that could be spent on classes that better prepare you for post secondary education. I liked your last paragraph a lot!
Kara,
DeleteWe had the same stance on the argument, and even had some similar points. I agree especially with you on the art class thing. I took an art class my freshman year, and this helped me to figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life. And Zach, you feel differently about Kara's argument maybe because you do not specifically enjoy art. Which explains the entire argument on how every single person thinks differently. So although you may find art class a "waste", another person like Kara sees it as an opportunity each and every day to express herself by doing something she loves.
Dear Elk County Catholic School Board,
ReplyDeleteAccording to Rollo May, in The Courage to Create, “Creativity is the process of bringing something new into being. Creativity requires passion and commitment. It brings to our awareness what was previously hidden and points to new life. The experience is one of heightened consciousness: ecstasy." Creativity is an amazing characteristic that will shape the future of this world, but it should not be taught as an independent course in our school because it is not the teachers purpose to educate children on this topic, creativity can't be graded, and it can't be forced into young minds.
The role of a teacher is to educate, on top of administering care and leading students. A teacher is the person in the room who has the skills, tools, and information necessary to educate young people. Their purpose is to teach the basic curriculum in order to enrich children's minds. They teach them educational necessities so they can soar past secondary education. In the real world, students should be informed about issues of society, global news, environmental hazards, and the economy. They don't actually need creativity. The main priority and importance of school is to teach the child facts and simple educational rules that will assist them in future studies.
Another problem with teaching a creativity course in school is the grading system. Some students are born with a brilliant mind, while many others are not. People find creativity in different ways. For a ten year-old boy, drawing could be torture, while writing short stories could bring his mind to a new level. Meanwhile, a girl in the same class could think the complete opposite. By teaching creativity, the school system is forgetting that people think differently. If students are forced into participating in these exercises, they may feel the urge to give up, and if you give up, you fail. Students have different capabilities, and grading creative activities is unfair and wrong.
Creativity is not an acquired skill. It is a gift from God that can only be influenced and developed. If creativity was taught as an independent course in school, it would no longer be creative, by definition. Everyone would be learning the same materials, which would make them all creative in the same way. Creativity does not have a rooted definition. It is different for everyone, therefore making it a natural skill acquired at birth. Everyone has it, it's just how people utilize it that defines it our contrasting human nature. Teaching a class in school would only make the mind more alike. Therefore, many brilliant ideas would be destroyed and the path to the future would be interrupted by forcing creativity into young minds of students.
Although creativity should not be taught as an extra course in school, is should definitely be enhanced and encouraged. When the right opportunity presents itself, activities should be completed that test everyone's mind in a variety of ways. Our school has a creative atmosphere. There are painted ceiling tiles, art pieces in the foyer, and different posters and trophy cases everywhere. Although Elk County Catholic does not have an independent course for creativity, the characteristic is certainly encouraged by the faculty members and staff. If every school just puts a little for color and passion into their bland walls, the whole world will feel the effects of a creative mind.
We had similar points in saying that the grading of a creativity class would be difficult. You make very strong points about the role of teachers, and are very persuasive. After reading your last paragraph we have the exact same points about the creative artwork shown in the foyer and classrooms.
DeleteI agree with the points you had about schools including more creativity in the classes that already exist. In reality, we will not need an extensive amount of creativity in the real world. I do not think our school has a very creative atmosphere. Everything is very structured. The art room seems to be an exception to this. The art work sticks out so much because it is the only creativity in the school.
DeleteDear School Board,
ReplyDeleteI think that it would be a great idea to start enrolling kids in a class that helps stimulate creativity in their minds. So many people these days just live life by society's standards when in all reality the world needs more people with a creative mindset. Almost all of our surroundings in the twenty-first century are a product of someone's creative thinking. Elk County Catholic has classes such as art and creative writing which let scholars express themselves how they want, but it would be very beneficial for kids to learn new ways to be creative. An unknown author once said, "You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink." That same idea applies to the students of Elk County Catholic. A creative thinking class would give kids the outlets and exposure to new ideas that they would need to think in a way that sets them apart from most other people.
A poll led by IBM of found that creativity is the biggest 'leadership competency' of the future within 1,500 CEOs that they surveyed. If Elk County Catholic was able to create a class that would send students off into the world with an advantage in creativity that would be great. Most schools just teach people concepts. They do not actually teach their students how to apply them to their lives. The school would be able to advertise the fact that they are better preparing their students because a creative thinking class could help people make all of the connections from class to class.
Creativity is something that is important for teachers as well. Students go through a system that teaches was designed to be a universal way to teach hundreds or thousands of student per year. If a student is having trouble understanding a concept the teacher just assumes that he is not smart. A good part of the time that is not true at all. Teachers should be finding creative ways to teach their students. Everybody has a different way of learning things. Many kids could do a better job learning materials or working on projects if they did not have as many guidelines. Everyone has their own way of learning things. Teachers should be able to modify the way they connect to their students to give them the quality education that they deserve. Professors could benefit from learning to teach a creativity class themselves.
A creative thinking class would give kids the outlets and exposure to new ideas that they would could use to think in a way that sets them apart from most other people. A big part of what creativity consists of is finding solutions. Most people like to sit back and watch other people fix their problems. They were not taught from a young age to take the initiative and get things done. Having a class that started students off at s young age learning to be problem solvers and tackle issues of everyday life could send productivity within the next generation to unseen heights.
Sincerely,
Zach Wortman
I agree that many people sit back and allow others to fix their problems, and that a lot of people just live by the standards set upon them by society. I think it was great that you put in a poll from IBM, it reslly enhances your argument and is a statistical backup. Good job!
DeleteZach,
DeleteAlthough we had different approaches on the subject, I definitely saw how you felt in your letter. Your points and statistics helped with that. I believe that life is a creativity course itself. How you choose to live is creative, and as we age, we experience more creativeness. Overall, you did have good points that supported your arguement.
Dear School Board,
ReplyDeleteI am writing to you today based on the topic of creativity. The definition of creativity is, "the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work." Deep down every individual was blessed by God and given their own special, unique form of creativity. The only difference is some people do a much better job of displaying or expressing their creativity than others. The topic of creativity has recently become a center of focus, and many people believe it is a steady decline. This common believe reported to be true after a study performed by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman called the "The Creativity Crisis." They reported that the publics "creativity quotient" has steadily declined since 1990. A lack of creativity not only directly effects an individual, but has proven to negativity effect all of society in areas such as healthcare and marketing. This issue leads to a common question of what can we do to bring back creativity in the lives of students. Creating a special class that only focuses on creativity is not the solution to this rising problem.
You are able to teach students many things such as how to develop a good thesis statement, or how to solve basic trigonometry functions. You can't, however, teach a student to be creative. Creativity is not something you can teach, but rather it's something you can get people to express. Having a creativity class would not be beneficial for many different reasons. To start, this type of class would most likely have to be graded based on a pass, fail system which is very had to incorporate nowadays. In order for it to be successful it would have to be pass, fail because it would be impossible for teachers to create assignments which fully bring out students interests and passions, which is ultimately creativity. Another reason a creativity class wouldn't be beneficial is due to laziness of students. If a creativity class would be created students would look at it as a so called "blow off" class. Students would hand in sub-par or par work to get the burden of an assignment over with. This leads students to not becoming fully involved in their work and therefore never really expressing their creativity. Lastly, a class based off of creativity would take students away from other elective classes such as creating writing or accounting. These classes teach students valuable things they haven't previously possessed, unlike creativity which is something everyone already has.
Rather than creating a special class, we as a school should take what we already have, and go from there. Creativity can be brought out by students by simply altering the way some classes are run. For example, going to a class where you do nothing but sit at your desk and take notes does not allow students to be creative. Luckily though not all our classes are like this. Overall, I think our school does a good enough job of brining out the creativity of students. Waking through our foyer and seeing all of the unique and outstanding art work is a greet example of creativity being displayed. Other examples of this is the artwork in the cafeteria, and the many decorated ceiling tiles all throughout the school. Creativity at our school continue to be encouraged in ways such as these. Implementing a special creativity class may take away from the classes that already put a focus on creativity in students. I hope my letter helps in the discussion of a creativity class.
Sincerely,
Frank Singer
Frank,
DeleteI love your point that if individuals are lacking creativity affects our society. I never thought of it that way. We had the same points that you can not reach creativity. You had a great point that students would make a class on creativity a blow off class. Good blog!
Creativity is a concept and a skill that cannot truly be defined, but rather it is a more abstract matter. Steve Jobs once said "Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That's because they were able to connect experiences they've had and synthesize new things." We tend to think that the most creative people are those who are good at writing and art, but that is not always true. Is it not possible for a person to be creative, yet suck at drawing? Like Jobs said, creativity is simple putting ideas together in a logical way. The school already has math classes to teach students logic and reasoning, and therefore a class on creativity is unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteThe "Torrance Test" that was administered to people was not an accurate test of a person's creativity. How do you test a person's creativity. Studies have shown that college entrance exams, such as the SATs, are inaccurate tests of intelligence and knowledge. These tests have a variety of physiological factors that play into the results. The recipients of the test tend to be nervous along with other difficulties. Also, many students are not good test takers. How can a test accurately calculate a person's creativity? There are also varying levels of creativity. Some people think that the advances in technology would improve creativity. Technology, unfortunately, seems to have done all the thinking for the next generation. There is not any thinking involved in the process of logical and creativity anymore.
Explicitly teaching creativity in school would be the worst option for a solution. The atmosphere of a school would confuse students about the meaning of creativity. Schools are too structured for creativity. There is a time and place for every event that occurs in the school. Creativity is more abstract and spontaneous. Schools tend to make the world seem black and white, no in between. Teachers and classes tend to more focused on the students grade then what the student is actually learning. Students study for tests by memorizing definitions, processes, and facts that are specific to that test. As long as the student has motivation and a good memory, they will do a good job in school. Students do not know how to use information they learn and apply it to the real world. The worst part is, schools seem to be oblivious to this problem. This is the center of why students have lost creativity. Every project has a rubric and requirements, everything is specifically outlined, no room for anything extra. If schools would begin to focus on what students truly know and not what their grade percent averages are, then the problem of a lack of creativity would be improved. A class in creativity would be completely counterproductive. School board, if we can make students think and learn and put less focus on grades, creativity will in turn improve.
Justin,
DeleteI like how you brought up how a test calculates another person's creativity, it is something I also considered. I also agree with your point on technology doing all of the thinking for the current generation, I said almost the same thing in my blog. I like how at the end you put focus on improving the learning aspect of school and that would help creativity, like even though you disagree you still have a suggestion.
School Board,
ReplyDeleteTaught and learned are two different concepts when speaking of creativity. Teaching creativity in a classroom setting, lecturing on what to do in situation or giving tests on creativity will teach students nothing. Learning through experiences will allow students to put themselves in the position where they will need to use their creativity. Creativity is like a sport, practice makes perfect.
Now how do you practice creativity? Experience is needed. A teacher and students is needed. Ambition is needed. Real life experiences can be practiced to show the students how to use the creativity they have. I always said I have little creativity, but creativity is not making crafts out of Popsicle sticks. Creativity is using the knowledge you have and building from that, to a higher level.
To learn creativity a broad and strong background is essential. Commonly, we are taught certain subjects that are not broadened. To learn creativity, students will need to understand the importance of all ideas, teachings, points of view, and subjects. For example, to be creative in this world, students must understand all walks of life. A course, lead by a teacher, to help students broaden their horizons to build on the creativity they already have inside them would be a good investment by you, the school board.
Creativity is an instinct in every person. To help these students build from this natural instinct would send them out unto the world more prepared.
Thank you for your time,
Elise
Elise,
DeleteI liked how you state that creativity in high school is not making little things with Popsicle sticks and that people need creativity in life to get out of situations and to even create special memories. Good blog!
Dear School Board,
ReplyDeleteI believe that creativity is not a subject that can be taught. There is no formula or equation to help teach someone how to be creative. I feel that in our education system, we are teaching students, with different types of learning abilities, the same way which is almost limiting the way they learn or think. This leads me to believe that there should not be a class directed toward creativity.
We are challenged by our creativity, not only in school, but in routine, normal things every single day. When we get ready in the morning and decide what color accessories we want to wear with that certain outfit, or when we think of what we want to have for breakfast; both of these use a sense of creativity to show our personality and how we are feeling on that specific morning.
A test may have been created to see how creative people are, but if the test administered consisted of the exact same test to every person, there would still be different results because every person thinks differently. A cartoon I once saw had a variety of animals lined up in front of a tree, the instructor then said, "For a fair selection everybody has to take the same exam: please climb that tree". Now clearly the monkey could easily climb the tree with no problem, but what about the fish, elephant, or seal? I feel that our education system is doing the same thing with their students at an early age. Some people have different learning abilities, or interests, and I believe this should not effect their progress or results. Creativity is not just a subject of art. If a student has a greater interest in English than math, they are going to have an easier time being creative in their English class than figuring out a math problem. I do not think it is fair to have these students taught how to think.
The actual definition of creativity is, "the ability to use skill and imagination to produce something new or to produce art; the act of doing this". I also believe that people do not necessarily produce their own "art". I think a person is inspired by a person who was also inspired by another person, and so on. I think every person has the ability to use their imagination and creativity. It is how that person uses their creativity that makes them different. Just because a person needs inspiration, does not make them less creative; they are just using their ability in a different way.
I do not think a class based on creativity would be beneficial to the school, or the students taking the class. If the class was time used for children to put their creativity to good use that could be beneficial, but that almost seems like an art class. Children learn their creativity from things they experience, not words in a textbook. By putting them in a class with an adult instructor teaching them how to be creative would shape their mind into what the teacher, or the person creating the curriculum, believe in. The school system is limiting or shaping the way children think in every other subject, and maybe this is the reason our generations are losing their creativity; simply because their own thoughts are "wrong".
Sincerely,
Morgan Renwick
Morgan,
DeleteI like your paragraph about the cartoon, it reminds me of the Einstein quote, "Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish on its ability to claim a tree it will live its whole life believing it is stupid." I think the same thing works with creativity. Everyone's minds work differently and if you tell certain types of people they are not creative they will think that way. Everyone has creativity, but it has developed differently, and no one should be told they are not creative and creativity should not and can not be broken down and made into bullet points. Good blog this week!
Morgan,
DeleteOur blogs we so similar, that creativity can not be taught! Once you said that cartoon I remembered exactly which one you meant that surfaced Twitter a while ago. You hit the nail on the head that everyone thinks differently, therefore using creativity differently. Good blog!
Morgan that's a good blog because you're exactly right and students need to develope an understanding of being creative for the future because it will help you in the long run. Good job
DeleteIn recent years, it has been discovered that creativity levels have dropped significantly in young people and children. This has been seen as so much of a problem that some schools are incorporating a creative thinking course into their curriculum. However, I feel that a course centered solely on creativity would not help the problem because creativity is not something that can be taught in a classroom.
ReplyDeleteThe Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines creativity as "the ability to make new things or think of new ideas." At ECC there are already classes that focus on creativity, many of these courses are mainly English based such as Creative Writing, Independent Writing, and Speech class. These classes encourage creativity and the ability to think outside the box and go for the unconventional. In Speech, students were tasked with coming up with a company and a useful invention. Creative and Independent writing focus on original ideas that become amazing pieces of writing. A concept such as creativity is not something that can be taught in a classroom or maybe even at all. Creativity is different for everyone because everyone thinks a different way. It would be nearly impossible to create a curriculum that would cater to each students needs in the way that would help them improve. Individual classes can encourage creativity, but a class devoted to creative thinking would not improve the results of the creativity crisis.
Creativity is linked with imagination. In our technology based world, imagination is pushed to the side. Technology is a major component responsible for the fall of creativity. Everything is quick, available, and digital and children do not even use their imagination. Instead of going outside and imagining that the shed is a castle and the driveway is a moat, children play on iPads and computers. The world is already imagined and set up for them, they do not have to think at all. Our main source of creativity and wonder is established as a child and carried into adulthood, but if that discovery is being stifled as a young age it only makes sense that levels of creativity are declining with the upcoming generations with technology becoming more and more prominent. The act of creating is not something that can be learned, it is developed. When the brain is developing at a young age, areas used more develop stronger and larger than others. Children outside imagining games will have more creativity than a child sitting in front of the computer. Schools can encourage free thinking, but this crisis is caused by technology. The use of less technology and more imagination can help solve the problem.
Schools can incorporate more creative tasks into the curriculum but a new class would not be beneficial. Everyone's mind works differently and organizing a structured class that would benefit each student would be almost impossible. Our school already offers classes that guide and help develop creative thinking. Although there is a good thought and intention behind a class to help save creativity, it is just not practical. Creativity is not something that can or should be judged or measured, let alone graded. Each individual's though process works in separate ways, just because it has been said that now people are less creative is not necessarily true. Thinking could be different than it was twenty years ago, and one man's take on "creative" can be different than the next man's.
Dear Elk County Catholic School Board,
ReplyDeleteI believe that creativity is necessary for all young men and women to accelerate in the future. People need to express themselves and be who they are. Creativity is defines as, "the use of the imagination or original ideas, especially in the production of an artistic work". In order to live to your true potential you must let your true self shine which means being creative.
Everyone needs to be creative but I'm ECC we do not need a creative thinking course. Within the school students can participate in art class which is as creative as it gets. Students can fully express themselves through their art work and build, draw, carve, paint, and spin just about anything they can think about. Mr. Pete Winklebaure opens his classes to all students and helps to bring the best ideas out of his students. He makes the think creatively.
Students them have the chance to enroll in Creative writing. In this course people pick their brains and have to think outside the box. Hence "creative" writing. But students that are in this class work to make videos and poems and stories which let them use every bit of creativity and thought.
At ECC I believe there are more than enough classes that allow the students to be vary creative in their own unique ways.
Thank your for your time,
Doug