Do schools kill creativity? Kill is a harsh term, but I would say that schools undoubtedly prohibit creativity to some degree. In his TED Talk, Sir Ken Robinson discusses this topic and seems to agree. He notes,“And we're now running national education systems where mistakes are the worst thing you can make. And the result is that we are educating people out of their creative capacities” (TED Talks, 2007). Often, education is such a strict environment, that there is little room for creativity. The emphasis placed on standardized tests frequently leaves teachers so rushed to cram in all of the relevant content material before test windows that they feel that creativity is not an option.
Fortunately, though, it is possible to meet state standards while also fostering creativity. In regards to keeping creativity alive in my classroom, there are several steps I can take. Digital media provides a great opportunity for students to express creativity. It could be something as simple as using iPiccy to create a digital media writing prompt, as I did in my previous blog post with a lesson on imagery. Viewing a digital image can help spark creative writing that would be harder using just imagination alone. Another option would be to have students use digital media to create a final project for a literature unit in lieu of a more traditional test or writing assignment. For example, for the Romeo and Juliet final project, I give students several options, including creating a movie or creating a fake twitter of Facebook page for one of the characters. These assignments promote creative thinking.
A remark that stuck with me from Sir Ken Robinson was his comments about renowned choreographer Gillian Lynne. He describes how she didn’t perform well in traditional school and succeeded in dance school where she was surrounded by “people who had to move to think” (TED Talks, 2007). By the time students reach high school, where I teach, the majority of their day is spent sitting in a desk, and they are often ridiculed or punished for doing anything other than sitting quietly in those desks and paying attention. Inevitably within our high school classrooms, there are students who work better with the opportunity to get up and move and interact with others. While it would be hard to allow my students to dance in class on a daily basis, I do believe there are some steps I can take to help reach these sorts of learners. Setting up learning centers with digital media can at least help students get up and moving throughout the period. They can visit various stations where they watch a video on a chromebook, listen to an interview or speech and analyze it, or interact with a series of images.The Prezi I made for the media-infused presentation could be adapted to work in such a setting. I believe that allowing students to get up and move around may keep them interested and help spark creative thinking.
By strategically incorporating digital media into the classroom, teachers can help keep creativity alive while also ensuring that state standards are being met. It simply takes some creativity from the teacher to foster creativity in students.
References
TED Talks. (2007, January 6). Do schools kill creativity?| Sir Ken Robinson. [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY
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