First of all, I have to say that this Ted Talk was fantastic. The way Sir Ken Robinson explains things is so on point and logical. My favorite quote was "creativity is as important now in education as literacy and we should treat it with the same status."
So now considering the question; do I think schools kill creativity? Yes, in many ways schools are forced to teach students with an emphasis on left brain thinking. We expect them to learn to read and write and do arithmetic in a uniform and neat way and then demonstrate what they've learned by performing on tests. Students are asked to sit and work for hours on end and when they do not sit still and follow status quo we request testing and have them medicated. Education is in many ways designed in a box and if students do not fit in that box they are typically unsuccessful and leave feeling that they are not good enough, smart enough, perfect enough, etc. I have seen this personally and professionally with students over many years and it is heartbreaking to watch. Several of these students dropped out because they were so at odds with their environment it was too much to take. People can only handle so many failing grades before they feel like throwing in the towel and walking away. To many of these students school seems pointless. They can either change who they are and how they learn or leave. We should and can offer these students another choice; a better choice, by bringing more of what plays to their strengths into the forefront.
We need to start taking into account that our world is changing, that degrees aren't the only way to be successful, that creativity and 21st century skills are vital and innovation is what is driving our society at the moment. Digital media, while not the be all end all of our solutions to creativity in education, certainly can ignite creativity in our students. Project-based learning is one way students can use technology to create. Digital storytelling for example is a powerful way for students to share experiences, research, history and more. Apps like Puppet Pals makes retelling stories fun and interactive allowing students to be creative as they practice and learn comprehension skills. Online learning contracts utilizing a variety of web tools to explore topics that are motivating and interesting to individual students help foster creativity. In a simpler way media can be used to offer students brain breaks giving their bodies a chance to move and increase circulation. Online videos played on the Smartboard with simple dance moves reenergize students and challenge their gross motor skills. My class loves to do the Gummy Bears Song and the Sid Shuffle as they transition to the next subject. The app PicCollage allows my students to arrange timelines, word splashes, character traits, sequencing events and dozens of other topics in interesting and creative ways.
Just this week my class used the new app colar mix to bring their illustrations to life and write stories about them. If you want to get kids imaginations going this is the app. Their illustration come off the page and are animated. I took pictures of the students holding their illustrations in their hands. The stories that came from this were full of wonder and adventure and still met all the requirements of a narrative fiction writing piece according to the common core standards.
If we as teachers can think and live outside the box while still meeting the standards and other pressures put on us, we can reach and nurture our students' innate creativity and talents. Media is a great place to begin this process.
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