Lately I've been thinking about creativity. Specifically in education. I watched this RSA clip on youtube (I really dig their animated talks) this week. If you have 11 minutes watch it. Sir Ken is new to me and I loved what he had to say, plus he was funny. I always like to know the history of why things are the way they are (especially when things are messy and obviously wrong) and I liked his thoughts on our education system being based on enlightenment era thinking and industrial age economics. If you liked the 11min clip, find an hour sometime to listen to the full talk (laundry folding, anyone?).
So how do we better prepare our kids for the future? And I mean the real future, one that doesn't include standardized tests. Homeschool? I'm down with that, and it might partially solve the problem for my 4 kids. But I'm interested in the big picture. And I just don't think homeschool is a solution that works for the whole of society.
One organization that I think is doing great things is Destination ImagiNation. This year is my kids first experience and I love it. They work in teams of 7 kids and learn to think on their feet, use the creative problem solving process and work as a team. They present their solutions and compete in regional, state and even global tournaments. I've heard that the tournaments are awesome and full of amazing ideas and creative solutions to the challenges. One small step in the right direction that I hope will grow to include more and more kids.
My final thought on creativity is the quote from President Uchtdorf:
The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter.What you create doesn’t have to be perfect. So what if the eggs are greasy or the toast is burned? Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside. If you still feel incapable of creating, start small. Try to see how many smiles you can create, write a letter of appreciation, learn a new skill, identify a space and beautify it.
He's got me thinking less about creativity in education and more about creativity in my own life. Letting go of preconceived ideas of my abilities, leaving my comfort zone occasionally, looking at an old problem with a fresh perspective.
So, Women of Thought, how do you exercise your creativity?
Much of mine is used in trying to stay a step ahead of my kids. I am still working on designing a new gate for the bottom of the stairs since Beans figured out how to undo velcro, she's only 15 months old for crying out loud:) But I also think of what I want to be, or who I want to be and try and find ways of becoming that woman. In regard to your questions about education, I firmly believe in Leadership Education. It's all laid out in Oliver DeMille's book A Thomas Jefferson Education. It's how I homeschool my kids, but it is not in any way limited to being done in a homeschool setting. The beauty of it is that is can be implemented in any learning environment.
ReplyDeleteI've never considered myself very creative. I'm more a consumer of creativity than an producer of it. At least in the traditional sense. I loved the video. I'll have to find the one on work and creativity that Matt has adopted as his mantra. Anyway, this made me feel like maybe I am creative, in the critical thinking sense. It's something that I try to teach in my Genealogy lectures, the ability to critically analyze data to tell a story, get clues, or prove a theory. I think I'm pretty good at it. But it is definitely something that I can get rusty at if I don't do research for awhile. I'm really looking into Destination ImagiNation. That seems so awesome!! What fun. I've also thought about homeschool for my kids. I'll have to pick your brains about it. After all the lame excuses are put aside, I can admit that my real problem is that I don't think I would be a very good teacher. I'm lazy. And I resented having to do school work that I didn't find interesting the first time around, I can't imagine doing it again. I'd hate to make my kids the pawns in what would amount to an experiment in self-improvement for myself.
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