Creativity in Education Part III
Sunday, September 21st, 2008Pegomag asked:
DO SCHOOLS NEED TO BE CHANGED?
To answer this
We have to understand:
WHAT IS CREATIVITY
And
WHAT IS A SCHOOL
CREATIVITY can be defined as ‘finding’ connections between seemingly
Unconnected concepts/things and giving birth to a
concept/product/idea/thing that has some practical utility
Out of box thinking originality and free flow are pre requisites of creativity!
SCHOOLS can be ‘defined’ as institutions that perpetuate a ’systematic’ scheme of learning (purists may not like this definition but I would stick to it!)
SO by definition, schools in their traditional avatar can not promote creativity.
SCHOOLS CAN only become promoters of creativity
If they DE SCHOOL their thought processes
If they see themselves as knowledge-clubs not military establishments!
If they appoint creative trainers instead of trained teachers!
HOW TO CHANGE?
This is a moot question!
Schools dont like to be changed!!! That’s for sure!
NO ONE WANTS TO BE TOLD! LEAST OF ALL THE SCHOOLS!!!
Schools are ‘GREAT’ institutions!!! We have been brought up on this logic this paradigm.
But then if you peep inside! You please recall your school days
Whatever understanding of life I have acquired it has been mostly out of school is it primary secondary graduate or businesses!
I may be off the track please share your thoughts
I do feel that schools perform a SOCIAL FUNCTION (that is commendable)
But then knowledge-giving is altogether a different ball game!
Schools are great places to develop personality and group dynamics
But what about subtle issues like self worth creativity and joy of learning???
Am I imagining things? Or you too agree somewhat?
RIGHT BRAIN CREATIVITY AND SCHOOLS
SCHOOL IS NOT ‘RIGHT’
As we know more or less that brain has two hemispheres:
LEFT and RIGHT
Left brain as it is called, is responsible for sequencing, analytical approach, numbers, facts, dates, quantifications etc.
On the other hand RIGHT brain is all about holistic orientation, poetry, creativity, visualisation, rhythm etc. etc.
It is a sad report on SCHOOLS that they are predominantly LEFT ORIENTED as they value things like memory, logic, analysis, number crunching.
While more than half the students (read Human beings!) are RIGHT brain dominated
What happens?
Alas! Schools label these “POTENTIALLY CREATIVE GENIUSES” as “SLOW” or “UN-INTELLIGENT”
Can we say that schools are not RIGHT?
But what is RIGHT BRAIN CREATIVITY?
Strictly speaking, there is no left brain, no right brain!
It is the dominant part of the brain that has made it customary. To identify the person/idea,
To be right brain or left brain!
So right brain children in schools are those children who are predominantly:
NON SEQUENTIAL
NOT GOOD AT REMEMBERING DATES OR NUMBERS
NOT GENERALLY EXCELLENT IN MATHS
NOT VERY FOND OF REMEMBERING FORMULAE
NOT SHARP WITH QUIZ GAMES
Now what would the schools call these children
DULL? SLOW? NOT INTELLIGENT?
You are right! Schools or for that matter the entire society would do so.
But wait a sec these children must be good at something:
THEY ARE GENERALLY GOOD WITH STORY TELLING AND VISUAL SKILLS
THEY ARE CREATIVE THINKERS BY AND LARGE
THEY ARE GOOD IN ACTING SKILLS
THEY MAY BE EXCELLENT WRITERS or PAINTERS or CARTOONISTS
THEY MAY BE EXCELLENT IN INTER-PERSONAL SKILLS
So what do we do with these right brain children?
ARE THEY NOT REQUIRED IN THIS WORLD?
In fact the most potent contribution towards the evolution of man kind has been made by these RIGHT BRAIN ‘RETARDS’!!!
All these right brain children need
Is a paradigm shift on the part of schools!!! And society!!!
http://www.pegomag.com
Keith
DO SCHOOLS NEED TO BE CHANGED?
To answer this
We have to understand:
WHAT IS CREATIVITY
And
WHAT IS A SCHOOL
CREATIVITY can be defined as ‘finding’ connections between seemingly
Unconnected concepts/things and giving birth to a
concept/product/idea/thing that has some practical utility
Out of box thinking originality and free flow are pre requisites of creativity!
SCHOOLS can be ‘defined’ as institutions that perpetuate a ’systematic’ scheme of learning (purists may not like this definition but I would stick to it!)
SO by definition, schools in their traditional avatar can not promote creativity.
SCHOOLS CAN only become promoters of creativity
If they DE SCHOOL their thought processes
If they see themselves as knowledge-clubs not military establishments!
If they appoint creative trainers instead of trained teachers!
HOW TO CHANGE?
This is a moot question!
Schools dont like to be changed!!! That’s for sure!
NO ONE WANTS TO BE TOLD! LEAST OF ALL THE SCHOOLS!!!
Schools are ‘GREAT’ institutions!!! We have been brought up on this logic this paradigm.
But then if you peep inside! You please recall your school days
Whatever understanding of life I have acquired it has been mostly out of school is it primary secondary graduate or businesses!
I may be off the track please share your thoughts
I do feel that schools perform a SOCIAL FUNCTION (that is commendable)
But then knowledge-giving is altogether a different ball game!
Schools are great places to develop personality and group dynamics
But what about subtle issues like self worth creativity and joy of learning???
Am I imagining things? Or you too agree somewhat?
RIGHT BRAIN CREATIVITY AND SCHOOLS
SCHOOL IS NOT ‘RIGHT’
As we know more or less that brain has two hemispheres:
LEFT and RIGHT
Left brain as it is called, is responsible for sequencing, analytical approach, numbers, facts, dates, quantifications etc.
On the other hand RIGHT brain is all about holistic orientation, poetry, creativity, visualisation, rhythm etc. etc.
It is a sad report on SCHOOLS that they are predominantly LEFT ORIENTED as they value things like memory, logic, analysis, number crunching.
While more than half the students (read Human beings!) are RIGHT brain dominated
What happens?
Alas! Schools label these “POTENTIALLY CREATIVE GENIUSES” as “SLOW” or “UN-INTELLIGENT”
Can we say that schools are not RIGHT?
But what is RIGHT BRAIN CREATIVITY?
Strictly speaking, there is no left brain, no right brain!
It is the dominant part of the brain that has made it customary. To identify the person/idea,
To be right brain or left brain!
So right brain children in schools are those children who are predominantly:
NON SEQUENTIAL
NOT GOOD AT REMEMBERING DATES OR NUMBERS
NOT GENERALLY EXCELLENT IN MATHS
NOT VERY FOND OF REMEMBERING FORMULAE
NOT SHARP WITH QUIZ GAMES
Now what would the schools call these children
DULL? SLOW? NOT INTELLIGENT?
You are right! Schools or for that matter the entire society would do so.
But wait a sec these children must be good at something:
THEY ARE GENERALLY GOOD WITH STORY TELLING AND VISUAL SKILLS
THEY ARE CREATIVE THINKERS BY AND LARGE
THEY ARE GOOD IN ACTING SKILLS
THEY MAY BE EXCELLENT WRITERS or PAINTERS or CARTOONISTS
THEY MAY BE EXCELLENT IN INTER-PERSONAL SKILLS
So what do we do with these right brain children?
ARE THEY NOT REQUIRED IN THIS WORLD?
In fact the most potent contribution towards the evolution of man kind has been made by these RIGHT BRAIN ‘RETARDS’!!!
All these right brain children need
Is a paradigm shift on the part of schools!!! And society!!!
http://www.pegomag.com
Keith