So is Robinson correct? Do schools kill creativity? Well, schools have long upheld the 3 Rs: reading, 'riting & 'rithmetic as the most important components of the curriculum. And in our society, it makes sense that the 3Rs are emphasized because practically everything we do depends on them - our jobs and our personal ambitions. Plus, that is what our nation's standardized tests measure.
I thought Robinson (2006) made a powerful point when he said that schools start educating from the waist up, and then focus more on the brain, and then specifically on the left side, which is where the 3Rs operate. What he's implying is that schools don't value the arts, physical education, or other creative endeavors as much as the 3Rs. Is that bad? In my opinion it's terrible, and that is why I'm thankful to be an Adventist educator, because Adventist education emphasizes a wholistic educational experience. We don't cut physical education or the arts if there are financial problems because we recognize how the mind, body and spirit are interconnected and interdependent. One example is the fact that exercise helps students focus better in school! Another neat study that compared Adventist education with non-Adventist education shows that our Bible-centered, wholistic approach to education not only helps our students do as good as other schools on standardized tests, but above average! I am passionate about what I do...but back to the question.
I'm not sure if schools are the main ones to blame for this problem though. Former President Bush's No Child Left Behind act caused 'teaching to the test' to become schools' main motivation because of the fear of losing funding. This has limited teaching time to focus on the skills and content needed for the tests, which are predominantly focused on the 3Rs. PE and the arts have in turn been more neglected because they're not being tested.
I think that digital media can help reduce the creativity killing in schools. In my classroom, I love to use digital media because it engages my students very effectively. My understanding of digital media includes videos, online websites (static and interactive), music, and educational computer games. Digital media, by nature, is creative too. It was created by artists, musicians, designers, programmers, directors, editors, etc. Whenever I show digital media to my students, or let them independently interact with it, their creativity is encouraged because they want to make or do things similar to what they just experienced. Digital media can be controlled and/or manipulated by them too, versus a printed textbook. None of my students have ever said that they would be interested in writing a textbook! Plus, the fact that 80% of 6th-8th graders own an ipod (Project Tomorrow, 2010, p. 8) is reason enough to include digital media in the classroom, since it is obviously an important part of their personal lives. If I don't incorporate digital media in my classroom, students will view my classroom as less and less relevant, since their personal lives practically revolve around it. Project Tomorrow (2010) says that students "recognize from their own experiences growing up immersed in digital media that the best way to drive educational productivity is through the effective use of rich and relevant digital tools, content and resources” (p. 25). I want to make sure to capitalize on that so that my students can not only be creative in school, but be prepared for the real world when they graduate from school!
References
Robinson, K. (2006, June). Ken Robinson Says Schools Kill Creativity [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY
Project Tomorrow. (2010). Creating Our Future: Students Speak Up About Their Vision for 21st Century Learning. Retrieved from http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/pdfs/SU09NationalFindingsStudents&Parents.pdf
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