Creativity

I enjoyed watching Sir Ken Robinson's talk about creativity because he brought up really good points that about creativity in education that are often overlooked by educators. Creativity is the use of individuals' minds to imagine or express an original thought. Robinson stated that everyone is born with the ability to be creative, but if that is true, then why do we have so many adults that are "not creative?"

I think it is extremely important to dig in to children's creative side and continuously reach for that side. Our education system now focuses in on students being able to all perform the same way allowing little to no creative experiences. Children are so desperate to learn until we start telling them the way they have to learn. My brother, who was in Kindergarten at the time, has even said, "I don't like school and learning." This child has one of the biggest imagination I have ever seen a child posses. He draws picture that I can't at 17 years old. He calls himself a "master builder" when he talks about building with Legos. He loves learning, he just doesn't know that it is learning because of how school defines learning. My brother is already adopting a dislike for school at such a young age, and I can only see it decreasing. If schools would add in more creative freedom to their studies, then students might see learning differently and their thoughts about school would change.

Growing up, I was told by teachers that there were only certain ways to do things, and I definitely think this stunted my creative growth. I remember being in the 5th grade and struggling with a creativity project because of my experiences before which put constraint on my creative side. Even now, I would label myself one of those people that are 'not creative'. I have lost that part of me that creates original thoughts. I have to find other ways to express myself in art. I really think that this is a cause of me having to block out creativity at such a young age.

Teachers should focus on creativity just as much as testing or subject matter. They should give projects that allow students to express themselves. They shouldn't show an example of just one way to do an assignment. Allow creative freedom throughout the classroom. Teachers should let the students be able to express themselves.

Wanting to be a future math teacher, it is hard to think of ways to be creative in the classroom. In math, students are typically taught that there is only one way to solve problems. I would bring creativity by teaching many different ways to solve problems and even asking how the students would solve problems. I would find creative ways to memorize formulas or information that my students will have to know and have students join in. It will be a difficult task to bring creativity into my classroom, but I am determined to find ways because I don't want my students to ever feel like they have lost their creative side due to constraints on their creative freedom.