jeremy beasley

I recently rewatched a TED presentation given by Sir Ken Robinson (watch below) that questions if our school systems are killing creativity. Sir Ken Robinson contends that schools system destroy creativity because…

1. Society creates a hierarchy of subjects. Teachers, parents, society all place unspoken value and prestige on certain subjects. On average, people tend to think higher of someone excel in math or science versus someone who is gifted in writing or music. This type of thinking creates a hierarchy where math and science are most valued, arts are the least valued, and humanities are somewhere in the middle.
2. Children are conditioned to fear making mistakes. Students fear failure and as a result, students go with the “safe” answer. While failure may be a good short-term motivator, do we realize what this does over time? Students become risk-averse memorizers (if you don’t believe me, watch kids study for SATs). Students are focusing on master memorization techniques and in the process they are losing their ability to think.

Why is this talk important? While Sir Ken Robinson answer this question directly, I will give my opinion. The topic of creativity will be one that sparks more interest in the near future. We are approaching a tipping point with how we value pure analytical power. We need more than just analytical and reasoning skills, we need people who can connects the dots. We need people see the big picture and create original ideas to help us solve most of issues that confront our generation, e.g. environmental sustainability, world poverty, profitable yet socially responsible corporations.

Did the school system kill the creative genius in you? Share you experiences below.