Ken Robinson

Ken Robinson presents his interesting perspective on the current state of our American educational system. 1. Do schools in the United States systematically destroy (or inhibit) the development of curiosity and/or creativity in students? If yes, why does that happen? If no, how do you counter the argument of Sir Ken Robinson that schools do undermine the development of creativity in students? I was very curious about his thesis here because one always hears that, in terms of creativity, at least, American students excel when compared with students in nations like China (that far surpass us in acquisition of pure academic content). I was very interested to hear his views on how America's school system inhibits creativity and, although he makes some compelling points, I'm not fully convenced that we're that weak, based simply on our outcomes in terms of innovations, R & D and new technologies. I do agree with him that our school system, is based on ideas of intellect that originated during the European Enlightenment and that the system itself is built on the industrial model. I'm not sure that these are defects, in and of themselves. Grouping students, by age, for instance, seems to have come about through necessity because there are many other social issues that will emerge when we start to group students by their ability in various subjects. In the one-room schoolhouse we had all ages studying together, with the teacher individualizing lessons by ability. Ultimately, I think that technology becomes our answer when it comes to differentiating the curriculum. 2. Can a curriculum be developed that increases the curiosity/creativity of students? If so, what would be the key components of such a curriculum? A student-centered approach to teaching has been growing in popularity because teachers recognize the value of allowing students choices within their learning that provide them opportunities to explore their interests,express themselves with creative responses, and make discoveries. As a part of this, students are most engaged when they are finding solutions to problems that they have identified. 3. Can a teacher's actions increase the creativity of students? If so, what would be those actions? All of the above conditions can be established. By presenting students with learning options and by creating a student-centered learning environment in which students identify questions/problems and develop solutions, teachers are increasing student creativity. 4. What would help you become more creative? What role would teachers and/or schools have in that process? I would love for schools to offer better access (convenient, affordable) to meaningful inservices. This class has opened my eyes to the creative teaching options available through technology. If teachers were regularly exposed to and trained in the use of new technology and online resources, our students' satisfaction, involvement in their education, and academic success would rapidly improve.