Sir Ken Robinson is compelling. He is concise and concrete while ingeniously illuminating the concepts he very successfully develops in his publications and media presentations. He is believable and makes a believer of me. Recently, I viewed his You Tube video in which Sir Ken points to the structural impediments in American public education that stymie children in their development of creativity. American schools pound facts and convergent thinking. There no incentive in the many federal and state mandates for schools to facilitate the growth of divergent thinking, he proclaims. (http://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution.html).
Darn right, I agree. And, to emphasize my agreement I paraphrase Matthew 22:20-22. “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s…” What is it that Caesar requires? Federal mandates demand competent achievement of all students on prescribed standardized tests. In addition, verified accountability systems are in place that publicize student, teacher and school effectiveness. What is that Caesar does not require. The No Child Left Behind Act does not list creativity as one of the educational outcomes included in tests of student competency or school effectiveness. The Race to The Top also omits references to creativity as a requirement for states, hence local school districts and schools, to be waived from iron-fisted NCLB requirements. Creativity is not one of the “things ” Caesar claims as his.
In addition, junior Caesars, state governors, also forsake creativity. The National Governor’s Association which authorized and approved the Common Core State Standards comes “close but no cigar” for their efforts. “Close” is the inclusion of academic problem solving melded with collaboration with other students as a process skill within specific CC standards. Yet, this is not enough to win a cigar or the agreement of Sir Ken or anyone who advocates for a public education that values and purposefully promotes student creativity.
Hence, render unto our modern day Caesar, our mandating federal and state governments, that which they require – a standardized education that does not value creativity.
For educators, our dilemma is age old in school lore. That which is tested gets taught. That which is part of the mandated school and educator effectiveness accountability systems gets attention. The new state report card for all K-12 schools in Wisconsin does not include creativity in any of its measures of student, teacher or school effectiveness. Wisconsin’s state assessments fall into the category of all standardized tests. They assess convergent thinking. The Iowa legislature recently passed educational reforms with the goal of returning its high school graduates to national prominence in the ACT test, a test used for college readiness and admissions. Instruction for this purpose assures that classrooms will value the learning of content, skills and processes for discerning “right” answers.
“New York is one of the first states to revamp its annual exams to match up with the new Common Core Standards, a comprehensive set of academic expectations designed with the goal of better preparing American children for “college and careers”. Forty-six states and the District of Columbia have formally adopted the Common Core, but reviews are mixed. Diane Ravitch, an education analyst at New York University, calls the standards a “fundamentally flawed” mandate foisted on the states without “any idea how they will affect students, teachers, or schools”. Other commentators argue that the standards honour “data, not children”, neglect creativity in the classroom and weave an unholy bond between public education and test-development companies.” (“Not Prepared,” The Economist, 4/16/13)
“However counter-intuitive this notion may appear, fostering a nation of creative thinkers will serve the U.S. well in an increasingly global and technological economy. After all, one of the most successful and profitable companies in the world (high-tech or otherwise) is Apple. Until August 25, 2011, Apple was led by CEO Steve Jobs, who stepped down (for the second time) for health reasons. Jobs was one of the most creative thinkers of the past 50 years and was not trained by the American university system for such greatness. He was a creative thinker, not the toiler of a particular trade conferred upon him by some professional degree.” (“We Need an Education System that Promotes Creativity, Innovation, and Critical Thinking”, Huffington Post, 03/23/2012)
So, what should we do?
Parents, allow your Huck Finn to play (safely). An overly structured childhood stifles creativity. Don’t register your child for every team, ensemble and group that rises in your community for the purpose of keeping kids busy so that they will be “safe.” Count your own hours of driving to and from every practice and event and then add that large number to the gazillion hours your child is at practice or performing and you must arrive at “Stop!” Too much is too much. Let your Huck Finn play safely in the neighborhood without electronic devices and programmed activity. Let children design and act out their personal and collective creative fantasies. Play acting life on Mars and manufacturing their own playgrounds and creating their own language that keeps their doings safe from others brings out their creativity. Children in generations prior to helicoptering parents somehow created an American economy and culture that constantly regenerated itself.
Schools, use your powers of assessment to find children who possess true creative energy and give them time and opportunity to grow. Schools have a long history of divining which children need special education and assistance to succeed in school. Don’t stop annual “child find” activities, but add “loose the creative” children to your findings. Every school contains children who easily learn what they must know in order to pass required tests. Once they have gotten to the head of the testing line, free them to experience the learning that is their passion. Supervise their safety, but give them time, place and opportunity to compose, paint, sculpt, program, write, shape metals, graft plants, mix chemicals, and lead their peers. This is the environment what young entrepreneurs, engineers, artists, authors, and explorers need. There is time in any school day for this. Observe what children who finish their assignments first do while waiting for the class to finish. Turn them loose.
Government, stop meddling. Public education may be governmentally funded, but a public education is an investment in an individual’s potential to advance the community, state and national future. The ebb and flow of liberal and conservative agenda handcuffs any opportunity for schools to create long-term practices that promote student creativity. Educators spend too much time explaining and defending best practices to the political agenda du jour that children get robbed of time and opportunity for creative work. There is a world of difference between assuring a free and public education that creates graduates who are college prepared and community ready and fencing in the future.
I am composing this blog on a tablet with a touch screen, saving it to the “cloud” and will post it to the world. These processes are the result of unbelievable creativity by individuals, collaborating groups, and corporations that proper from “time and opportunity” to do the right work.