I watched Ken Robinson on TED. I totally agree that our schools knock curiosity and creativity out of children and have said so elsewhere.
But when it comes to people at large, the standard education is what gets us jobs, that's how we earn our three meals (or at least two). Maybe, we the middle class people can afford to let our child dance if he/she likes to, and give up school, maybe we can find some means of getting a livelihood (though I doubt it), but for the majority, a job means two meals and no job means hunger. Can they afford to learn dancing in the hope that one day, ONE day, they will make it big? They need a job NOW. All of them won't be Gillian Lynne .
So, is really good education a luxury?
Is creativity a luxury?
Will the future have schools that nurture creativity, but which will be catering to some elite people who need not worry about the next meal?
Will we then have a new class system?
What we can hope for is an education system that trains people for livelihood without killing their creativity. But do I have a clue about how that goal is achieved?
No!
2 comments:
I agree with you. Though I might not have like it when I was in school, looking back, I now realize that some things need to be learned, whether one enjoys it or not.
It's a different matter that often, children are dragged into school, threatened and forced to sit in class and stuff forced down their throats, so that they can vomit for 3 hours on some given date in the summer every year.
It's true that in India, following your passion is a luxury. But encouraging creativity takes nothing away from essential learning. if anything, it adds to the process. I haven't seen the TED talk you referred to, but when I say creativity, I mean creative thinking and out-of-the-box ideas in daily life. Now thats a very useful skill and it's kinda addictive. :P
The problem is not that creativity doesn't go along with our rigorous schooling, but that to encourage creativity in school, the teachers need to be creative. Therein lies the problem. Teachers(and parents) have to create a conducive environment which will persuade the child to explore in different directions. That would be awesome. "Creativity" need not mean going to dance/art/... classes from 5pm-7pm each day!
No, creativity is not dance and painting classes, but I said that because Gillian Lynne is referred to in the TED talk. Yes I agree creativity is about thinking in new ways. I have mentioned elsewhere about my son's profound theories when he was 3 years old and how I believe his thinking processes got "schooled out". I was schooled in a way that encouraged creative thinking and I loved my school. However, after that I too have been "schooled out" in college and perhaps will not be able to teach creatively. Today's teachers have been educated in a manner that supresses creativity. How will they teach creatively? That is the catch.
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