Does school stifle creativity?

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   JanTutorposted 12 years ago

   Does school stifle creativity?
   
   Albert Einstein once said that ‘it is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education.. And proponents of creativity are sometimes pejorative about the stifling effects of education on creativity. Most educators, of course, would deny that they labour day and night to implant a strong sense of dull mediocrity and ‘thinking inside the box' among their students.
   
   What do you think?
   
   

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2. 60

   duffsmomposted 12 years ago

   I believe putting children in school too early does stifle creativity.  We put children in preschool, in a structured environment and they draw at a certain time, play at a certain time etc. The free thinker and creative person ends up being punished for not going along with the program.
   
   I think in older children there are ways to make creativity flourish but it takes work on the part of the parents, and can't be left up to the schools.
   
   So yes, I think it is possible that creativity is not only stifled but squashed at times in school.

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      JanTutorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Our 4 year old starts school on Monday. It seems way too early but I hope that our choice of school will prove the right one. It's a brand new school with fewer than 30 children with a strong emphasis on child-led learning and fostering independence.

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   JThomp42posted 12 years ago

   I would hop that the teachers would make it as interesting as possible. If interested then a child can be creative.

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      JanTutorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Sadly it is not always the case. Even as an adult I was amazed at how different lecturers were. In my final year I had to take Jurisprudence; such a 'dry' subject. My lecturer was creative & amazing, so much so, that I went on to teach the subjec

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      JThomp42posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That's great! Good for you! 

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   Mr. Happyposted 12 years ago

   There is very little creativity allowed in most courses before the university level and even there, conformity is often pushed onto students.
   
   I skipped most of my high-school classes except for the ones which involved English and History. Even in some of those, I used to just bring my own books, sit at the back of the class and read. Sometimes teachers would get upset because I was not paying attention and I would have to tell them that what they were teaching was simply putting me to sleep and that is why I brought my own reading material.
   
   In university was a little different because there were a great variety of courses to chose from and I could find some which interested me but even with those, sometimes getting professors with no passion/energy would make me drop the course.
   
   In terms of creativity, I loved my Creative Writing English Course - I was literally able to do what I wanted with my writing and that was fun! It gave me enough faith in education to keep searching for courses which I would be willing to attend.
   
   The education system tries to conform too much. It teaches facts which many students just do not care about. In my opinion, I went to university to learn how to think and not necessarily to know that in 1812 the British/Canadian forces marched on Washington and burned down the White House (which was not called the White House than because it was not yet white). I think I somewhat achieved that goal but it was thanks to some professors which allowed me to be who I am and guided me on my path.
   
   There is much improvement which needs to be done to education to attract the interest of students and to stop expecting them to be like a herd of sheep feeding on the same patch of grass.

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      JanTutorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      A very powerful and thought-provoking answer. I particularly like the fact that from an early age you 'danced to the sound of your own drum'.

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   teaches12345posted 12 years ago

   There are a few schools and teachers out there that believe in teaching with creativity and challenge thinking in the learning process.  They are passionate about their jobs and just want to share knowledge and stimulate the  same interest in their students.  You have to research your area and then ask other parents for references.  It is wonderful to have this type of environment that allows for the whole child development.

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   Efficient Adminposted 12 years ago

   The first thought that came to my mind is in the public school system creativity would be stifled just a little bit because of: peer pressure, drugs, bullying, political correctness, etc...Kids get distracted by all the negative things and don't focus as much on their school work.  However, I'm sure they are good public school systems out there where this doesn't happen.

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      JanTutorposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thanks for your comment. My daughter is just 4 years and started school this week, still I can't help but to fret (a little) about the negative influences which she may become exposed to. More importantly, how she'll respond to such influences.

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   Kathryn L Hillposted 12 years ago

   So get this. Montessori has so many ideas that people just ignore. Why?  I worked at a school today and I realized that what teachers do is use a lot of paper. Why not use didactic teaching materials?
   Also we have to have a better system than grading. Lets just aim to get them to pass the SATs from first grade on. Bah-humbug on grades. Take away that stressor (for teachers and for their pupils) and let the teachers introduce the concepts that will help their students 1-12 comprehend what they must learn for that test and for life.

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   JamesGrantSmithposted 12 years ago

   They certainly can because they teach conformism, and linear behavior and not creativity and exploration because really that cannot be taught.

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   Becky Pennposted 11 years ago

   yes.  In today's educational system there is so much concern for political correctness that the imagination and creative flow of student is impeded.  Students have everything at their fingertips with technology and have few skills to implement new and imaginative ideas.  Students need to inspired and allowed to express themselves more freely in writing and creative methods of educational tools.  We have lost touch with the real world in trying to protect students from harm in the schools. Case in point is the fifteen year old girl that wrote the essay about suffering sexual abuse and the teacher made her apologize and change the essay.  It was a real life experience and she was hindered from sharing the experience through the assignment.  The political correctness of the situation turned out to impede her natural abilities of both writing and personal expression.  Schools need to lighten up and allow more creativity, requiring it in assignments.

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