Lack of Creativity in Education...!!

Prior to writing this blog, I decided to read up on a few others relating to the same topic but then I dropped the idea because I wanted to write about something I’ve experienced,

therefore I stayed away from statistical numbers and went with pure facts that almost everybody reading can relate to at one point or another.

The pressure of education has increased to the point that as soon as a child enters the world, parents have them enlisted in the most prestigious nursery of the state’, then as the child masters speech and relevant bathroom training, it’s time for the next level.

 The reason why I am pointing this out is because it is important to trace back to the beginning from where a child’s creativity is crushed. Parents are under social pressure of making their children the best of what they can possibly be, a politician, an engineer, doctor, etc. and in the midst of all this effort, they reduce leisure activities and take away “play time”. It is essential for children and adults alike to have some time to relax their minds. We simply do not have the brainpower to stuff information into our minds for eight-nine hours straight (which is exactly what happens in our schools).

Further, have you ever noticed that courses like physical education, art, music, and computer, are taught no more than twice (in most schools) weekly and the duration is usually shorter than that of the main subjects (i.e. English, Mathematics, etc). If you want to steal a child's love of a topic, make it mandatory for them to follow precise guidelines of what they have to know and what is irrelevant. Don't answer tangential questions, which will steal time away from the omnipresent syllabus (no time for intrigue!). If you are the principal, make sure that teachers and students know that you are always observing them. Deprive children of choices and alternative perspectives, and you might lull them into compliance, and if there are any behavioral problems; don't assume they are bored or having a hard time focusing for long periods of time during the day. Assume, it is their personality and has nothing to do with the classroom environment. Punish them! Punish anyone and everyone who has extra energy, different perspectives, or challenges what is being said and taught.

Now, what does all this have to do with crushing the child’s creativity?

Well, when a child is compelled to cram all the time without getting the chance to do what he or she actually enjoys doing then creativity just flies out. If you want children to do well in school, give them dedicated time to play, sing, dance, build something out of wood, or whatever their fancy. There is a myth that time spent in these activities is time better spent cramming in more information for all important high stakes tests.

Unfortunately, the brain doesn't work that way. We each have a finite amount of willpower and when this willpower is exhausted, carrots and sticks are not going to change this fact. Our brains need time for restoration and replenishment. Discover what kids are passionate about and set them free to pursue it. Let me repeat that, set them free. Do not overly structure their recess. Do not overly structure their playtime. Moreover, do not completely omit the time for these breather activities. This is a time for them to recharge their batteries. In return, the education system will get a greater frequency of creative, curious, critically thinking youngsters. You will get attentive, engaged students.

Needless to say that the education system and the pressure from our parents have us struggling from a very young age but the real question here is, are they wrong to do so, are they really wrong to prepare us for the competition that we all inevitably have to face? I won’t attempt to answer the question for you I’d rather leave you with the thought of how we can efficiently alter our education system, to make it more flexible, without compromising our creativity. It’s time for a change!

 

'Parents and educators…need to establish a culture in which security and clarity of expectations are balanced with the encouragement of playfulness, inquisitiveness and self-reliance.' -Guy Claxton

~ Maryam Warsi