Do Schools Kill Creativity?
Why don’t we get the best out of people? Sir Ken Robinson argues that it’s because we’ve been educated to become good workers, rather than creative thinkers. Students with restless minds and bodies — far from being cultivated for their energy and curiosity — are ignored or even stigmatized, with terrible consequences. “We are educating people out of their creativity,” Robinson says. It’s a message with deep resonance.
Please watch this video with your parents.
What do you think? Parents are welcomed to comment.
August 25th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
I think that Ken Robinson is right about schools killing creativity. He gave examples of people that made a connection to my life. He said that creative kids aren’t afraid of being wrong. Professors aren’t really the greatest people. They’re just another type of life. Ken Robinson said that some people need to move to think. I was told that those kinds of learners are kinesthetic.
August 28th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
I think Sir Ken Robinson is right. Sometimes while we were doing math in fourth grade, I wanted to be in art or music class. In order to think, I had to stand up or kick my legs around. I still do that now, I always need to walk around the house if I don’t get an algebra problem. Sometimes I pace back and forth across a room.
Some people say professors know best, but they don’t. Probably half the things they teach, they’re just learning themselves.
The story of the four-year-old “wise men” was funny and it’s true. Little kids don’t care if they make mistakes. As opposed to adults who stress out half the day because of mistakes they made in the past.
My older friends all said that Mr. Chung is not boring. When I found out I was in his class, I was so happy. Everyone said he makes learning fun. Now that I’m in his class, I KNOW he’s not a “textbook” teacher, I mean, he lets creativity and math collide, or art and social studies. Wouldn’t “Schools Killing Creativity” NOT be a problem if ALL teachers were like him?
August 29th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
I think schools do kill creativity because most teachers want you to do what they say their way. What if you have another way and it works better, like in math. If you have a song to help you, you should sing but the teacher usually says “NO SINGING!” so you can’t do your work. What I’m trying to say is schools do kill creativity.
September 1st, 2008 at 12:10 am
I think schools do kill creativity because of their curriculum, they are teaching kids one way. Teachers show you something, you memorize it, and take a test.
They don’t let the kids think for themselves or think outside the box.
School curriculums limit children’s expressions of themselves and steer children on the same path as everyone else before them. However, there are a few teachers who do follow curriculum but also spend extra time with students and allow them to express their creativity.
It is also important that moms and dads support their kids outside of school to boost their creativity and provide them with choices. A parent should also believe in their kids and encourage them to become responsible adults and not to give up and that you can do it.
September 1st, 2008 at 6:15 pm
If I could foster in each of my children and each child I come in contact with or have an influence on, a strong sense of confidence and NOT “shame” or embarassment, it would make me very happy. As adults and parents, we sometimes put these attitudes on our children. And it is for a reason, it serves a purpose, we want to protect them from feelings of failure or let’s be honest, from embarassing us.
I recognized long ago that it I must make a conscience effort to allow my own children to behave without inhibition, or a fear of making a mistake if I want them to grow into any level of an original or creative thinker. It’s hard. ‘Control’ and ‘protection’ are primary parental jobs…but I still try. You must know, as our children, that we would never give up on you – never. Be bold. We can handle it. And if we can’t, we’ll have to try a little creative thinking and LEARN.
September 1st, 2008 at 7:15 pm
I think that not all schools kill creativity, but most teachers do. Most teachers only make you study, test, and then grade you.
The teachers should make us, the kids, think and express in any way that we can understand. If we have to draw a picture, let us draw a picture, if we want to write, let us write.
Teachers do not really teach us, they just give us some worksheets, explain a little, then give us a study guide. We have to study for a lot of tests in one week. Some may be in the same day. They also give us tons of homework so we have to stay up late doing all of our assignments.
Since we are always studying for tests, we keep studying and trying to memorize things. What we studied for on the previous tests, our brains do not have space for it, so we just forget it.
When we go into middle school, we would probably forget most of the tests we studied for and have to learn them all over again. So these tests are not worth studying for. We are wasting time when we could be learning life lessons that we will never forget.
All I am trying to say is, our teachers should be teaching things in our own perspective, and that is different from studying for tests and then forgetting the information while we study for other tests.
September 1st, 2008 at 7:42 pm
I think schools do kill creativity because in school the teacher always says, “do this, do that” and always want you to do it exactly the way they said or do it exactly the way they taught you. For example, in algebra, what if you have a different way of doing it. For example, why do we have so much math instead of art or music? Art and music are good for creativity, and math isn’t so good for creativity. That’s why I think schools kills creativity.
September 1st, 2008 at 8:41 pm
I think schools kill creativity because textbooks are just memorizing words and techniques. Schools should have more hands-on projects for class work because I learn better with that style of teaching. I also feel that schools shouldn’t leave out art and P.E because those classes allow kids to be creative and active.
I like the way we are learning this year because it is a lot of fun. I like that we are learning math skills by having to pay for our desks.
September 1st, 2008 at 9:00 pm
I think Sir Ken Robinson made some very good points in his talk. He talked about how we are always afraid to get things wrong and how little dancing, art, and creativity we have in school. I have always been afraid of getting things wrong. In other words I have never been really confident in school. Compared to how much reading, writing, math and social studies, dancing and art are like the tiniest sliver of all the daily things we do. Writing has a little more creativity than math, social studies, and reading. Sir Ken Robinson gave an example of Gillian Lynne who was super-fidgity during school. The teachers thought that Gillian might be sick but it turned out all Gillian needed was more creativity. A doctor told Gillian’s mom to take her to a dance school. She did and now Gillian Lynne has become a great dancer and a multi-millionaire.
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Great video! I believe every child is intelligent. We need to be creative educators to ensure that all children have the same opportunity to learn. The educational system is the biggest creature of habit. It’s those that step out of the box that make the most impact on our children. My twins are in kindergarten and I have to wonder if all this effort to educate our children in writing, creating the proper strokes to create letters and numbers, coloring in the lines, etc. is all worth it. Is it going to benefit them 5, 10, 20 years from now? Who knows? I’d rather see them on a computer learning how to navigate the computer and learning the keyboard strokes as well as letter recognition. More teachers have to embrace each child as individuals and realize that not all children process information in the same way. They need to realize that because a child who cannot sit still does not mean they are not processing information. Educators need to stay educated and current in ways and philosophies in order to keep our children prepared for what’s to come or what we believe is to come.
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:25 pm
The video was great. I feel that Ken Robinson was accurate in saying that when people need to move around. It doesn’t classify them as being unable to learn. My little brother is in kindergarten and he does not sit still when my Mom is reading to him but in the end he can comprehend the story and answer all the questions my Mom asks him about the story. On the other hand, his twin sister can sit still, enjoy the book, and comprehend everything. It just goes to show that children really do learn differently and teachers have to embrace that.
September 29th, 2008 at 10:49 am
Hi, I think that what you wrote is correct. Schools are taking out a lot of creativity in our work. It gets very boring and you even start thinking not to go to school because it’s boring.
September 29th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Hi! I think your right because we need to learn how to express our creativity. I want learn about what my creativity can do. I agree 100% with what you wrote.
September 29th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Yeah! I think all of the above is true. If you got a really creative mind and the teacher says “no, do it this way,” I don’t think it’s good for us. I think kids really should have a chance to share their ideas.