Monday, August 10, 2009

Creativity

This feels like a post that I should have done months ago. Education and creativity.
The current education system has a few priorities; Language, mathematics, and science. These are all fields of which we are taught facts that have been stated by magnificently creative minds. I do not know of one public education system in the world where the arts are considered more important than languages and math. Sadly creativity is barely developed through mathematics and sciences (there are creative writing and poems in language studies).

Many children in current schools are considered below standards just simply because their academic marks are below average. These children may have many special talents like singing, dancing, painting, etc. But these amazing abilities are never discovered because of our current education system.

WHY is our current education system so biased towards academics instead of arts (Someone once told me rhetorical statements are dangerous in writing, well, I'm screwed now)? I plan to hypothesize this question by looking at the very thing that keeps the world spinning, money. The richest person in the world is famous William Gates III, who achieved his wealth through computer software. Oh look, an academic field. Second in the world is Warren Buffett, he is into investments, another academic field. Then we have communication, retailing, manufacturing, all business/academics. That is why the school is promoting academics over arts, because in the future they believe children will make more money doing academical jobs. This is sadly true because an artist must either be lucky, or gifted.

4 comments:

cm is cool :) said...

..doesn't seem like you've ended your thought?

TZGreat said...

this method doesnt not solve for the solution but it guarantees a solution:

if x^(root2) is rational then there exists integers m, n such that x^(root2)=m/n, so x^2≡(m/n)^(root2), since (m/n)^(root2) must be irrational, x^2 is irrational and so is x.

AY said...

well, I have to agree with the beginning of the post - and the current education system is a failing system of limited and few priorities.

Yes, perhaps doing monotonous math problems for hours on end isn't the most "creativity-inspiring" thing to do. But that's not to say that the maths and sciences barely develop the creative sense. Especially through our several projects and even tasks like note-making and presenting offer more than enough opportunity to see creativity blossom at our school. It depends on the initiative taken to inspire the creativity out of a dull task, and perhaps that's what differs the 90 from the 80.

However, yes the current education systems are failing, especially on the creative side, if by creative side you mean free writing, more emphasis on the creative arts, etc. But I believe that the large shortfall is under two reasons:
you caught the first one - money. Not necessarily the need to follow the rich ones, but the fact the the education systems of today are so budgeted that the arts programs (which are quite expensive to upkeep) are often first to be cut.

And the big flaw on the creative side of education is standardization. That's perhaps the biggest punch to creativity in today's education.

Very good points drawn out though - gets the mind flowing. And rhetorical statements are awesome... I don't know who said otherwise =P

oh, and by the way
Music makes the world go round =D

Unknown said...

Yup I didn't finish lol, but I just got tired. And Austin, you are totally correct in the project sense. Which means the teachers recognize the problem and are attempting to adjust. I'm more interested in how the university education is like.