https://padlet.com/cmill045/lcmcja7fzj3omzc0 I think not. en-us 2021-09-18 20:29:14 UTC 2021-10-02 19:26:37 UTC hello@padlet.com cmill045 https://padlet.com/cmill045/lcmcja7fzj3omzc0/wish/1750846913 At 10:54, Sir Ken Robinson talks about the origin of educational system structures and how they met historical needs.

In a paragraph (or less), tell us- do you think that current times require different needs? How does creativity play a role in modern education and career development?

Once you've completed your response, return to the presentation (in the previous tab) for more fun!]]> 2021-09-18 20:31:09 UTC https://padlet.com/cmill045/lcmcja7fzj3omzc0/wish/1750846913 https://padlet.com/cmill045/lcmcja7fzj3omzc0/wish/1757652014 As a mom to a neurodiverse, gifted, and very creative kid, I can attest firsthand to the need for a different vision of classroom instruction. My son is 14 and has never liked school even though he loves learning and creating. I have watched over the years as his gifts are stifled in a traditional classroom that gives him the message that he is "too much" and doesn't fit in. I recently enrolled him in a school that uses an inquiry model with very small class sizes and lots of outside time. They also have a maker space and do not use a traditional grading system. So far he is doing better than in a traditional school, and even though it's not perfect I can tell that he feels more like himself at school. -Tracey Cole]]> 2021-09-21 15:48:46 UTC https://padlet.com/cmill045/lcmcja7fzj3omzc0/wish/1757652014 https://padlet.com/cmill045/lcmcja7fzj3omzc0/wish/1764670195  I would say we are muddling it. We offer students an aggressive style of education with backpack requirements, dress codes, and shortened time between classes that is stifling them. However, we are also embracing the technology's wonders that allow students to create civilizations using Prezi. We have reduced arts, literature, music, and outside time to the absolute minimum. We provide exacting requirements for projects. Yet, we offer coding classes and knitting after school. Honestly, I find it a chaotic mess that has to be stifling our students. - Courtney Schoolmaster]]> 2021-09-24 02:52:58 UTC https://padlet.com/cmill045/lcmcja7fzj3omzc0/wish/1764670195 https://padlet.com/cmill045/lcmcja7fzj3omzc0/wish/1769245415 To me, the issue of schools "killing creativity" in our children is symptomatic of a much larger problem in American society.  Over the course of my life, I have watched our education system move away from providing children with the time and freedom to explore their interests and develop their creativity toward a tightly controlled environment in which every moment of their time is structured and evaluated.  When I was a kindergartener, recess was an hour long, a play kitchen took up at least a quarter of the classroom, and we created murals with finger-paint and cutouts from catalogs.  Now, walk into any public school kindergarten, and you will see tiny desks, workbooks, and posted objectives.  With this new focus on "skills," my own children never played happily in kindergarten beyond the half hour of recess that they were allowed.  They worked.  They brought home worksheets.  They experienced stress for the first time as they worried about meeting expectations.  If they built something with blocks or colored a picture, it was because this activity met an SOL objective.  There was always an agenda behind anything that looked "fun."  

This contrast between my past and their present has had counterparts in all levels of my children's education so far, and the rational seems to be that our changing world requires young people to start preparing as early as possible to be successful adults.  To ensure that time will not be "wasted" in pursuit of this goal, teachers of core subjects are given objectives to meet and told not to deviate from these standards. If students' fail to achieve those standards, their access to art, music, drama, and creative writing classes is curtailed because these are seen as less important. Until our larger society values creative exploration over turning out adults with impressive CVs, however, our education system will continue to devalue creativity at the expense of marching lockstep through a standardized curriculum.]]> 2021-09-26 21:17:04 UTC https://padlet.com/cmill045/lcmcja7fzj3omzc0/wish/1769245415 https://padlet.com/cmill045/lcmcja7fzj3omzc0/wish/1774606605 For the first time in human history, I believe we are beginning to focus on the student as the individual and as a whole person. The increased focus on social-emotional learning (SEL), culturally-responsive pedagogy, students' aspirations, career readiness, and a whole host of other movements are bringing the student in as the focus. As we allow learners increasing autonomy in how they get to demonstrate their learning, we in the education and training fields MUST get more creative.]]> 2021-09-28 13:30:54 UTC https://padlet.com/cmill045/lcmcja7fzj3omzc0/wish/1774606605 https://padlet.com/cmill045/lcmcja7fzj3omzc0/wish/1775244090 I think that education systems are making advances in some aspects and worsening in others. There is a greater effort to structure lesson plans and curricula to address the needs of neurodivergent students and individual differences. However, I think that while schools have attempted to make accommodations, they are often provided in a "once size fits all" approach instead of addressing equity need.
The speaker also talks about how creativity has been left behind in education. I believe that creativity is an important component in critical thinking. Students need experience looking for alternate solutions and "out of the box" thinking. However, funding has been cut for many arts programs and free time for creative projects has been minimized. I remember searching for a preschool for my oldest son about 20 years ago. One of the preschools was structured with scheduled activities every 15 to 20 minutes throughout the day. The school I chose was focused on social development. If felt that these skills had a greater potential to help my children have success in school. Instead of counting and working on a computer, they learned about  kinethetics by navigating the playground; they learned how to take turns during play time; and they learned how to listen during story time. ]]> 2021-09-28 16:21:01 UTC https://padlet.com/cmill045/lcmcja7fzj3omzc0/wish/1775244090 https://padlet.com/cmill045/lcmcja7fzj3omzc0/wish/1775616832 I so enjoyed reading each of your responses and perspectives. I don't have children, but I can see those who were the children of the times of decreased play entering the workforce and being afraid to create and play in their work...and they are designers! ]]> 2021-09-28 18:27:33 UTC https://padlet.com/cmill045/lcmcja7fzj3omzc0/wish/1775616832 https://padlet.com/cmill045/lcmcja7fzj3omzc0/wish/1786314060 Last year I began my Ph.D. journey in Curriculum & Instruction, taking courses in educational theory and history. Spring semester, my American Curriculum history course opened my eyes to the foundations of our school systems and left me seeing red. As Sir Robinson stated, our education system has become about creating good citizens and good workers. While those things are not inherently negative, the way we go about it leaves many students in the cold, isolated because they do not fit in the box. We label them as having learning disabilities, but perhaps it is the education system that creates the disabilities, much like dystopian government powers label those who do not conform as being broken. 

Looking at the prompt: this is not a simple question because I do believe there are teachers who attempt to find ways to work in creativity within the boxes of standardization. However, with high-stakes testing breathing fire down their necks, our students miss the chances to be wrong, to make mistakes and learn from them, become critical thinkers and innovative risk-takers. Now more than ever, our systems need to change. We are not meeting the needs of our students. ]]> 2021-10-02 19:26:37 UTC https://padlet.com/cmill045/lcmcja7fzj3omzc0/wish/1786314060