Sharing an essay I wrote for my Art and Humanities: Twentieth Century and Beyond class-
Do you think Robinson makes a good case for creativity? What
are some of the strong points in the lecture, and what could use more
development? What are some ways that creativity had an impact on your past and
could impact your future?
Robinson (2006) shares his thoughts on children’s “capacity
for innovation”, stating that “creativity is as important as literacy” and emphasizing
the need to “educate the whole being”. Having studied child development, thankfully
before I had children, this concept then was an eye opener to me. I consider us
extremely blessed to have a charter school that uses arts integrated curriculum
that my children attend (
http://www.artspacecharter.org/).
Robinson (2006) points out that our education system was designed “to meet the
needs of industry” through “academic inflation” children are “educated out of
creativity”. The strong point of the lecture for me was his story about Gillian
Lynne, how she struggled in school and her teachers suspected a learning
disorder. He points out how present day she would have likely been diagnosed
with ADHD. A specialist, after observing her behavior, rightfully told her
mother, “Mrs. Lynne, Gillian isn't sick; she's a dancer. Take her to a dance
school" (Robinson, 2006). In a child development class years ago I learned
of a study in which kids were given paperclips and asked how many ways they
could use them. According to Stephens (2011), “1,500 kindergartners between 3
and 5 years old were given a divergent thinking test. Divergent thinking tests
don’t measure creativity, but rather one’s propensity for creativity. The test
asks questions such as “How many ways could you use this paperclip?” …
Ninety-eight percent of kindergartners tested at the genius level”. In contrast
to this Stephens (2011) points out, “after five years of formal education, only
50 percent of children tested at the genius level”.
In my personal life I can remember back to high school where
I thrived in Art. I struggled with all other areas of education but Art class
made me feel accomplished because it was something I enjoyed, did well and was praised
for. Today, as an adult… I no longer thrive in Art, I now struggle with it. I
can no longer create the things that at one time flowed naturally without
considerable determination. Even with determination the outcome does not meet
the beauty of the works I created without a thought as a child. Pertaining to
how creativity has and will continue to have an impact on my future, I feel
that it takes quite a bit of creativity to think critically. As an RN I am
called on to think outside the box in order to provide holistic care for my
patients. On a more personal level, as a mother I often times call on what’s
left of my creative side when raising my children. Without the ability to
abstractly think, my life with children would be far more difficult and not
very enjoyable J
