08 March 2012 / by Radmila Gurkova

Do Schools Kill Creativity?

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY

Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson recently challenged the way we educate our children and made a profound case stating that schools undermine rather than nurture.

He feels that ‘‘we are educating people out of their creativity,'' and that children today are ignored and stigmatized.

How can we predict education and the extraordinary capacity that children have? All kids have tremendous talent but we squander them. "If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original." he explains; stating that by the time you become adults you have lost certain capacities you learnt as a child and have become frightened of being wrong.

He feels that we run our companies in a frightened capacity, stigmatizing mistakes - educating people out of their creativity. Therefore is it wrong to be creative at work?

Picasso said "All children are born artists the problem is to remain an artist when we grow up"

The whole purpose seems to be to educate people throughout the world, to become a University Professor - most academic classes are designed to be at the top, whereas dance and music are pushed to the bottom. Why is this?

According to UNESCO within the next 30 years more people worldwide will be graduating through education than the beginning of history, all heading towards a more academic age.

Sir Ken tells us that we are shielding creativity and harbouring individual development. He thinks we should adopt a conception of human ecology and reconstitute our conception through the richness of human capacity - to re-think the fundamental principals in which we educate our children. ...Should we?

We should use the gift of education and create the capacities for the richness they are – and help children form the hope to create a better future.  Our job is to make them achieve this.

DEBATE



  • Should we re-educate our children in a fundamental way?

  • Is education equal amongst all professions?

  • Could we spend the next 30 years educating only the Arts?


KEYWORDS




































































Word Image Definition Example Listen
Taught Past of 'to teach' What were you TAUGHT today in English classes? Listen
Workplace   Any or all places where people are employed A bill to set safety standards for the workplace. Listen
Encourage To give support to someone. I try to encourage my children to do the right thing. Listen
Push To press upon or against (a thing) with force I'm going to push on your stomach. Listen
Nurture   To feed and protect Encourage the development of (a child). She wants to stay at home and nurture her children Listen
Squander To spend or use (money, time, etc.) extravagantly or wastefully I will squander all my money Listen
Undermine To try and make an argument or a believe look week. His authority was undermined by the president Listen
Frightened   Very scared The horror movie frightened him. Listen

27

October 2017
The teachers are in the epicentre of the Oxinity growth model
by Jonatan Buxeda
Today I'd like to share what we have...

17

October 2017
Frustration of Students: Common Scenarios and How to Manage Them
by Jushua Cutts
‘’Mistakes are he portals to discovery’’ Frustration is defined as the feeling of being upset or annoyed as a result of being unable to change or achieve something. This is a common feeling that ...

06

October 2017
Teaching kids: challenges and winning strategies
by Gabriel Ekoe González
In an increasing demand for English classes,  important points to consider when teaching kids are how to teach also what makes a good kids’ activity. Perhaps the most important thing to consider when teaching kids is their attenti...

04

July 2017
10 Real Reasons to do a TEFL Course in Spain
by Radmila Gurkova
TEFL Course in Spain - The time is now! July and August are the best months to decide to make the step into sunshine by signing yourself up to a TEFL course in September here in Spain. It's the perfect time to start something new. If you are a native English speaker or bilingual and you have an upbeat,...

04

July 2017
7 Tips on Giving Feedback to ESL Teachers
by Peter Nesbitt
Giving feedback to ESL teachers can be tricky, particularly when you have something critical to say. But yet it is also important, as without it, how can people learn? Sure, they can rely on their own self-evaluation of how they are doing, but if you have ever watched any TV talent show, you will see that a lot of people just aren't very good...

21

June 2017
Teacher Talks - Sharing expertise and experience
by Ryan Beaudelaire
Teacher Talks - Sharing expertise and experiences Things worth sharing We´ve had something up our sleeve for the last few weeks and we´re ready to do what we love and sha...

06

June 2017
Level testing: How to test a student's level?
by Ryan Beaudelaire
Level testing: How do you do it? Level testing...... Ooooh, lets talk! Unless you've been asked that awkward question outright: 'What level am I?' You won't know what's it like to to be a deer in the headlights and respond with something really daft in a high pitched voice like.... 'Yeah, really good!' Li...

02

June 2017
Teaching beginners: is translating really necessary?
by Radmila Gurkova
A big debate around teaching beginners has always been whether it is necessary or not to translate into the learners' mother tongue. Opinions are split and vary from definitely not to maybe sometimes yes or, in the other extreme, of course yes, translating is fast and effective. Translating seems straightforward and historically it has bee...

18

May 2017
Masterclass in ESL at Oxbridge to share and learn about expertise areas
by Gracia Guzmán
The Oxbridge English Teaching System (OETS) is made out of a wide and wide community of teachers from different countries and backgrounds. Offering a masterclass in ESL for different areas of expertise was necessary and easy at the same time, having in mind the richness of profiles of our community members. This is why we are currently devoti...

02

May 2017
Move to Spain - Have my life! It´s easy
by Ryan Beaudelaire
Move to Spain - Have my life! It´s easy! Last Sunday, this is how we spent our Sunday afternoon, chillin' up the Mountain at Montserrat! Just another mountaintop Benedictine monastery you know! ...