Do Schools Kill Creativity?

This is the second time I have viewed, “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” featuring Ken Robinson, for a graduate course, the first was in 6300.  I think it gives a lot of food for thought.  He presents many ideas about public education and its role in society.  Are we killing creativity?  Are we education our children out of their creativity?

I think he presents good arguments when he discusses society’s values of intelligence.  How many of our students sit in our classes and feel like failures because they are not ‘book smart’? However, if you give them an engine they can take it apart and put it back together, if you give them a musical instrument they could write and play a beautiful song.  Why is it society does not value these talents as much as it values ‘book smarts’?

In terms of mathematics education, I think it reiterates the need for educators to relate mathematics socially to our students.  Students need to have an invested interest in their learning, gaining ownership and considering it an important skill they desire to acquire.  Innovatively we need to incorporate their abilities, talents and interest into our teaching so their creativity does not go to waste. 

Maggie