If I were to throw the word "creativity" out at you, what image would come to mind?
I think of art, or people who like to draw, paint, design, write, etc... I suspect many people would.
Of course, an image of preschoolers playing, building, and creating also comes to mind. That's when it all starts. So why does it seem to fade as we get older? How can we prevent that from happening?
We'll get back to that question later. But here are some more questions for you:
- Do you have to literally produce a work of art in order to be considered creative?
- Do we define creativity by an end product, or by the process one goes through to complete something - anything - that's unique? What if that something is simply an idea?
I think it's time to give creativity a broader definition. And actually, when you look up the actual definition of the word on Dictionary.com, the word "art" isn't mentioned at all. Here's the web site's definition:
"The ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination."
And here's how the term was described in Newsweek's The Creativity Crisis recently:
"Creativity requires constant shifting, blender pulses of both divergent thinking and convergent thinking, to combine new information with old and forgotten ideas." Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman, Newsweek, July 19, 2010, p.48.
There are subtle differences between the two descriptions, but important ones. Do you notice how the traditional definition seems to close the door on the past, whereas the Newsweek version embraces it as an integral component of creativity?
It seems to me that if we want the future to be bright, then we can't blow out the candle of the past.
Take the discussion about the future of libraries, for example. Why does the conversation always seem to lean toward the elimination of books-in-print? Why can't we find a creative way to maintain books, while adding advanced technology? Why does it have to be either/or? Where's the creative vision?
Let's go back to preschoolers. Do they need the newest toys and gadgets in order to be creative? Do they need eReaders? Isn't it more likely that they'll create more with less sophisticated materials?
Preschoolers have plenty of new ideas, especially if those ideas are nurtured by caring adults. But according to that article, the creativity of American children (ages 5 through 12) has been declining since 1990.
I don't know about you, but I remember playing in Kindergarten. You rarely see that anymore, and even some preschools are replacing some play time with academics! Obviously, the person who came up with that idea didn't think about the consequences. Not all ideas are good ones, are they?
As students spend more time taking tests and looking into a screen, it makes sense that the imagination might gradually become an endangered species. Children are also spending a lot more time participating in organized activities, as opposed to coming up with creative ways to keep themselves busy.
As world problems become more and more complex, our country needs creative minds more than ever. But, what will it take to bring back the creativity?
I say put the free play, the art, the music, the drama, the literature, and especially, the problem solving and critical thinking, back into the curriculum. Make them the focus, instead of something you just squeeze in if there's time.
Our children need to feel comfortable asking questions, seeking out answers (using a multitude of resources), and connecting the dots, to solve a variety of problems. According to that Newsweek article, a 5th grade project, assigned at the National Inventors Hall of Fame School in Akron, Ohio, prompted students to do all of these things. They were asked to come up with ways to reduce the noise in the library. It sounds simple, but it's a real problem with many different possible solutions. The outcome? Students were so motivated that they didn't want to go home at the end of the day.
That's what education in America should be about. Real problems. Many solutions. Find the facts on your own - don't just memorize ones you've been given.
It would not be fair to place all of the blame on the public school system, though. As younger and younger children spend more time dazed by a screen, and immersed in visual worlds created by someone else, their imagination muscles are not being exercised enough. They're spending less time in the great outdoors just exploring the wonders of nature. And when they ask questions, parents and teachers are often too busy to turn them into open-ended conversations. Questions like "Why?" and "What if" could lead to multiple answers and even more questions. But not without a lot of patience.
Patience and free time promote creativity. One word answers don't. Time limits on lessons don't. Too much visual stimulation doesn't.
I've said before that sometimes to move ahead, you first need to go back. Newsweek's description of creativity includes the examination of the past. It doesn't close the door on it.
Past. Present. Future. Let's all find that creative place within ourselves and connect the dots. Where do we start? It's the questions we ask ourselves that will light the way.
