Key Messages
How Creative Schools Are Revolutionizing Education Around The World
Are you looking for a new way to approach learning in the classroom? Then join the creative school revolution!
This revolutionary approach to education focuses on helping each individual pupil learn in their own unique way, without scheduling or assessment structures getting in the way.
Instead, it encourages teachers and parents to learn alongside their students.
Creative schools aren’t about simply having four hours of art or two hours of math; they’re about transforming each classroom into an innovative environment of joyous and creative learning.
Through stories such as those of a lone computer in an Indian slum and an entire school run by students, you’ll discover that traditional education has never truly been conducive to successful learning outcomes.
Take part in this revolutionary movement and transform your school experience with creative schools today!
The Standards Movement: How Modern Schooling Was Inspired By Factory Production
Formal education has been shaped by the demands of industry since the Industrial Revolution.
As new industries emerged with need for workers who had basic skills in areas like reading and math, governments began to offer public education in order to meet these needs.
As a result, classrooms were designed more like factories, with a focus on conformity and compliance and much less emphasis placed on cultivating individual student’s strengths, personalities and talents.
In 2000, several Western countries faced increased pressure to perform better internationally after the PISA or Program for International Student Assessment test revealed that their students weren’t achieving their desired results.
To rectify this embarrassing situation, they implemented standards-based schooling where they would outline exactly what was expected of each grade level of student each year in terms of knowledge and performance.
This meant that by ninth grade, for example all students might be asked to know basic algebra which was assessed through standardized tests nationwide.
Clearly the promotion of individual uniqueness and creativity has not been a priority; rather, modern formal education is shaped by the needs of industry at its core.
Schools Should Stop Treating Students As If They Are All The Same, Or Risk Failing A Generation Of Learners
An overly standardized education system is one where every student is taught through the same methods, regardless of their individual educational needs.
This could mean that they are all expected to learn in the same way, often by sitting in class and listening to teachers explain things.
It can also mean that all students are grouped by their age rather than their skill level.
This type of education system is highly problematic, because it fails to take into account the fact that humans cannot be standardized – everyone learns differently and not all students learn at the same level in all subjects or at the same age.
By trying to treat everyone as if they are the same, these students may become disengaged from learning and stop learning altogether.
Furthermore, an overly standardized education can discourage those with talents outside of academic areas – like athletes, singers or people with great manual dexterity – since they won’t receive recognition for those abilities within this system.
It can also leave children from underprivileged backgrounds even worse off since they may find themselves struggling to keep up with this rigid learning model.
Unfortunately, we’re beginning to see the effects of an overly standardized educational system in society today: 17% of high school graduates lack basic reading and writing skills; 21% between ages 18-24 are unable to point out where on a map the Pacific Ocean lies; and college degrees no longer guarantee job prospects.
Therefore, it’s necessary that something changes in order for our education systems to help all students reach their best potentials.
Organic Education Centers Around Four Core Principles To Foster Student Development
Organic farming is based on four principles: Health, Ecology, Fairness and Care.
But did you know that these same principles can easily apply to education?
Organic education is all about promoting the health and development of its students in a holistic way.
That means focusing not just on academic results but also on physical and emotional health as well.
It’s also about recognizing and nurturing each student’s individual gifts.
The ecological system of the school community plays a big role in this.
For example, Grange Primary School in Nottingham runs like a town.
Its students have a council, newspaper, food market – all opportunities for them to learn and practice social skills as well as work together creatively.
Additionally organic education is founded on fairness – seeing value in every student instead of privileging those with certain gifts.
And finally it’s made up of teachers and mentors who treat their students with care, providing them with an environment that fosters their growth and development.
So no matter what type of education system your school follows, these organic principles are a great place to start creating an educational environment that focuses on creativity while still emphasizing learning outcomes!
Great Teachers Foster Kids’ Natural Instinct To Learn By Leveraging Curiosity, Creativity, And Expectations
When you look at children, it’s clear that they are born with wonderful minds ready to explore and learn.Studies have proven this: Babies will grab and investigate anything they can reach while they rapidly learn languages even before the age of 2 or 3.
In 1999, Sugata Mitra demonstrated kids’ natural learning capabilities when he installed a computer in an Indian slum without any instruction or English speaking help – within an hour, these kids were playing games and recording music on the computer!
This stresses the importance of having a teacher there to guide instead of hinder their valuable learning opportunities.
Teachers need to act like gardeners, nurturing their students’ natural inclination towards growth rather than trying to force it onto them by any means necessary.
Amidst this, teachers must give due credit to the interests and talents of individual students; someone who is passionate about basketball will surely feel attached to Physics if it helps demystify how to hit a curveball!
Moreover, teachers should expect big out of their students – there is nothing more encouraging for a student than assurance from their beloved teacher.
Additionally teaching methods should vary based on different kinds of learners – some need lectures while others need visual demonstrations like in sports.
Lastly, self confidence among pupils needs to be developed by providing them with creative solutions which enable them to tackle challenging and uncertain circumstances.
All in all, children have tremendous potential regarding learning and as educators it is our duty to guide them accordingly so that they become better individuals each day!
The 8 Cs Of Education: Teaching Kids The Right Skills To Prepare Them For An Uncertain Future
When it comes to our kids’ education, it is important that we ensure they are equipped with not only knowledge and facts but also competencies.
This will provide them with the proper tools they need to succeed in navigating the ever-changing reality of tomorrow.
Rather than learning a long list of subjects such as French or algebra, schools should focus on helping kids become proficient in eight core competencies: curiosity, creativity, criticism – plus five others.
First off, by cultivating a sense of curiosity and inquisitiveness in children’s minds, schools can help their natural interest develop and grow.
This will encourage them to “look out” at the world they inhabit and notice what’s going on around them.
The second competency is that of creativity.
After all, it has been an integral part of any new cultural progress – be it writing or internet technology – so it stands to reason that this skill remains paramount for the students of today have to face future problems which require creative solutions!
How To Use Education To Prepare Students For Life: Focus On Communication, Collaboration, Compassion And Citizenship
For students to succeed, they must possess certain competencies- not just academic knowledge.
At Grange Primary School and other schools, five competencies are especially important in helping students become better team members and citizens.
First is the ability to communicate well – this goes beyond just writing skills and encompasses the ability to convey information through art and music, as well as speaking confidently in public.
Beyond that is the ability to collaborate rather than competing; in good schools, group projects help ensure students learn how to organize, compromise, and resolve conflicts with others.
Compassion is another crucial skill, enabling students to understand the feelings of others so that no one would be tempted to bully or hurt one another.
Composure is also essential for young people – mediation and mindfulness practices help foster inner balance by teaching them to connect with their emotions.
How Policymakers And Principals Can Work Together To Transform Education
When it comes to improving our schools, everyone can be part of the solution.
School principals have a major role to play, as they can create a shared vision and encourage the school community to come together in search of new ways to make improvements.
For example, Richard Gerver turned his school into “Grangeton” and introduced real-world activities for students to learn from.
Of course, policymakers also have an important role in transforming education.
To truly make an impact, politicians must be willing to collaborate with schools and communities and provide necessary resources as well as freedom for each school to develop itself.
An excellent example of this kind of collaboration is the recent success story of South Carolina, where a group of educators asked the state board of education for help in 2012.
After consulting with teachers, parents and city officials on how they wanted their schools to change, a list of ways was agreed upon and put into action across the state.
At every level – from principals all the way up through policymakers – everyone has something valuable to contribute when it comes to making our schools better.
Wrap Up
The overall key takeaway from Creative Schools, by Sir Ken Robinson, is that conventional education isn’t working.
It’s all about maximum efficiency and not taking into account the fact that everyone learns differently.
We need to build an education system which caters to each person’s individual needs and encourages their natural curiosity and skills.
To best facilitate this learning process, Sir Ken proposes delegating teaching tasks to someone who has only recently mastered it – or in other words, getting students to learn from each other.
By using this tactic, we can ensure that pupils both learn the skill they desire but also understand the associated difficulties with the task better.
