Defying the Education System Through Creativity

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Abstract

of education in the system.</p><p id="d006">There are successful models of education that promote creativity that include project-based learning, Montessori schools, and Waldorf schools, just to name a few. They empower students to pursue knowledge in ways that are applicable and practical to their lives. The focus is on the process and not the product.</p><p id="9c6d">There is no one right answer for all students — they create their own answers. Unfortunately, not every child has the opportunity to attend these schools, meaning that they must the endure the limiting expectations the school system imposes on students and teachers.</p><blockquote id="c9c4"><p>“To assist a child is to provide [them] with an environment that will enable [them] to develop freely.” ~Maria Montessori</p></blockquote><p id="1b15">Incorporating creativity into curriculum doesn’t have to be difficult or mean that other content must be sacrificed. <a href="https://readmedium.com/easily-incorporate-creativity-into-your-curriculum-e81d5c97b6f6">It can be done.</a> It should be done, and not just in defiance of the current stifling conditions. It should be the norm — the expectation.</p><h1 id="f4b9">Convergent and Divergent Thinking</h1><p id="432e">The current system focuses on convergent thinking — deciding on the best answer. A lifetime of being judged by our abilities to find the one desired answer has engrained in us the belief that every problem only has one correct answer. This couldn’t be more wrong.</p><p id="1488">It’s only one half of the problem-solving process. It ignores the crucial aspect of being creative — divergent thinking. Divergent thinking is the foundation of creative thinking and involves generating many potential solutions to a problem.</p

Options

<p id="744a">In a system that focuses on students’ convergent thinking skills, imagine how teaching the opposite could improve their critical thinking skills. It begins with teaching <a href="https://readmedium.com/divergent-thinking-and-its-4-guidelines-b3f074527b7e">divergent thinking</a>. While they are opposite each other, they work together in problem solving. Convergent thinking is part of creativity, but we can’t just focus on one half of the process, no matter what the education system demands of us.</p><blockquote id="1854"><p>“If you can’t make a mistake, you can’t make anything.” ~<a href="https://www.azquotes.com/author/19906-Marva_Collins"><b>Marva Collins</b></a></p></blockquote><p id="f431">Incorporating divergent thinking into curriculum is just one simple way to rebel against the expected conformity of the school system. There are other methods of incorporating creativity such as using design thinking in the <a href="https://readmedium.com/understanding-and-normalizing-the-creative-process-3b226f297551">learning process</a>. None of this has to take away from our abilities to meet the system’s expectations. It can be added to current lessons to enhance learning experiences.</p><h1 id="90a5">Rise Up</h1><p id="5b0d">Creativity is rebellion against the system. It’s the opposite of replication. Rote memorization and standardized learning are meant to determine the worth of students’ abilities to conform to one way of learning. Being creative involves learners understanding the material while being able to apply it in original ways that highlight their individual capabilities. We must rebel against the current system if we truly wish to prepare our students for the real world, and creativity is the way.</p></article></body>

Join the resistance.

“Education either functions as an instrument which is used to facilitate integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom, the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world.” Paulo Freire

The aim of the education system is to mass-produce students who can memorize arbitrary facts that are void of context.

The United States’ education system is like McDonald’s. Billions have been served and fed and with significant consequences for their health. Education is a human right and what and how we teach affects people’s lives. Of course, it’s wonderful that we offer such opportunities, but why must we accept the current mediocre, if not subpar, system? We shouldn’t, and we can fight back with creativity.

Education in the United States focuses on replication and conformity. Creativity focuses on discovering new and useful ideas. These two are not either-or., where education is either replication or creation. Education can be (and some models are) creative. Unfortunately, it’s nearly impossible to find creative models of education in the system.

There are successful models of education that promote creativity that include project-based learning, Montessori schools, and Waldorf schools, just to name a few. They empower students to pursue knowledge in ways that are applicable and practical to their lives. The focus is on the process and not the product.

There is no one right answer for all students — they create their own answers. Unfortunately, not every child has the opportunity to attend these schools, meaning that they must the endure the limiting expectations the school system imposes on students and teachers.

“To assist a child is to provide [them] with an environment that will enable [them] to develop freely.” ~Maria Montessori

Incorporating creativity into curriculum doesn’t have to be difficult or mean that other content must be sacrificed. It can be done. It should be done, and not just in defiance of the current stifling conditions. It should be the norm — the expectation.

Convergent and Divergent Thinking

The current system focuses on convergent thinking — deciding on the best answer. A lifetime of being judged by our abilities to find the one desired answer has engrained in us the belief that every problem only has one correct answer. This couldn’t be more wrong.

It’s only one half of the problem-solving process. It ignores the crucial aspect of being creative — divergent thinking. Divergent thinking is the foundation of creative thinking and involves generating many potential solutions to a problem.

In a system that focuses on students’ convergent thinking skills, imagine how teaching the opposite could improve their critical thinking skills. It begins with teaching divergent thinking. While they are opposite each other, they work together in problem solving. Convergent thinking is part of creativity, but we can’t just focus on one half of the process, no matter what the education system demands of us.

“If you can’t make a mistake, you can’t make anything.” ~Marva Collins

Incorporating divergent thinking into curriculum is just one simple way to rebel against the expected conformity of the school system. There are other methods of incorporating creativity such as using design thinking in the learning process. None of this has to take away from our abilities to meet the system’s expectations. It can be added to current lessons to enhance learning experiences.

Rise Up

Creativity is rebellion against the system. It’s the opposite of replication. Rote memorization and standardized learning are meant to determine the worth of students’ abilities to conform to one way of learning. Being creative involves learners understanding the material while being able to apply it in original ways that highlight their individual capabilities. We must rebel against the current system if we truly wish to prepare our students for the real world, and creativity is the way.