In Sir Ken Robinson's Ted Talk "Does School Kill Creativity?" he argues that creativity is as important as literacy. He raises some very interesting points about kids being frightened of being wrong, and frightened out of being creative because it is not acknowledged as one of the top tier subjects in the school hierarchy. Those being at the top, math and science, followed by the humanities, and then arts being at the bottom. He argues that dance should be as important as dance and its not considered that way because we condition our kids for jobs after school and kids are liklwy not going to be dancers or musicians. He ends his talk arguing that we need to rethink the principles that we teach our children in school.
Being an educator of the humanities, I agree with Robinson. I think that too much emphasis is being put on students to excel in math and science because that is where they are going to make the most money if they pursue those subjects in college. According to Stacy Boyd, since 2008, more than 80 percent of school districts funds have been cut, and the very first programs to go are often the arts since there is so much focus on those top tier subjects (2014). While this statistic is in no way shocking, it is sad that it is a reality. It is also sad that as an educator I witness in different schools how much importance is placed on math and science while the arts is often overlooked.
References:
Boyd, Stacey. (2014). Extracurriculars are essential to learning. US News. Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2014/04/28/music-art-and-language-programs-in-schools-have-long-lasting-benefits
Ted. (2007). Does School Kill Creativity? Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY
Hi, Catherine. It’s refreshing to hear a new teacher’s perspective on the diminishment of Arts education, especially from a teacher who might not teach the Arts but appreciates their value. Boyd’s point that 80% of schools have seen a loss in funding is startling and wonderfully illustrates Sir Ken Robinson’s position. Great job. I’d love to see more media used to support your points of view and another example from Boyd would make an interesting post that much more dynamic.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that there is an overemphasis on science and math. If school administration looked at what type of person is becoming successful in this current climate, they would find out that it is "creatives". People who are creating apps, new technology, creating content online, marketing all depend on their creativity first and on their functional intelligence second. There is a need to keep fostering creativity throughout all levels of education.
ReplyDeleteI do not like critiquing other people's work but since that is our assignment:
I think you could have written more about yourself and how you foster your own creativity. Maybe post a helpful video about how arts help students outside of the classroom. The font could have been bigger.
You chose a very interesting topic to discuss and you do a good job of summarizing the video and bringing in another source, but we do not get much of your own thoughts/personal experience with this topic. It would have been great to read more about your own thoughts and experiences. Lastly, there are a couple of typos in the text that distract from the overall meaning and message and I agree with previous comments that the font size could have been enlarged.
ReplyDeleteCatherine, I think the point Robinson is making about the importance the creativity and creative expression is spot on. Even despite being a mathematics teacher, I do believe we often focus too much of our energy on these subjects, but it is how schools get funding so the emphasis will not go away from these subjects until there is a shift there. As Eric and Juan stated, the small font size made the post a little difficult to read. However, overall I enjoyed reading your post and watching the video you selected.
ReplyDeleteThe topic you've picked is very interesting, and you've done a great job supporting your points.
ReplyDelete