I was recently looking through some older issues of Educational Leadership. I came across an issue that caught my eye (September 2009). The cover of the monthly publication by the ASCD was titled “Teaching for the 21st Century”. I found myself reading through many of the articles but one article in particular caught my eye. The article titled: Why Creativity Now? A conversation with Sir Ken Robinson really drew me in. Robinson supports creativity as an essential 21st century skill, one that needs to be used in tandem with critical thinking. He states that “genuine creative processe involves critical thinking as well as imaginative insights and fresh ideas” (Robinson 2005). He adds that creativity needs to be more than just new ideas. It must include evaluation which is of course the highest level of critical thinking.
When asked if creativity is especially important now Robinson explains that in a world whose size has doubled in the past 30 years we are desperate to find creative approaches to manage the strain on the world’s natural resources. Add to that, the fact that we’re living in times of massive unpredictability. No one can guess what new job skills will be required for the future workplace. It is essential that we produce students who can be innovative, who can think differently.
Another point that was made is that most original thinking comes through collaboration and through stimulation of other people’s ideas. It is critical that our students today have opportunities for collaboration and experiencethe diversity of ideas and also the exchange of ideas with their counterparts across the globe. These virtual counterparts are the workplace companions of the world they will be part of. The sooner they can acclimate to wide range of viewpoints and appreciate and benefit from these diverse viewpoints the better they will assimilate into the 21st century workplace.
In closing, Robinson urges educators to teach for creativity and not simply to teach creatively. In teaching for creativity we encourage students to experiment, innovate and find the answers by giving them the tools and allowing them to explore new avenues. He also cautions us to include the reflection time. Let them think about whether their new ideas are more effective than existing ideas. This is a powerful part of pedagogy.
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I totally agree! I remember, when learning about the theories of human development in graduate school someone (by that I mean a scholarly psychologist who I can't remember - maybe Jung, Erikson, or Kohlberg. Please, if you know what I am talking about let me know whose theory I will now try to describe!!) added a stage that stated that the highest form of intelligence could never be reached by an individual. He/she believed this because the collaboration of a group of people (assumed to be at the top stage of their intellectual development)could reach heights, through discussion, debate and differing viewpoints, that no one single person could reach on their own. He/she also included the amount of generated creativity, along with intelligence, helps to bring the group to this advanced stage. We, as teachers, see this often as we allow students to work in groups. The ideas that get bounced around, the debates that ensue, always lead to a higher level of thinking and understanding. Go group-think!
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