Creativity in Children, According to Ken Robinson
Fostering and letting innovative ideas flow during childhood helps children reach their goals. According to Ken Robinson, this is the foundation of creativity in children.
Creativity and inventiveness in education
Robinson emphasizes that knowledge of creativity and inventiveness is often closely linked to education. Ken Robinson is an educator, writer, and highly recognized international speaker. In 2003, he was made Knight Bachelor by the Queen of England.
Sir Ken Robinson believes that individuals who develop their creativity tend to find appropriate solutions to adverse situations.
Creativity makes them experts at improvisation and good management of day-to-day experiences. According to this expert, this skill should be fostered both at school, at home, at work, and in life in general.
Creativity at school
There are techniques to boost creativity at school. Group ideas, lateral thinking, mind maps, concept maps, selection, classification and quantification of opinions, and Ishikawa diagrams are great options.
A practice that should begin at home
Robinson says that children learn creativity just like they learn how to read. This skill should begin at home, and parents and family members should foster it in their children, as it’ll yield interesting results. It’s a talent and a skill that helps children develop intelligence.
Letting innovative ideas flow during childhood is the foundation on which creativity is built, according to Ken Robinson.
Creativity in life
Creativity is an important skill that children should learn. Ken Robinson believes that creative children have the ability to change their environment. At the end of the day, this makes them happier people.
Those who develop this skill optimally tend to become self-confident individuals who are able to nurture their spirit with assertiveness in every step they take.
How to foster creativity in children without stifling it
Ken Robinson is in favor of an educational system that fosters creativity rather than stifles it. Society must be aware that this mental process is important for both education and students. Not being scared of making mistakes helps children dare to seek answers.
This expert believes that, from the moment educational systems were created, educational rules were imposed. According to him, these rules limit and restrict children, even throughout their entire lives.
Mathematics and the arts
Robinson states that a lack of a true talent hierarchy forces education to perpetuate traditional models. These models impose mathematics and put arts on the back burner, as they’re considered more suitable for free time.
In addition, education aims to replicate a model that prioritizes the world’s needs and ignores people’s needs. To him, educational development puts creativity and the arts on the back burner, to the point of stigmatizing them.
One criticism states that institutions dedicated to the arts don’t schedule enough dance or drawing class hours. Subjects such as mathematics are allotted more class hours.
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- Azzam, A. M. (2009). Why creativity now? A conversation with Sir Ken Robinson. Educational Leadership, 67(1), 22-26. https://blogs.sch.gr/mariamoschou/files/2012/02/Sir-Ken-Robinson-Why-Creativity-Now.pdf
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