Do schools kill creativity?

A few weeks ago, I listened to the recording of a webinar presented by Ken Robinson PhD. He talked about his book The element-how finding your passion changes everything and how his ideas can be applied in schools as well as in society in general. The first point that he discussed was “Do schools kill creativity?” Mr. Robinson explained that education should set up conditions to help students to find their passions. In order to do so, teachers should focus on individual needs, care about students’ feelings, respect their talents, work on strategies development and get students to gain self-confidence. Ken Robinson also mentions the importance of drama and teamwork in the development of students’ creativity. The second point discussed was “Are people afraid of passions?” Ken Robinson says that people are afraid of passions because it requires engagement. He also adds that the problem in today’s society is that people are disconnected spiritually because they do not do what they want. Thus, they should explore their passions to feel spiritually energized.

I really enjoyed this webinar and I agree with Mr. Robinson when he mentions: “Technology and economy are changing so fast. The only place where we can invest is in ourselves.” As a future teacher, I have to help students to discover what their passions are as well as to make sure that students do no judge other’s passions. I realize that sometimes teachers focus too much on the theory they have to teach instead of focusing on students’ needs. It is important to make sure that the classroom environment provides place for diversity and that students respect each other. A good way to do so is to create a LES about passions or even to implement drama in the ESL classroom.