Do Schools Kill Creativity? It's a strong possibility.

In talking about killing creativity, Sir Ken Robinson makes a very interesting point. When he talks about the story of Gillian Lynne who choreographed Cats and other famous works; he mentions that ADHD was not an “available condition” at the time. I think it’s funny that he mentions this because in education today when talking about creativity and advancement, universities and general education schools all seem to be catering to make everybody equal. If there is a lack of focus then some “condition” like ADHD is the diagnosis; rather than finding what areas people actually excel at. In some senses you could say this is punishment because people are telling us what we have to be good, and are reprimanding us for being interested in other areas. Doing this is killing creativity. The quote by Picasso that Robinson recites “all children are born artists, the problem is to remain an artist as we grow up”; is a great reflection of the sense that originality comes from trial and error. However, as we age we come to have a fear of error. I see it in lecture halls, in study groups, and in general events when people do not participate because they are afraid to be wrong and ridiculed by their peers. Therefore, this could be a cause or relative to what Sir Ken Robinson is talking about when he says that schools are killing creativity.


http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html