I found this great post by Eduflack on creativity. According to the brief bio on this blog (I read it regularly–good stuff!), Eduflack is written by Patrick Riccards. After cutting his teeth as a Capitol Hill staffer, Patrick has spent the past decade advising government entities, non-profits, membership organizations, and companies on effective education marketing and communications
Here’s the key point:
….the focus on including creativity in K-12 instruction is an important one for one central reason. It demonstrates that the recent push to link high school education to meaningful careers has taken hold. We no longer have to convince the American people that a high school diploma and postsecondary education are essential components to a successful career. We now know they are non-negotiables.
Instead, we now get to focus the discussion on what constitutes a high-quality secondary education. Whether it be STEM education, rigorous and relevant instruction, classic liberal arts, or creativity 101, the talk is on what skills can be taught now to take advantage of opportunities tomorrow. We’re not convincing people of why, but rather leading them down the path of how.
Exactly.
And though Eduflack expresses a bit of surprise about the idea that creativity might be a key element to consider in education and work (Patrick! Read Dan Pink’s “A Whole New Mind” or Richard Florida’s blog), it’s clear that he recognizes the shift toward teaching our children how to integrate what they are learning in order to thrive in the 21st century.
It’s the skills, baby. It’s all about being able to put things together. The world is not compartmentalized, and it’s becoming more and more apparent that the education we offer must prepare our students for an increasingly complex job market.
When we’re afraid of the future, we latch onto a particular job or career and hang on for dear life. When we’re fearless and creative, we keep our eyes wide open, watch the changes going on all around us, and make sense of them in new and ultimately advantageous ways.
THAT’S the kind of education we must provide.
How? By showing our kids how to become savvy free agents so that they become adept at creating their place in the world without relying on a sure-bet major, a brand-name university, a red-hot company, or a global trend. Free agents are skilled, creative and free to go anywhere in order to do their best work in the place and way they find most fulfilling.
(Psst. That’s what my book is about!)
Creativity DOES matter. There are ways to teach it, develop it, and blast forward to entirely new levels.
Let’s get started.
