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The Creativity Myth-What's Really Wrong with our Schools

Jim Correll, director Fab Lab ICC at Independence Community College, Independence Kansas 

In David and Tom Kelley’s book “Creative Confidence” they talk about the “creativity myth,” the idea that equates “creative” with “artistic.” I run into the myth when I talk about building creative confidence in our Fab Lab ICC students and members as they learn to make new things, many times while solving a problem for themselves or others. Someone once said “Most of us will never be able to paint a picture.” That’s not the kind of creativity we’re talking about here. As the Kelley brothers say in the book “creative confidence is about believing in your ability to create change in the world around you.” In our schools, we should be putting as much energy into building creative confidence in our students as we are putting into the basics; communication, math, science and the arts. 

This is not a critique of any school system nor is it a critique of the many great and dedicated teachers and administrators. They are all working within an educational system that was created in the early 20th century in collaboration between industry and the Ivy League schools.  The whole system was designed to support industry and provide workers to maximize production.  There was provision for some of the educated to excel, but for the rank and file production workers, the goal of K – 12 education was to make them literate enough to work in the factories for a decent wage and be happy with repetitive work. Meanwhile, the concept of specialization developed in higher education. Pick a discipline in which you’d like to work the rest of your life; one thing. Don’t worry about diversifying your education; you’ll be able to easily get plumbers, electricians and general contractors to come to your house when you need them. No need to learn any of that practical stuff. Coming not long after the destruction of the Civil War, and later the economic boom after the Great Depression and World War II, the system worked pretty well for several decadesIn the 1980’s, things began to change with the advent of the Internet and the fall of the Soviet Union.   

The education system began to show signs of ineffectiveness. Other people around the world were, and still are, willing to do repetitive work for much less money and the clamor to move production overseas has been taking place for years. The rank and file students coming through our school system today don’t want to do repetitive work and they do not feel like they have the power to “change the world around them.” Education thought leader Sir Ken Robinson explores this idea in his riveting 2006 TED Talk asking “Do Schools Kill Creativity?” At about 12 million views, it remains one of the most watch TED Talks ever. (Search for it on YouTube.) 

On the specialization side of education where we were encouraged to pick one thing, we see today that nearly 50% of those graduating from college can’t get a job in that “one thing.” The problem with the “one thing” theory is that today’s “one thing” discipline will be obsolete tomorrow. We really are not very good at predicting what tomorrow’s new, hot “one thing” will be. 

The situation of our educational system is complex and can’t be painted with a broad brush. However, people are not going to be willing to come back to school every couple of years, paying a bunch of money to learn the next “one thing” that will be obsolete in an ever-shortening time frameA huge part of the answer has to be showing our students how to learn on their own so they can successfully respond to the changes and disruption they will continue to see in their world. Experiential education through project based learning in Fab Labs and maker spaces in all schools will need to become a substantial part of the solution. 

Jim Correll is the director of Fab Lab ICC at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship on the campus of Independence Community College. He can be reached at (620) 252-5349 or by email at jcorrell@indycc.edu. Archive columns and podcasts at www.fablabicc.org


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