Next week (Nov. 15-17) the Creativity World Forum is coming to Oklahoma City. This is a unique opportunity for all of us to hear from the leading experts in their fields concerning the state of creativity in education and business. Speakers such as Sir Ken Robinson and Daniel Pink will discuss the need and importance of creativity in our daily lives. In education, preparing tomorrow’s leaders surely needs to focus on creativity more and more and standardized testing and rote memorization less and less.
Sir Ken Robinson asks an important question: “Are schools designed to kill creativity?” Regardless of your feeling on this issue is it not amazing that we even have to ask the question?
Tackling this issue involves analysis of traditional teaching methods, assessments and models. We must look inward as educators and ask tough questions of ourselves as we assess the priorities we have for 21st Century education. My hope is that the Creativity World Forum may help spark further conversations as we continue to move Casady into the 21st Century. In the mean time, I did a chapel talk yesterday and worked some creativity into the mix. Here’s how it went down:
I asked my beautiful wife, Betsy, to attend chapel yesterday with our 3.5 year old son, Xavier. I explained to the students and faculty that my talk would focus on our theme for the year, story, but also incorporate some creativity. One of my favorite moments of my day is when I have the opportunity to cuddle with Xavier in bed and tell him stories that I make up on the spot as he drifts off to sleep. Sometimes I make them funny (or at least I think they’re funny) and sometimes there is a lesson that I hope he absorbs but always…..the stories are original, silly and creative.
At chapel yesterday I asked my advisory group to join me on stage. They had some advance warning and even a little practice so they knew what was coming. We asked Xavier if he wanted us to tell him a story. He got to choose the topic (motorbikes) and then one by one, each of my advisees added to the creative story until the motorbike had come alive, gotten into Xavier’s bedroom, taken him to a candy store, stopped at a park and then returned Xavier to his house. It was a silly story and made no sense but the students were creative and entertaining and the scared little boy in the front row warmed up quickly and was asking for more by the end of the five minute story.
One of my favorite aspects of the exercise on stage yesterday was that it was unpredictable. The students had to think on their feet and present their creative ideas in a forum in front of their peers. One of the key messages I wanted students and faculty to take away from the chapel talk yesterday was that they are encouraged to find avenues to express their creativity. Maybe it’s in class, on stage, in athletics or at the debate tournament. Or maybe their expression of creativity will be in a forum unknown to us - it doesn’t matter. We also discussed how it is sometimes difficult and scary to step out and be creative in front of your peers but that the more we all do it the more accepted it becomes. If I can help encourage one or two students or faculty members to express themselves creativity in a safe and supportive environment I consider my time well spent.
The only down side to my chapel talk? I had a tough time topping that day’s story when I curled up in bed with Xavier last night….and he reminded me of that fact!
Peter,
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
I missed your chapel but I heard many kids talking about it.
It reinforced a couple things. 1) Your exercise involved a small community of people. You didn't just speak to the kids. You invited students to participate and play. That is something that brought the audience to the edge of their seat. And it reminds us that creativity wasn't meant to be done in isolation. Creativity was created for community.
2) Your storied exercise may have been silly and lacking of substance, but I'll bet that the kids remember your chapel exercise for a long time. Creativity has a mysterious stickiness built into it. Still to this day I can't remember one lecture from my English teachers in high school, but I remember having to write in response to a George Winston piece of music entitled, "November". And I also remember having to take the Ghost scene in Hamlet and re-write that scene in contemporary language, as well as perform it. For whatever reason, those two exercises more than any other stick with me. And both were creative in content.