Education Kills Imagination and Creativity
By SinfulRose
@SinfulRose (3527)
Davao, Philippines
February 21, 2012 12:02pm CST
This debate title has already been a topic of heated exchange for quite a while both online and offline already. (MyLot not included...I think). And in my opinion, it is still a good topic discussion to start here.
While education is important--to pass the previous generation's knowledge to the younger ones--there are some people that find the process of "education" as negative--as it molds fresh young minds to think and know things similar to the previous generation.
Parents send their children to school at a very young age with a lot of potential only to undergo the process of molding their minds, creativity, thinking and imagination to the design of the adults. The process of education starts here.
There are people who said that due to the lack of imagination and creativity, the students who finished their education end up going under one path taken by the previous honor and non-honor students: employment-- if they are not sons/daughters of company/business owners. And most of these employed "workers", remained employed until their retirement age mostly because they lack the imagination/creativity that would offer them more options during their life while still employed that could have lead them to a more abundant life and greater future.
What are your opinions, my fellow MyLot users? What do you think of your current education system? I admit that I still see our current education system as important to maintain our current civilization from collapsing; to keep it running to a certain extent as long as the gap between the rich and the poor are not too big...
But I also took notice that it is not enough anymore to ensure a happy future and sure survival. I also took notice that my current educational background is still not enough to open up other options that can change my life if ever come a time I make life changing decisions...
Do you agree with the title? Why or why not? You are open to share your thoughts/ideas and I would love to read them all.
7 responses
@krajibg (11922)
• Guwahati, India
21 Feb 12
Hi rose,
Education does not kill the imagination not creativity. This is the system or say curriculum that is responsible if this is the case. Every prents want their children to top the chart and for that governess or home tutor for almost all subject is on the card.
The tutor prepares notes and the students simply cram them and puke them on the answer sheet in the examinations. Now tel me where and how would they develop imagination and creativity.
The same same is the case in the tertiary level. But in our times this was not there and we have ample of imagination and creativity. If you believe I passed my metric without cramming a line from book or note book. What I wrote was from the understating that I had developed. Blame the system not the education.
@SinfulRose (3527)
• Davao, Philippines
21 Feb 12
That's nice to know that you passed by understanding your lessons. I salute ya.
I never can do that even in my chosen course...well it's a course chosen under a 24 hour period and far from the original goal but it serves it's purpose...
From what I've read, the education in a way "kills" creativity or imagination by limiting student's minds under rules or principles of the "adults"...An example: let's go to the subject of art: It can be a form of a song, dance or drawing...but let's go to drawing...Let's say a kid gets the urge to draw, but he has to pay attention to the teacher(because it is a rule), the kid would be torn between his urge and the rule. The question is, which would he choose? As a kid he would choose to draw, and once found out that he's not paying attention, he would be punished...(Sadly, this kind of thing happened to my brother and I can say, I really didn't like it. We are a family that loves drawing from young til grown...we can just memorize the lessons later XP our passion is through drawing through and through...) So the kid would think that unleashing his creativity would be bad--as kids understand bad as something painful like punishment.
I hope this is not the case with others.
I never can do that even in my chosen course...well it's a course chosen under a 24 hour period and far from the original goal but it serves it's purpose...
From what I've read, the education in a way "kills" creativity or imagination by limiting student's minds under rules or principles of the "adults"...An example: let's go to the subject of art: It can be a form of a song, dance or drawing...but let's go to drawing...Let's say a kid gets the urge to draw, but he has to pay attention to the teacher(because it is a rule), the kid would be torn between his urge and the rule. The question is, which would he choose? As a kid he would choose to draw, and once found out that he's not paying attention, he would be punished...(Sadly, this kind of thing happened to my brother and I can say, I really didn't like it. We are a family that loves drawing from young til grown...we can just memorize the lessons later XP our passion is through drawing through and through...) So the kid would think that unleashing his creativity would be bad--as kids understand bad as something painful like punishment.
I hope this is not the case with others.@krajibg (11922)
• Guwahati, India
22 Feb 12
You are absolutely right rose. A child today is torn between its own urge for creation and the rules of school teachers. Say my son, who is about to be 10 years old and is in fifth standard. He is not good in the traditional drawing like the perfection of a chair or a papaya but his urge is tilted towards creation of something concrete and we have not stopped him. I am uploading one of his creations here and from this you can judge how our education is killing creativity and imagination of our children.
@SinfulRose (3527)
• Davao, Philippines
25 Feb 12
Is that a bat? Not bad, even I can't create something from drawing to paper dolls or dolls that didn't come with a yarn and polyester fiber fill(did I spell it right?). I tried with paper and other materials I can get my hands on before...really, I fail at my doll cat.
I have a five year old brother that my father wants to go to school. But whenever he's there, he ends up wandering around either the classroom or the school ground itself(which is scary because the school is very big). When he says he doesn't want to go to school, my mom won't let him go--to my father's big disappointment.
I also noticed one thing about him that is quite unique to others but something my family loves to do-- drawing and coloring. Sadly, the papers he uses to draw on are too big for my printer and I don't have a camera to take a picture. He has his own style, I'd say. I admit, once, I wanted to teach him my way of drawing but I thought that it won't be necessary. He can grow quickly on the rule: there are no rules in art. He can learn best on his own and on his own time. My mother believes this too, so we let him go wild with his skills and imagination even though our room would become too messy because of this antics.
(If it's a mess, it's a mess and it ain't easy to fix). He sees our floor and walls as his BIG drawing board just because they are white.
(If it's a mess, it's a mess and it ain't easy to fix). He sees our floor and walls as his BIG drawing board just because they are white.
@muhammad_adyan (47)
• Pakistan
24 Feb 12
education and developing a better understanding of exactly what students want to do with their professional lives, I wanted to share a few thoughts. i did a science undergrad, essentially because i was told i have to attend university, and i really will not use my degree directly as i move forward in my career. Although, looking because there were many you take and the assignments you complete; its all about the problems you have been faced with, in most cases the formula is the same. however dedicated to understanding exactly where a student's interest lies.
@SinfulRose (3527)
• Davao, Philippines
25 Feb 12
Really?! Thanks for sharing your point of view. I am the type of person who is very obedient at first but tries to break lose when the contract is already finished. I don't like staying on one place for too long so I am very unpredictable and complex to the point I wish to know a little bit of everything and when I've reached my goal, I want out.
Let me share my own experience:
I am currently taking this course under the impression that I'll learn more in animation than what I've already learned before. Turned out, when I stepped on the level where we are about to learn the subject, it was no different from what I've already learned and the school/teachers made me focus on photo manipulation or vector imaging--which is not my real objective AND which disappointed me to no end. Now, I want out but can't because of certain problems in terms of "I still haven't got my diploma" and that I still have 1 more year to go to finish. I am getting bored to the point where going to my school becomes too much of a stress that right now I'm at home getting sick every other day-- it's also because of asthma and allergic reactions.
Now that I think about it, while at home(when without classes), I am learning how to earn myself money. In my learning, I understood that I have no need much of my degree course if I have the proper skills already to know how to work in the society. (Believe me when I say my skills are taken and developed through studying online. It's easier to study computers online than in school for me due to it's vast amount of information.) And that what I need to learn most in order to survive if my parents won't support me anymore is just financial literacy.
I am not one of those students who are dedicated to their course. I am dedicated to my interests that is far from my chosen course and in learning more. But not so dedicated that I would stay too long than necessary in one place depending on my judgement.
@peavey (16936)
• United States
21 Feb 12
I don't think education in itself is confining, but the way an education is presented, definitely can be. Homeschoolers can often attest to this. A public education is a "one size fits all" solution, while homeschooling can be much more creative and free form.
We need to learn, but the method of learning can help or hinder us.
@SinfulRose (3527)
• Davao, Philippines
21 Feb 12
I somewhat agree with you peavey...the true value of education depends on how the passing of knowledge is delivered to the future generation.
@kiran8 (15348)
• Mangalore, India
22 Feb 12
Hi Rose,there may be many loopholes in the educational system but that still does not mean that Education kills Imagination and Creativity.
Education is enlightenment and it also disciplines an individual so that he/she is able to lead a better quality of life.Children need to be molded and the aim of education is to make them responsible citizens of the country and capable of standing on their own feet...Once a person grows up he/she is able to understand things better and make independent judgement , here education is a boon since it guides a person rather than become a hindrance...
@SinfulRose (3527)
• Davao, Philippines
25 Feb 12
Yes, education is supposed to be an enlightenment for the willing followers of the discipline. But the current education system is not an enlightenment if five seconds after the bell announces the end of class, the students have forgotten the lessons already.
Indeed, the purpose of educating each person in the country is to provide the country it's human resource in workforce/tax payers; and education does not teach how to survive in the society once the student is out into the world. It is also true that each person who is faced with this fresh challenges should be strong enough and responsible enough to fend for himself and have the ability to solve problems, use his imagination and creativity in order to survive. An example is: not depending on his salary to live; try to reach his goals like being a CEO of his own company or get a very early retirement despite being broke at the current moment because he can think of ways how to gain abundance in his life despite the seemingly lack of resources he has for the moment.--And these are made using his imagination and creativity, not taught in school. Problem solving comes in solving the current problem he has step by step until he reaches his goal.
@henkiprananda (2729)
• Indonesia
22 Feb 12
i agree with you.
actually, education is important for us. but the system, make us can's use our imagination. too many education on our head, we can't choose by ourself. and some of we learn even not useful for ourself.
@craziestqueenever (1819)
• Philippines
21 Feb 12
Who says that "Education kills Imagination and Creativity"? I barely disagree with the title. Education doesn't kill ones imagination and creativity. It is the people around us who kills our Imagination and Creativity. If ones imagination and creativity is developed, then Education is better. If Education, Imagination and Creativity is intertwined then a student will be successful with the career he chose.
@SinfulRose (3527)
• Davao, Philippines
21 Feb 12
You can see the debate in Ken Robinson's site in www.ted.com. Actually it's entitled "Schools kills Creativity"
I hope your opinion is correct, craziestqueenever. If correct education, imagination and creativity is used together, a very rich and successful being would come to exist. I also hope you are one of those people who are able to intertwined these three human skills...
@jeanneyvonne (5501)
• Philippines
22 Feb 12
I'd like to respond on a point by point basis
1. Education kills imagination or creativity. Emaciation for me is a systematic approach to teaching and learning. By being systematic, some of the delivery of some teachers are dull, boring even incompetent. but I don't agree on broad scope. some educators try to be innovative and creative because some students don't have the same level of understanding or comprehension. An educator should know because education is considered as a tool to not just for learning, it's also a way of evening the playing field (in an ideal situation). Perhaps the reason why you think it kills creativity and imagination is because most of the time, deductive method is used (where the teacher has more role) rather than inductive method (where the student have more role).
2. I'm not a fan of the current educational system but it's hard to perform reform because too many complaints and sometimes, close-mindedness of the people concerned.
3. Regarding happy future and survival, not everything should be hinged on academic education. Some jobs require skill, not just academic theories and approaches. You don't need to have a a four year course and have it wasted because some companies/industries won't hire you. Play with strengths rather than weaknesses. Or better yet, build a business and foster the entrepreneurial spirit.
