Brain and Education Web Paper 1

9/26/10

There is an abundance of things that can be said about the current state of education in the world. One area, however, has gathered a significant amount of interest - the area of creativity. Both the U.S and the U.K are re-evaluating their current systems of education to inculcate this very important factor. It is widely accepted that creativity is imperative for change and for progression. Just identifying this, however, is not enough. It leads to a plethora of questions that must be answered to decide what exactly should be changed in the system of education and how it should be done. The first step, then, is to define education and creativity.

Bennett Smith

Brain, Education, and Inquiry -- Grobstein

Web Paper #1

       It is easy to ridicule America’s education system. At this point it is unquestionable that creativity is being stifled on a national level, and that institutions ought to be more cognizant about the diverse ways in which their students learn. My own ability to be critical of the education that I have is contingent upon having had one. Once the achievement gap is closed, I welcome any and all criticisms of our system’s nuances, how we handle ingenuity, or the way classroom discussions are held. The first step is getting everyone in schools and graduating with the proficiency to exist competitively with one another in the “real” world.

The educational system mirrors the food/nutrition pyramid. This pyramid of education contains 5 tiers with the top tier containing the educational theory and the theorists that define what it is to learn and educate. The second tier of the pyramid contains the federal laws and policies that decide how education is to be defined and practiced in a uniform manner across society. These laws and policies are often based off of the educational theories, but at times they are developed in response to domestic and international trends. This could mean putting a strong focus on math and science education as the U.S. did during the Cold War. While these policies and laws exist in principle, it is the next tier of the pyramid – the state and local government – that refines these policies to reflect the needs and opinions of a more specific community. It is not until the fourth tier down that implementation can begin to take place. In this fourth tier is the school structure that consists of principals, guidance counselors, and the administration. In these tiers, specific goals, rules, and regulations are concocted and put in place for a very specific population of students. It is not until the fifth and final tier that the classroom appears. In theory, the classroom consists on two groups of individuals: teachers and students.

In their article, “The Creativity Crisis,” Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman briefly describe the activity of “paracosm” creation, a form of play most often observed in middle childhood. Those who, as nine and ten year olds, demonstrated a special affinity for fantasizing entire alternative worlds seem to be very well represented in high-profile clubs of future movers and shakers like MacArthur “genius” award recipients. But, the authors say, “From fourth grade on, creativity no longer occurs in a vacuum; researching and studying become an integral part of coming up with useful solutions.”

PAPER 1

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