Yesterday, Eric Sheninger posted a blog entitled Creativity and Why it Matters. The Adobe Education study suggests creative thinking should be
made a higher priority in education.
Based on a survey of 1,000 college-educated adults, 85% agree creative thinking
is critical for problem solving in their careers.
Some other survey findings:
- 82% wish they had more exposure to creative thinking as students
- 91% agree that there is more to success in school than focusing on course material
- 71% say creative thinking should be taught as a stand-alone class
In my 20 years as an educator, I can
honestly say I’ve seen a deterioration of higher-level skills or creative
thinking. While standardized tests don’t deserve all of the blame, it’s not
purely coincidental that the increase in standardization correlates with
decreased creativity.
I know standardized tests are here to
stay—and that’s not necessarily a bad thing—so what can be done to expose more
students to creative thinking?
- We must recognize that standards are just a framework and we must not limit our teachings because of them.
- Creativity should be taught in all classes
- When possible adopt project-based learning
- Limit lectures and talking to the students
- Increase student accessibility to fine art and career-technical education classes
- Ask questions that don’t have answers
- Embrace 21st-century skills
What should we do to increase creative thinking?
In addition to the study's press release Adobe released an infographic summarizing the study's findings.
