21st Century Skills: Understanding Creativity

It is imperative that we learn to teach. Education should not be poured into someones head. Teachers have to learn how to connect to the creativity of intelligent beings. Everyone has the capacity to learn something. I think contributions in education comes in various forms. As Sir Robinson stated in his lecture "Education is Dynamic". It is important for teachers to nurture creativity.

I use to be very interested in instruments, woodwinds to be specific. So, I started lessons in elementary school and I was bored by the time I reached secondary school. Everything had been so regimented up to that point and I was just tired of it. There was no room for creativity. I was not allowed to express my ideas relative to what I was doing. I was fed up and when I reached the tenth grade I gave up music.

There were other things that started to interest me such as mathematics and science. I got more support being involved in these disciplines. I felt a sense of freedom because I was quite good at it.

We have to be supportive and learn how to read various idiosyncrasies while implementing or teaching subject matter. It is important to understand intelligence, and that it has various forms. Not accepting the non-conventional can be dangerous because you may overlook brilliance and stifle creativity.

21st Century Skills: Is There Room For This?

The reading of several articles, from critics and supporters of P21(21st Century Skills)have given me much to ponder. Of course, I think most if not all educators instinctively search for ways to improve learning. It is my belief that somehow educators-especially teachers-have a compelling desire to reach their students. I use my education history as an example of what is possible.

I was nurtured with positivity, during my formative years in school. I can vividly remember how some teachers would get into your head to find out how you were thinking. They had a sincere desire to understand how to connect your learning experiences with their ways of teaching. Exposure was the key to broadening ones knowledge without the technology that is available today. I can remember to this day going to a planetarium so that we could make a connection to the universe. My mind was so occupied with the universe and the narrator that it enabled me to remember important elements about every planet.

As I look back on my early childhood education, I view it more as an interactive learning experience. Learning to research to gather information for papers and presentations. Every project I worked on was group related. The tools that were used for research were very effective. I am speaking of micro-film, publications, encyclopedias and various other materials all of which were in the local library. The only difference between then and now is the speed of retrieving this information.

I support the ideology of P21 because I think it is clear about cognitive learning and critical thinking. I do not think its a panacea that will resolve all the ills of education. Do I think there is room for P21? The answer is yes, and I don't think it has to be viewed as a major dissent from other paradigms.

It may be difficult to implement all aspects of P21 in this educational climate of major funding and budget cuts but it is not impossible.