Assignment: EXPLORING CREATIVITY
Purpose
This activity provides you the opportunity to describe contemporary factors that affect the development of educational public policy by evaluating the need for creativity and problem-solving in the decision making process.
Instructions
For this activity, you are going to explore the need for creativity and problem-solving skills.
Complete the following steps in order, using the spaces provided in this document.
Step One
Read and think about the following quote from Natalie Hopkinson's article "The McEducation of the Negro" published in The Root, and then respond to the prompt .
"But in the name of reform, it's as if somehow the goalpost has been moved without our realizing it. Now education -- for those "failing" urban kids, anyway -- is about learning the rules and following directions. Not critical thinking. Not creativity. It's about how to correctly eliminate three out of four bubbles. The whole messy, thrilling, challenging work of shaping young minds has been reduced to a one or a zero. Pass or fail."
After reading the quote above, think about your own experiences and worldview. Do you agree, disagree, or feel somewhere in between? Explain your reaction, level of dis/agreement, and why.
Step Two
Watch the TEDtalk featuring Sir Ken Robinson "How to Escape Education's Death Valley" and then respond to the prompts :
What was the purpose of Robinson's speech?
What is at least one inference you can make?
What is the key concept in this speech?
What is at least one assumption Robinson makes?
Who may have a different point of view from this video? Explain.
What is at least one implication for this video - especially related to underachieving students?
Explain one major difference between the United States and Finland as discussed in the video.
How can you connect to what Robinson said here and what was discuss about the teaching profession?