Schools should encourage kids’ creativity in all its forms
Some have said that the people we meet, the places we visit, and the books we read change our lives. To this list, one can also add the challenges we face and how we face them.
Today’s world is in the midst of profound change — political, financial, environmental, social, and technological changes that present potential opportunities and risks.
At the same time, these changes bring myriad challenges that require creative solutions, foresight, critical thinking, and the courage to do what is needed.
It sometimes seems as though our most impossible dreams might soon become reality. Artificial intelligence is on the cusp of transforming our world, cryptocurrencies have already changed the way some of us perceive money, and plans are afoot to build cities on Mars — and possibly the moon.
Now, more than ever, there is a need to inculcate in future generations a sense of inventiveness, creativity, and leadership that will ensure that humanity continues on the path of progress while also taking advantage of and harnessing the opportunities this changing world is creating. One of the most important places to do this is at school.
At Gems Wesgreen International School, we try our best to create the conditions in which innovation and creativity are not only possible, but also encouraged.
Ensuring that students are given the opportunities and the time to be creative and participate in extracurricular activities is a vital part of education that must complement textbooks and classroom lectures. Activities such as science and debate clubs, theatre productions, team sports, student organisations and competitions are a great way to challenge, inspire and encourage ambition, hard work and selfconfidence.
Students should be able to close their eyes and imagine all the pages that can be added to or removed from their textbooks in the next hundred years based on new discoveries. It’s essential that students feel excited about learning, about the next discovery, the next quest.
Creativity and inventiveness should not be perceived as the exclusive domain of technology. Inventiveness should be encouraged in all its forms, whether in the form of a beautiful painting or a poem.
Promoting such an environment can be difficult, because one often expects quick results, but long-term success cannot be achieved without encouraging creativity.
Students should be able to close their eyes and imagine all the pages that can be added to or removed from their textbooks in the next hundred years based on new discoveries.”