Shelby asked: What obstacles may hinder a student's creativity, and how can students overcome them in the classroom?
Before I answer her question...
In her response to Barry (the post that birthed this question) Shelby contended that creativity is not something you have or don't have. Instead, she said, "creativity can come in degrees, and be cultivated or taught." I am not entirely sure that is as contradictory as you may think. I agree that creativity can be cultivated, can be taught, but I am not certain that everyone begins at the same level, with the same slate. Perhaps we have a unique capacity for creativity that can be accessed to various degrees.
To the question:
Creativity will be hindered as long as we remain entrenched within the mires of tradition and unpliable practices. The greatest killer and gravest threat is, depressingly, the very machine that ought to foster that very creativity: school. We do not currently have a primary and secondary educational system that is so organized as to engender the growth of creativity. Quite the contrary: we are taught to assimilate and homogenize into specimens best fit to pass tests.
Unfortunately, to the second aspect of the question, there is not much a particular student can do in face of the overwhelming plague of bureaucratic tradition. We are moving in the right direction, and soon, hopefully this will change. What can a student do? Graduate and help change it.
Question: Am I mistaken, are there ways for current students to impact and change the oppressive nature of the classroom and of the system of education?
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