References

Barrance,T (2010) Using film in schools, http://mediaedwales.org.uk/pdf/usingfilm.pdf , retrieved on 2/5/2014

Gerstien, J (2012) Shools are still killing creativity,  http://usergeneratededucation.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/schools-are-still-killing-creativity/ retrieved 1/2/2014

Heathcote, D (2004) The mantle of the expert, http://www.moeplanning.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/dh-mantle-of-the-expert.pdf , retrieved on 4/3/2014

Huffington Post (2012) Do schools kill creativity?, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sir-ken-robinson/do-schools-kill-creativity_b_2252942.html retrieved on 1/2/2014

Minarik, S (2014) The positive benefits of creativity, http://www.positive-living-now.com/the-positive-benefits-of-creativity/retrieved on 10/1/2014

Film Education

These days’ children are far more technological than they used to be, and because of this, we have to find ways of being able to teach children in a way that is attractive and interesting to them Films could be an example of one of these ways. Media and technology are starting to play a bigger part in jobs and using film education could give children a head start and when they go on to get a job they should be better prepared. The correct film would be good for children to learn lots of different types of things. Different types of social situations get confronted in films and showing the correct types of films will show children how to react to them and they can take that on board in their own lives. If a child enjoys how they are learning, then they will take more in. Any child would rather learn while watching a film rather than copying what a teacher has written on the board or being dictated at. There is a film for most subjects, some would be hard to find, and there are different ways to incorporate a film when learning. For example, films about an important person in history would be good for teaching History. The film ‘Lincoln’ for example could lead to a whole topic about Abraham Lincoln.  

There are, however, certain disadvantages to using films though due to children in schools being different ages so you would need to find the correct films with the correct age certificate for the correct pupils. This could be a big disadvantage due to the fact that year elevens and year sevens are completely different ages and would need completely different films. This would mean that a lot of films would have to be bought by a school and films are not cheap and this could be very costly. Another disadvantage could be that it has to be taught well. If a teacher puts on a film with no instructions about what the children should be looking out for the children will normally just watch the film and might not be taking the important points in.

There are three important principals in film education known as the three c’s. These are all really important to cover when the film has been viewed. The first one is critical which means that the children should be able to understand and analyse the film they have just watched because if they can’t do that there would be no point of watching the film in the first place. The next principle is cultural which will widen the learner’s experience of the film. Films from all around the world could be used to do this. The last principle is creative which is the pupils making the films themselves.

Film education doesn't have to be about just watching films; creating a film could be an important thing as well. Team work would increase when children are making films together. It could be an important way of furthering a child’s knowledge about the subject. Most subjects could be covered using this technique as well. For example, in English acting out a William Shakespeare play and filming it would lead to a wider range of knowledge about Shakespeare. A disadvantage with this could be the children going off topic due to excitement of making the film.

Should films be used as a technique to teach children about different situations? I personally believe that they should. This could be because I have only just finished school and it could be the fact I like the thought of watching more films in school. In my opinion films do have a place in education as long as it is the right sort of film. In most cases a comedy film would not be the correct option if you are trying to teach children about different cultures and different religions. I also believe that making their own films would broaden the knowledge a child would have about a subject. Using film education could relate to learners at any age from primary school to being a student in university. I believe if this had been used more when I was in school I’d have learnt a lot more and had more motivation to learn.

Mantle of the Expert

The mantel of the expert is ‘A system for learning through the active imagination and inquiry methodology’. Heathcote.D (2004). This topic is mainly to do with problem solving. Teachers will put pupils in groups and trust they will work towards the problems that they need solving. The pupils will get power over their own learning and this could help in them wanting to further themselves and their knowledge. The teacher will be in a certain role to guide the pupils learning in the correct direction that they need to be going in. This way of teaching focuses on imagination in the form of role play.

An advantage of the mantle of the expert is that it will help aid the speaking and listening skills of the child due to the children taking part in role play. This means that the pupils will have to interact with other pupils and also will have to listen to all the different opinions of the group which will help them to be more social as well and could lead to making new friends. This type of learning will also give some of the children chances to be leaders in some situations and as long as there is a good teacher at the helm of this type of learning that can only be a positive. A good imagination will help the child when it comes to the work place and can only broaden their minds.

A disadvantage would be that the quiet and shy pupils might not get the full extent of the learning style due to them being more withdrawn than the children that would want to be the leaders of the group and it could lead to them not wanting to put their ideas forward. This is a problem that could be resolved by good teaching which would include getting everyone involved.

I believe that this technique should play a part in schools as children having a greater imagination can only be a good thing. Our class in university tested this technique in class to see if it would be a good idea. We were put into a group of four and we had to make a company for ourselves and we were told we would have to build a bridge across a certain type of water. It was more than just this, we had to research different types of bridges and find out how they worked before we started. We also had to think of the background to our company to make it more realistic and seem more like real life. The results that we found were that we all had different ideas and we put all of our ideas together to make the best bridge we could with what we had. We were all involved in the planning of the bridge and the making of the bridge so we all felt included. Judging by these results I think it would be a good thing to have mantle of the expert in schools. The only problem I had with this technique is that when I was in school I was the quiet and shy child and I think I would have been withdrawn and it might not have been as great a help to me.  

This is the bridge we made in our group (Jools and sons)

Does Education Kill Creativity?

From the minute an individual is born, they show creativity in their daily life. Whether this is through their personality or through their interests, children will create their own sense of identity. Often, creativity is thought of as simply ‘being good at art’ or ‘writing stories’ however if an individual is passionate enough about a topic, they will be creative.

 Ken Robinson explores this topic in great detail. He believes that education does kill creativity due to the fact that it doesn't build on our skills and talents and you could leave school not knowing what you are good at. He believes that there are many people in the world who are very intelligent and creative and could change the world however they think they can’t because schools don’t value it as highly as it seems like they should. “Creativity in school is as important as literacy.” (Ken Robinson 2006) This is a bold statement and differs greatly from other opinions. Children born with the nature to try even if they do not know if they are right. Robinson believes that education is so rigid that children are made to feel embarrassed if they are wrong, however according to Robinson, if an individual is not prepared to be wrong, then they will never be creative and never create anything original. It seems that school takes the motivation to be creative out of a person rather than promoting creativity with children.

 Picasso believed that “All children are born artists” and this statement suggests that what Ken Robinson is saying is correct, that instead of building upon creativity, children are being educated out of their own creativity. If you were to look at the outcomes of education, it would conclude that the aim of education is to make individuals university professors or that alike. No school in the world would teach the arts such as dance as vigorously and as in depth as the core subjects.

Maths, English and Science are known as the core subject which are compulsory and they are the main subject that people look at when they get results from exams and also the main results jobs and universities will look at. Art and Drama are the more creative subjects and are looked at as not as important even though there are many jobs in the world where having good creativity will pay off greatly.

I believe that schools are doing more at the moment to try and involve creativity in the curriculum. For example, forest schools are letting children go out in the environment and explore which includes building dens, working with tools and lighting fires. Another example is that schools are now looking at methods such as film education and mantle of the expert which I talk about in the other blogs which are both creative ways of learning. Most schools however including the one I went to don’t take creativity into account as much as they should with the emphasis still being on Maths, English and Science. A study was carried out and over half the people asked in America, UK, Japan, France and Germany thought that education did kill people’s creativity.

Creativity

“Creativity means connecting the previously unconnected in ways that are new and meaningful to the individual concerned”. (Duffy 2006) Being creative is having a view point that is original, valued by others and that is built upon.

Being creative will open up different types of job opportunities. Dr. Lynn Levesque, a Business creativity consultant, has identified the following styles of creativity that develop top performance in an organisation;

·         ‘The Adventurer’ – this is an individual whose creativity is enhanced by photographers and talented sports figures

·         ‘The Navigator ’ – this is an individual whose creativity is influenced by inventors and painters

·         ‘The Explorer’ – this is an individual whose creativity is similar to Walt Disney and many individuals that have thought of an original idea and made a business out of it

·         ‘The Visionary’ – this is an individual whose creativity is before their time and they are related to internet gurus such as Bill Gates

·         ‘The Pilot’-, whose creativity is a form of strategy and are closely related to having skills similar to a project manager.

·         ‘The Inventor’-, whose creativity is found in philosophers and architects and is related to being deep thinkers.

·         ‘The Diplomat’-, whose  creativity is similar to the work done by civil rights activists and caring leaders

·     'The Poet', whose creativity is very well thought out.

It doesn't matter what creativity you have but it is important that you know which one you are and you are confident with it.

Education is supposed to enhance creativity. It should notice that pupils all have the ability to become creative and more imaginative. Education should recognise the talents that their pupils have and should be able to work on these and make them into a skill that they will have for life and can use in later life. Education should also realise that pupils need time to experiment and find out how things work in order to be able to understand them better. Pupils should also be given the amount of time they need to get used to certain concepts, subjects and topics.

Some disadvantages could be that if everyone became too creatively focused it could take away from some of the subjects that are just as and seen as more important such as Maths, English and Science. People who haven’t found out how creative they are or don’t feel like they are creative might feel left out if they make creativity more important in education. Lack of focus is seen as a big problem when talking about creativity because pupils do seem to go off topic. More time will be needed to become creative in education and this could take away time from the core subjects which could cause parents to be opposed to it.

In my own opinion creativity is a necessity to life. I don’t think it’s for everyone including me because I don’t class myself as creative. I agree with Dr. Levesque and what she says about there being different types of creativity and you need to find out which one suits you. I believe that having creativity could offer better opportunities in life and having an idea that is original could get you a very good job and earn lots of money and also could even end up helping others as well.     

Introducation

In the following blogs I will look at the influence of creativity. I will look at how creativity can be encouraged in schooling and how this is currently carried out. I will do this by looking at film education and the mantle of the expert and the success of these activities on encouraging creativity. I will also focus upon whether education is killing creativity.