Creativity in Education? Not so much

Thanks to Judah:
This week in Psychology, we watched and discussed a TED talk by Sir Ken Robinson about creativity in our education system. Robinson argues that our current education system does not teach creativity in the way it should, rather teaching everyone to be university professors. In reality, very few of us will become university professors, and I completely agree that our system of educations must change. Everyone has their talents and some people do not need to learn to a test. However, in one sense Robinson is mistaken. Robinson does not acknowledge the necessity of creativity in a university professor’s life. Robinson does not communicate through his talk the idea that in order to innovate and in order to make the many scientific discoveries that those university professors make, the professors must be creative. The computer wasn’t invented by sticking to the same old ideas. Einstein would never have discovered relativity if he hadn’t been creative enough to think about what it would be like to travel at the speed of light. I doubt Robinsons disagrees with me, however in his talk he does not discuss this idea.

Robinson claims that, “All children are born artists, the problem is to remain artists as we grow up." I completely agree and I believe that we need to build that creativity instead of diminishing it. Parents have a tendency to tell kids to give up their dreams at early ages because they’re not realistic. I think as a society we need to change this mentality. If you’re good at dancing, then dance. If you’re good at singing, sing. This does not mean that if you’re good at math, you shouldn’t pursue it because it’s “not creative” (though I would argue it requires as much creativity as any other subject). Every subject is equally important. In a society where we have nearly 7 billion people, not everyone has to be the same. In 1000 years will people look back on us for only our technological advancements or will they look back on us for our art, music, theatre… etc. I think, as I’m sure Sir Ken Robinson does, that we have the potential to be remembered for all of that, and it will require a fundamental revolution in the way we value occupations and achievements.

Now what does this have to do with physics? I think that scientists also do not stress creativity in the way that they should. Just as Einstein used his imagination to become Time Magazine’s Man of the Century, so must we all. Scientists in any established field have thought of everything inside of the box. In order to make novel discoveries one must think outside of it. Science teachers today do not emphasize the importance of imagination. Discoveries in science align perfectly with Robinson’s definition of creativity, “the process of having original ideas that have value.” The problem with today’s students is that they see the “create” part of the definition, but don’t see what’s necessary to get there. No innovation has ever been made without a failed attempt beforehand. Everyone makes mistakes. Do you think Thomas Edison invented the light bulb on his first try? No, but he kept at it and got it right. Students today see everything as a grade where they have to get it right the first time. We need to radically change our system to discourage this mentality or creativity will die with the current generation.

The Brain on Jazz and Rap - How does the Brain do Creativity?

This is an interesting look at fMRI studies of the brains of musicians, both rap and jazz, who perform both learned, memorized music and improvised music. What is the difference in the brain when we step things up to the level of creative performance, such as improvisation in jazz or free-style rap? Check it out, as this is one of the initial studies into creativity and the brain.

Where the world is heading - An Economic Phase Transition from Hyperconsumption to Collaborative Consumption

I found this TED talk very interesting. One can certainly see a change in how people interact with each other due to the Internet and global wireless communications, and I think Rachel Botsman presents a strong argument for a phase transition from a hyperconsumption economy (I believe this term comes from Thomas Friedman) to a collaborative consumption model.

Scientific American's Top 10 Stories of 2010

Check out the top 10 science related stories the editors from Scientific American selected for 2010. Some are certainly debatable, but I agree the top story was the Gulf oil spill. The poor engineering in its original design to the clever engineering that eventually plugged the well, to the ecological, chemical and biological consequences of the disaster make this a classic multi-disciplinary problem.

Where do Good Ideas Come From?

I read an interesting book over break, written by Steven Johnson, that gets into the ways great ideas have been developed throughout history. My thoughts about the book and the seven themes that are developed can be found here. Any feedback or thoughts are welcome, as always!

The Power of Analogy in Learning

In physics, we use a lot of analogies. We compare just about all aspects of rotational motion to linear motion analogues. We compare electrical resistance to electrons bouncing in a pinball machine. Electric circuits are like roller coasters and plumbing systems. Energy and matter are like steam and ice, two forms of the same stuff. So this is not new for us, and it can really help us not only conceptually, but also in problem solving. If you are OK doing the mathematics of air friction, you can do the math of RC circuits, or if you know how to handle springs and pendulums in simple harmonic motion, you can do problems with LC circuits and even a case of Schrodinger's equation in quantum mechanics.

But on a larger scale, there is an interesting post about the power of analogy and how some are now thinking it is the key to cognition and learning in general. The more ways you can think about a system in terms of others that are more familiar and understood by you, then the more likely you are to solve the new problem. By building and modifying what you know about things through analogy, the more creative a solution you might develop when confronted by new problems that can be made familiar to things you know.

There is also a video from Doug Hofstadter at a Stanford forum on this topic. Watch it if interested, and after 13 minutes is the bulk of this topic.

A Video that shows how friction between tire and road is Centripetal Force

An amazing bit of driving by Ken Block! Check out how friction is the centripetal force as well as the force responsible for the motion of a car. I wonder how many years of practice allows one to drive like this. :-)

New Life Form!

NASA scientists have discovered an entirely new life form on Earth. This bacteria has had phosphorous replaced by arsenic, which was thought to be an impossibility yesterday, but today it is a reality. Check out the article, which also has a video link with a simulation showing what may be happening to create a new type of DNA. Fascinating!

What a STEM background could mean for you

STEM (short for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)areas of study are going to be the growth areas for jobs in the future. Check out this video, which starts of with Steven Chu, Nobel winning physicist and Secretary of Energy, and other industrial CEOs, as they make mention that STEM backgrounds are key to just about any type of job and career a present student may wish for in the next decade. Check it out!

Wussup with Ammeters and Voltmeters?

A shout-out to Anja, for producing this video explaining how ammeters and voltmeters are set up, i.e. what the circuitry is in order for these devices to give us measurements of currents and voltage differences. Many thanks!

Record your screencast online