失去想象力和创造力的世界是可怕的。但是如此重要的能力启蒙与培养，正在被仍以常规学科教育为主的学校所忽视。创造力到底在孩子智力、能力的发展过程中占有怎样的地位？如何引导培养孩子的创造力？作家、活跃的演说家以及国际顾问Ken Robinson先生为您解开谜题。

Renowned Irish poet and novelist Oscar Wilde once said, “A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.” Through this statement, Wilde inferred that it is the creative and imaginative dreamers of society, those who find themselves riding the crest of a wave of fresh exploration, who lead the world in innovation. They are the ingenious inventors, entrepreneurs, scientists, educators, artists, and leaders who shape the world of today through their unique visions for a better tomorrow. They have birthed our greatest discoveries, created our most magnificent works of art, and boldly led the world through times of crisis as well as cultivated and symbolized momentous social change. Names like Da Vinci, Curie, Edison, Keller, Gandhi, and Goodall resonate through the halls of history and stand as giants among men and women. And, what is one of the critical core characteristics that allowed these individuals to accomplish what was previously deemed impossible? Creativity.

In today’s society, all too often creativity is pushed to the side and branded with the scarlet letter of being less important than other characteristics an individual should nurture. Whereas certain subjects in school, such as the languages, science, and math, are held in high regard, others which foster creative skills are often ignored or viewed with disdain. More often than not, when money or time becomes an issue, the first classes to be cut are those that involve any form of creativity and imagination. They are viewed as not important to a child’s future, and this is a critical mistake made by most of society that in the end does a disservice to both the community and the child.

In his TED talk, Sir Ken Robinson, an English author, speaker, and international advisor on education, makes a profoundly moving case for the creation and implementation of an education system that nurtures, rather than undermines, creativity. Through an in-depth analysis, he meticulously dissects the current education system, which almost uniformly promotes the same homogenized framework, one placing primary focus on the sciences, languages, and math, while highlighting the glaring faults within it. As he states, “I believe this passionately: that we don’t grow into creativity, we grow out of it. Or rather, we get educated out of it.” (Robinson, 2006)

He continues in this spirit to call for fundamental overhaul of the current school systems toward an educational framework fostering creativity as well as encouraging the development of multiple intelligences. Through this system, he argues that not only would more children grow up to realize their full potentials, but important skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, fluid intelligence, and strategic planning skills, all highly valued by employers, would improve universally. With more children exposed at an early age and continuously to a creative environment, their own imaginations and ability to quickly and efficiently tackle theoretical situations, whether at work or at home, would improve dramatically. As we all know, a plant will only grow if given sunlight.

Imagine for a moment a world where children were able to discover their hidden talents in a school system that casts aside the current narrow approach to education and engages children on multiple levels. These children, the future leaders of tomorrow and caretakers of society, would grow up into well-rounded individuals who are no longer dependent on others to find solutions to basic problems. Like the bold souls who mapped the undiscovered country of a brave new world centuries before, these children would not be afraid to make mistakes or dive into the unknown. They would possess the critical thinking and problem solving skills that only a child challenged by a creative education has. They would not see setback as a barrier, but as a problem to overcome, a question to answer. They would walk into an often harsh, unforgiving, and somewhat problematic world ready, willing, and able to search the depths of their minds for unique and bold solutions to the problems that plague us every day. Through them, a better future for humanity will be written. To quote Robinson, “If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.” (Robinson, 2006)

Einstein’s general theory of relativity was not inspired by the pages of a math textbook; it was born from the unfettered imagination of a man whose teachers and professors thought him lazy, sloppy, and insubordinate, someone who would never amount to anything. What the teachers failed to realize as they stuck to their regimen of facts and dates and tests, was what at first glance seemed to be laziness was actually boredom. The young man sitting in their classroom was one of the greatest recognized minds in human history and preferred to daydream and ponder questions about the world around him rather than be subjected to a steady stream of classwork. This begs two important questions: how many potential Einsteins are sitting in classrooms around the world right now being conditioned away from their creative abilities, and what should we be doing to fix it?