Creativity TED Talks

The argument of if schools foster or kill creativity is one for the ages. View these TedTalks from
both sides of the spectrum and answer the questions below. Expand thoughtfully in all of your
answers!

Before Watching

1. How do you define creativity? Creativity is the ability to think unformulaically, or to

ivent things or solve problems uniquely

2. Do you consider yourself a creative person? What has your experience been in school
with creativity?
I think I am a creative person but I think that is also because I have always really
valued that aspect of me. In school, I have always made sure to take classes theat foster that
and don’t nip it.

3. Do you think schools kill creativity or do they foster creativity? Explain.

I think they do both, classes like math and english really are asking students to
not think creatively and originally but rather with in a formula, most english teachers don’t ask
for creativity they ask for thighs that follow rules.

While Watching

Take lots of notes for each video and identify the claim, purpose, and evidence of each!

Do Schools Kill Creativity? Why Real Creativity is Based on Knowledge

Sir Ken Robinson Tim Leunig

Claim: All kids have tremendous talent and Claim: Knowledge leads to creativity.
we sqaller it. Creativity is as important as
literacy.

Purpose: Purpose: To rebuttle Robinson’s deftiniton of

To get the audience to value the arts as much creativity while stull promoting schools.
as science and to make sure they are
educating their children in art.

Evidence: A kid was drawing god and siad Evidence:

 people will know what go dlooks like in a He is a professor
minute There is no jobs where specific knowledge
Kids will take a chance, if they don’t know, will be useful instead is because it's
they’ll have a go. They are not frightened to interesting, it teaches theme skills and teach
be wrong. IF you are not prepared to be them to think creatively
wrong, you will never create something Britain needs to kee inventing stuff
original. The ideas come a wide net of knowledge so
At some point shakespeare was in you can think like steam power.
someone’s eglish class Real creativity is based on knowledge, they
The top f the education systems are maths need foundation.
and art is at the bottom
Art and music are greater than drama and
dance
We educate children in there head.
The purpose of education is to produce
university prfessers, they are not the high
mark of human achievement.
Public school systems were created ot meet
the demands of industralism.
Intelligence is dynamic

After Watching

1. Does how we define “creativity” matter? Do Robinson and Leunig have the same
definition? Explain.
Yes, creativity is important especially on it’s definition. Leunig says creativity
requires knowledge, which I think Robinson agrees with actually, but schools are teaching a
very specific kind of knowledge which kills the diversity in thought.

2. Do schools kill or foster creativity? With which speaker do you agree/disagree? Explain.
I think schools do kill creativity becuase thye promote a monoply of thought. Creativity
comes from diverse thoughts and backgrounds of knowledge coming together to create new
things. However, if all people are educated the same way, that leaves little room for people to
be creative.

3. Can creativity be taught? If so, how? What responsibility do schools have in the
endeavor?
I thinkc creativity is a ‘askill like an other and must be stressed in every academic
situation. In math, people must learn how to creatiiely solve problems. However,
I think most of creativity’s value is taught through the arts because they are truly
free. I think school need to do a better job of requiring students to take the arts,
and offering a diverse variety of them.