Thanks for a really fun and full class last week! I was so happy to see everybody there, and even happier because we had many exciting and interesting discussions, and I got to hear what so many of you think!
We started off the class with a discussion of "What good have I done today?", and we next wrapped up our reading of last week's creativity article. Through discussing this article, we confirmed that many of us do our most creative thinking when our bodies are engaged in mindless tasks so that our minds are free to roam...
Then we were treated to two great presentations!:
Debbie told us about her creative plan to get more votes for her entry in the "My Hong Kong" contest. Inspired by the phrase "There are no strangers, only people we don't know yet," Debbie and her friends waited in a station and asked strangers in Taipei to vote for their entries in exchange for a postcard from Hong Kong. Debbie's creative solution to a problem proved a fun way for her and her friends to meet even more friends, and inspires us to dare to try something new. When we get your link, we'll all surely be happy to do what we can to help, Debbie! Thanks for telling us your fun story!
Fay's presentation was inspired by grannies: Granny Fashion and knitting grannies. Fay shared with us about Iris Apfel, the 94 year old icon of Granny Fashion, who is proof that it's style that matters, no matter what your age is! Fay also shared a book by a Taiwanese author in which Granny Fashion in Europe is observed and documented . Fay also introduced the Dutch company Granny's Finest, which "combines the craft of grannies with design by young creatives." I love how the founders' mission is to reconnect older people with society, and that each hand-knitted product comes with a label so that the new owner can "thank his or her granny." :) I think I'm a new fan of granny fashion! And I'm inspired to take up my knitting again too! Thanks, Fay, for sharing this seldom-seen side of creativity with us!
Our discussion of Ken Robinson's TED talk, "How schools kill creativity," was quite lively, and many of you made really excellent points. I like how you all related the ideas to your own experiences, and how you made connections and sometimes even raised doubts or problems. Many of the points that you made served to raise more questions, which I hope to discuss next class on 5/28! I will list some of these questions below, so that you all can start thinking about them now!:
* So many of our sources say that in order to be creative, one must not fear being wrong. Yet in our society, we are usually punished for being wrong. What good can ever come of being wrong?
* If school's goal is to train people to meet society's needs, then it's important to understand society's needs. How much does society actually need creative people? How much does society actually need people who will just take orders and do what they're told?
* How & why does our society (including families, schools, jobs, etc.) stifle and/or fear creativity?
* How & why does our society (including families, schools, jobs, etc.) need and/or value creativity?
* How can we prepare children for a future that we can't know or understand?
* How can teachers reach the students who aren't quiet, still, "well-behaved" learners?
* How and why do we sometimes limit our own creativity, and even limit our concepts of what "creativity" actually is?
Finally, here's one last creativity article for you all to read and think about; we'll talk about it next time on 5/28! (But we likely won't have time to read it together!)
How creativity powers science
This article is directed mainly at scientists and scientists-to-be, but I think we can all benefit from the ideas it relates!
I can't wait to see you all this Thursday!
We already have one presentation lined up for 5/28, and more are welcome; please write me by Thursday at noon if you'd like to present!
We'll start with a creativity exercise at the beginning of class!
Sincerely, Abbie
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