Learning standards and creativity |
On Board Online • May 29, 2017
Susan Bergtraum
NYSSBA President
The release of the state's new draft "Next Generation Learning Standards" to replace Common Core has prompted debate about what we should be teaching students in our schools.
After a comment period that ends June 2, it is expected the state will formally adopt new standards. Teachers will begin implementing them in the classroom. School boards and administrators will align local curriculum and assessments to the new standards.
While the emphasis in the standards appropriately has been on English language arts and math skills, I hope we don't lose sight of another important skill: creativity. Creativity and its cousin, critical thinking, will be addressed by the keynote speaker at NYSSBA's Annual Convention and Educational Expo in Lake Placid this October. Yong Zhao, a professor of education at the University of Kansas, believes we need to prepare students to analyze the world in their own ways and create their own jobs after graduation.
Zhao is among a number academics who have pointed to an apparent contradiction involving standards-based education and creativity. "In an era of standardization and accountability in schools, perhaps what we are teaching children to do is to be good conformists, instead of teaching them to be independent thinkers," said Gerard Puccio, a professor at Buffalo State's International Center for Studies in Creativity, in a recent TED Talk.
When we think of creativity, many of us probably think of artists and inventors. But creative problem-solving is a skill that will serve all our students well in life, whether they work in business, government or some other field of endeavor.
But what about New York's new proposed standards? I asked NYSSBA's research staff to look at the state's new learning standards to see how well they address independent or creative thinking.
I was somewhat surprised by their findings. There is more room for creativity in the classroom under the standards than I had assumed.
For example, the revised math standards often use the word "explore." In fact, this concept appears in standards for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten. According to the State Education Department and Board of Regents, including "explore" in the standards allows students to discover and, essentially, play with topics and ideas without a prescribed outcome of mastery that year. Not only does this update address concerns voiced by those who thought aspects of the Common Core standards were not developmentally appropriate, but it also allows students to think more creatively about topics without worrying about achieving an outcome. Students should not be forced to compromise their creative thinking to achieve a certain goal by a certain time that year. Here's to letting this exploration occur in all classrooms throughout the grades.
Another revision to the standards that promotes creative thinking is the addition of a section of the ELA standards called “Lifelong Practices of Readers and Writers,” which includes reading and writing habits for use at any age. For example, a reading practice highlighted in this section is “make connections (to self, other texts, ideas, cultures, eras, etc.),” which enables students to hone their critical and creative thinking skills and think in interdisciplinary ways.
Both the reading and writing practices include reading and writing for pleasure, not just learning. So, rather than feel confined to certain texts or narratives because they are assigned in the curriculum, students are encouraged to read or write about topics of interest and meaning to them. My hope is that this practice will pique students' interest and curiosity, promote academic engagement and potentially ignite their interest in a certain topic or field of study through reading or writing about it for pure enjoyment.
Finally, the proposed standards address the controversy surrounding the teaching of more nonfiction at the expense of fiction. Many individuals had voiced opposition to the Common Core standards because of their emphasis throughout the grades on informational texts versus fiction. The revised standards merge ELA standards for informational learning and literature, which I believe recognizes the importance of creativity. A January 2014 Psychology Today article notes that reading fiction increases creativity by allowing readers "to put themselves in another person's shoes and flex the imagination."
No one set of standards will perfectly capture everything a student needs to learn and master in order to succeed in life. Ultimately, each student must choose his or her own path. And we must encourage them to do so. It is increasingly important that our schools help students learn to be independent thinkers who explore questions that the rest of us haven't even thought of yet. To learn more about this idea, be sure to attend the Convention in October and hear the message of Yong Zhao.
The world faces major challenges - climate change, energy dependence, terrorism and the threat of nuclear war, to name a few. Who knows what tomorrow's challenges will be? We are going to need the next generation of big thinkers and creative problem solvers to tackle these persistent challenges. Let's make sure our schools enable them to become just that.