In school we are constantly led by the teacher, and told what to do. We are given tasks, assignments, and deadlines. For the most part, we are also given guidelines on how to go about accomplishing these goals. We are given so much direction to the point that there is no room for creativity; there is no room for independent learning.
During the majority of my school years this follow-the-leader method of learning was all I was used to, which made it harder for me to learn as time progressed. I had no idea how to independently learn, because I had never done it before. Everything had to be explained in-depth, or else I could not manage to accomplish my work properly. I couldn't even do part of my assignments because I didn't know every single thing that I needed to.
Fostering creativity among the classroom desperately needs a comeback. I find that the more people are spoon-fed classroom material, the more that people can't think for themselves; this is a scary situation. Since I have been at Westminster, I have been given more opportunities to think for myself and to put my own ideas to use. I have become a better learn in a way that I understand what is going on, for the most part. WCC has made me more independent, therefore, better at comprehension and better at self-sufficient work.
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2 comments:
What you have stated about classrooms and how we spoon feed students material is totally true. In most schools the are so many structured guidelines that when students are given an open ended assignment they don't have any idea where to begin, and what to do. They feel like they are floundering. I see examples of this in my secondary practicum teaching and even in our Critical Pedagogy III class. Children have no imagination any more, their world revolves around what people tell them to do. Their parents, teachers, the media and even their friends tell them what to do. Their worlds are so different from what what we grew up with. It's a sad thing to see and a problem I feel that needs to be fixed.
Sara and Sarah,
You both mentioned how students have little creativity these days. I doubt they have less creativity than children of older times did but that their creativity has been squashed. The reason behind this stunt in creativity or imagination could also be the influx in technology. Students go home to their computers to play online games and watch TV far too frequently. When our parents were young, the only thing they could do was to play with each other. They had to use their imaginations. How can we as teachers utilize the students' energy and their creativity that is probably ready to burst? I personally love composition in the classroom and letting kids think outside of the box. For example, last week in my practicum school, a fifth grade class had to come up with four beat clapping rhythms in groups. One group composed four beats of rests, which I thought was brilliant. I think they thought they were being fresh and might get in trouble, so they were surprised and happy to see my positive reaction.
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