There was a heated debate in my household today, on the complete lack of art as a core subject at primary schools in Queensland. Indeed there is no designated art teacher. On my 11 year old sons report, under the heading Art, the subject for the last 2 terms was travel, booking travel, longitude and latitude of a journey, travel expenses and total costs. Even at a stretch I do not consider that to be art but it did, at least, make them think. Investing in art, investing in our children through art, creates lateral thinkers, creators, inventors. It encourages thinking outside the box and problem solving, regardless of whether or not the child is arty. Through McCoy Design, I used to have the privilege of working with the Edward de Bono Centre for Thinking on the Gold Coast. Dr. de Bono would come and speak to the schools about lateral thinking and explained how the current system is up-side-down; a pyramid whereby the majority are at the bottom for whom the current system fails, and the minority at the top of the pyramid, the academics, for whom the system was works. Dr. de Bono explained that the pyramid needs to be turned upside down, because the current model has created the slowest period of invention and creation in history, because all those fabulously creative minds are forced to fit the mould once they leave prep/kindy, to conform to a model that does not work (in the big scheme of things), that creates an environment of boredom, monotony and a lack of enthusiasm (with the only break from the dreariness being sport). Is this really what is best for the future of Australia, and beyond? Imagine going to a school where creativity is encouraged in all lessons, where art were part of science (think da Vinci), part of history (think Horrible Histories - you may laugh but my son has learnt more from that program than any lesson in a classroom), part of IT (think Jobs) etc; where questioning what is and coming up with new ideas was as common place as learning what was. It saddens me that so many potential geniuses have been made to feel less than, ridiculed and outcast - forced to become another sheep, when we should be shining a light on them, encouraging and celebrating them. Some further reading on this subject: debonogroup/lateral_reading.php debono/debono/tyc.htm The Edward De Bono Foundation has just set up the worlds first university-based Centre of Serious Creativity and Constructive Thinking: debonofoundation.co.uk/thefoundation.html independent.co.uk/news/education/schools/put-your-thinking-hat-on-how-edward-de-bonos-ideas-are-transforming-schools-1518507.html memorise.org/brain-articles/lateral-thinkin-creativity-00678.html brainathlete/encourage-creative-thinking-schools/ edge.ascd.org/_Do-You-Teach-Creative-Thinking-You-Should-if-You-Dont/blog/6294749/127586.html #debono #edwarddebono #lateralthinking #creativethinking #art Krysia Ballance Iain McCombe Michael Carter Ajay Dennis Joshua Smith Duy Huynh Andrew Kelly Eva Breckon-Thomas Jesse Breckon-Thomas Connor Craddock
Posted on: Tue, 01 Jul 2014 00:51:49 +0000
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