You don’t have to read widely in today’s business journals to recognize the importance of creativity in the workplace.
In our innovation-driven global economy, truly creative ideas provide companies with a necessary competitive edge. Executives who work in many different realms seek out employees who can offer unique perspectives and make improvements through innovation.
Yet, according to the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking, which evaluates originality and fluency with new concepts, Americans’ creativity has been in decline for the last quarter century. Of particular concern is that the most significant drop was found in students from kindergarten through 6th grade, the precise time schools should do everything possible to nurture this quality.
Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman, journalists and co-authors of the books NurtureShock and Top Dog, studied this decline and published their provocative findings in a Newsweek cover story in July 2010. They believe the widely held assumption that creativity can’t be taught is a root of this problem. Our creative abilities, they write, are not genetically hard-wired.
They also note that even among people who believe creativity can be taught, some are reluctant to sacrifice traditional academics to make time for creativity. Bronson and Merryman take issue with both perspectives.
“The argument that we can’t teach creativity because kids already have too much to learn is a false tradeoff,” they write. “Creativity isn’t about freedom from concrete facts. Rather, fact-finding and deep research are vital stages in the creative process.”
Bronson and Merryman argue that students who learn through creativity-based instruction not only meet but often surpass today’s academic standards.
So what steps should schools take to cultivate creativity?
One way to foster creative outcomes is to open the door for collaborative problem solving within diverse groups. Entrepreneur Frans Johansson, author of the 2004 book The Medici Effect, has found that innovation is enhanced when people from different backgrounds and areas of expertise share their findings.
Johansson recounts the recent success of a team of computer scientists, mathematicians and medical doctors, including neuroscientists. Working together in Brown University’s brain science program, they created a system that allowed a monkey to move a computer cursor using only its thoughts. Through a collaborative process that combined the expertise of each researcher in original ways, this group advanced research in each of their fields.
When working collaboratively, groups are able to generate momentum toward a shared goal by considering problems from different perspectives.
Art Markman, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas, notes, “When you ask most people to do something creative, they quickly get stuck in a rut…. If you want to change the way you approach a creative problem, then you need to change what you are thinking about.”
Writes Markman, “That will change what you pull from your memory and the knowledge you use to solve the problem.” Teachers can participate in this process by helping students describe problems in less predictable ways.
Markman also recommends boiling down a problem to its essential concept in order to see it in a new light. “So don’t think differently,” counsels Markman. “Think about different things.”
Note that these researchers and writers aren’t talking about creativity as something that’s the domain of artists and poets. They see creativity as a positive force at work in the sciences, business, medicine and any field that requires thoughtful innovative problem-solving to improve.
Teachers also need to foster a learning environment that is relaxed and fun. Sian Beilock, a professor of psychology at the University of Chicago, notes, “When you’re stuck on a problem that needs a creative solution, doing something that doesn’t require too much mental effort helps you connect your thoughts in new and unusual ways — pacing around the room, or even gesturing with one hand and then the other — triggers the free flow of ideas needed for creative breakthroughs.”
Similarly, having regular routines that allow the brain to relax through common activities such as walking, jogging or even taking a shower, create the conditions to solve complex problems.
Regardless of the work we do, our brains need moments to stare out the window and free associate. Yet, we don’t structure our days to allow this to happen. More often, every free moment is filled by tapping a gadget, responding to texts or emails, and attempting to either increase our productivity or avoid idle moments by being entertained.
Finally, we must be willing to embrace the possibility of failure. We should encourage students to experiment, make educated guesses and learn as much as possible in the process. Teachers should place less weight on evaluating right and wrong answers and more on the learning process itself.
If students learn from failure, it should be counted as a form of success. In this light, asking a great question might be more important than finding the correct answer.
There are, of course, many other strategies that schools and teachers can implement to foster creativity. Cultivating healthy eating and exercise habits is important for all kinds of brain development and learning. Reducing screen time has been found to bolster creative activities and lead to greater involvement in the arts.
And perhaps most importantly, teachers need to encourage students to immerse themselves in their passions, creative and otherwise, and to pursue them fully.
Regardless of the strategy, the time to cultivate creativity in the youngest generations is now. And as educators, we need to do this with an unwavering focus not only to meet today’s global needs, but also to honor the intrinsic value this endeavor provides our students.
By Brad Choyt for the Valley News (Published in print: Tuesday, March 29, 2016)
Brad Choyt is head of school at Crossroads Academy in Lyme.
