Creativity is inherently good. It's literally what brought us from the plains fighting large animals to making monolithic structures that battle the elements. We can harness the power of the electron to post, critique and posture ideas in nanoseconds because of extremely creative people. The "boring" stuff matters just as much as the "non-boring" stuff. What kills me is that the STEM and liberal arts side of the education debate are arguing from extremes - and both sides sound like morons when it comes to creativity. Creativity is harnessed by two things: a wealth of experience and knowledge (ie learning Calculus is good, just like skipping rocks on the river), and treating idea generation like play and not like work. Obviously it's a little bit more nuanced than that, but that's the distillation and the point remains. The boring stuff matters. The non-boring stuff matters. Everything is relevant and we should be creating a culture of education that not only understands that, but actually does something about it.
Re:Stop Penalizing Boys for Not Being Able to Sit Still at S...
by bennyg on Monday July 01, 2013 @09:08PM
(#5974997)
> that did and still get by with laxer schooling, less "boring stuff", and more "creativity".
Re:Stop Penalizing Boys for Not Being Able to Sit Still at S...
by wavefunction on Monday July 01, 2013 @08:54PM
(#5974934)
The upper classes were generally privately tutored until they were sent off to "college" afaik. I think college was the first taste of "mass education" that anyone had, and seems to primarily have been a means of certifying the emergent professional class whereas the tradesmen had his guild and standing within the guild to do the same.
Actually it is the inverse. The higher classes (from rich upper class families to wealthy lawyers, doctors, scientists etc) were those that sat down and studied without much fuss, in quite demanding schools. Those classes had a high respect for education, and very demanding curriculums.
It's the working classes (factory workers then, office drones to McDonald burger flippers now) that did and still get by with laxer schooling, less "boring stuff", and more "creativity".
Most of the factory workers in days past didn't even get to go to school, or stopped very early. That they learned "to handle monotonous labour" and "obey orders" at school is a myth. They learned it by necessity at the factory. It was either that or not getting to eat at all.