Creativity is the Most Important Thing We Can Teach Our Children in the New Millennium

Bonnie Cramond The Department of Educational Psychology & Instructional Technology The University of Georgia

R. Buckminster Fuller
Recalled that during his childhood at the turn of the last century, people tried to predict the future and could not begin to conceive of automobiles, electrons, travel to the moon, or even air wars as reality.

B.Cramond, University of Georgia

R. Buckminster Fuller
Only about 1% of the world was literate, and
fewer still thought of humanity in world terms. We, too, are poised on the brink of change in this new millennium Prediction is still true: successful adaptation to world change and enrichment of our world depend on creative endeavors.
B.Cramond, University of Georgia

How Much of What You Learned in School is True Now?

There were only 49 states, or 48. Man had not walked on the moon; even airplane trips were reserved for the wealthy, and travel was easy. Our food was not zapped, and our files were not zipped. The idea of a Black man or a woman running for president was unthinkable.(A Catholic was controversial) UTube, ipods, cell phones, Skype, Blue Tooth, email, ebay, and Facebook had no meaning Amazon, chats, and MySpace had different meanings, and text was not a verb. People, not machines, got viruses.
B.Cramond, University of Georgia

We are moving from industrial societies to knowledge societies

We must realize that it is time to move past the 3 Rs of Reading, riting, and rithmetic

B.Cramond, University of Georgia

To the 4 Rs
1. Richness of curriculum 2. Recursion through reflective interaction 3. Relations of new understandings into the larger picture; and 4. Rigor of being a critical consumer and understanding the transitory nature of knowledge
(Doll,1993)
B.Cramond, University of Georgia

5th R: Reverse the Role of the Learner

Passive---> Active Consumer---> Producer Dependent--> Independent

B.Cramond, University of Georgia

Types of Creativity
Inventive

addresses a worthwhile problem novel and appropriate solution

Expressive

Illustrates the creators emotions and aesthetics original and valuable

B.Cramond, University of Georgia

Inventive Creativity
Exhibited in mathematics, science, and social arenas Recognizes and identifies problems that may or may not be apparent to others, When solved, result in an improvement in the domain

Dean Kamen, Inventor

B.Cramond, University of Georgia

Inventive Creativity
Saves and improves lives

Segway
B.Cramond, University of Georgia

Inventive Creativity
May produce an intangible product-such as a social movement

Mohandas Ghandi Martin Luther King, Jr.

B.Cramond, University of Georgia

Inventive Creativity
Finds worthwhile problems Produces solutions of value

Watson, Crick, and Franklin (and Wilkins)

B.Cramond, University of Georgia

New World Problems

Inventive Novel solutions to unsolved problems Early recognition & product creation Market response

B.Cramond, University of Georgia

According to Torrance,

When a person has no learned or practiced solution to a problem, some degree of creativity is required
B.Cramond, University of Georgia

Creativity Promotes Economic Growth

Recent reports maintain that our nation cannot retain its economic and scientific position in the competitive world with a work force that has mastered only minimum competencies
January 2006 Davos, Switzerland

World Economic Forum rum

Annual Meeting

The Creative Imperative

T he purpose o f a newsletter is to provide specialized information to a targeted audie nce. News letters can be a great way to market your product or service, and also create credibility and build your organizat ions identity amon g peers, members, employees, or vendors. First, determine the audience of the newsletter. This could be anyone who might benefit from the information it contains, for example, employees or people interested in purchasing a product or requesting your service. You can compile a mailing list from business reply cards, customer information sheets, Busi ness cards collected at trad e shows, or membership lists. You might consider purchasing a mailing list from a company. If you explore the Project Gallery, you will find many publications that match the style of your newsletter. Next, establish how much time and money you can spend on your newsletter. T hese factors will help determine how frequen tly you publish the newsletter and its length.

Innovative Solutions to Global Challenges

T he purpose o f a newsletter is to provide specialized information to a targeted audie nce. News letters can be a great way to market your product or service, and also create credibility and build your organizat ions identity among peers, members, employees, or vendors. First, determine the audience of the newsletter. This could be anyone who might benefit from the information it contains, for example, employees or people interested in purchasing a product or requesting your service. You can compile a mailing list from business reply cards, customer information sheets, Busi ness cards collected at trad e shows, or membership lists. You might consider purchasing a mailing list from a company. If you explore the Project Gallery, you will find many publications that match the style of your newsletter. Next, establish how much time and money you can spend on your newsletter. T hese factors will help determine how frequen tly you publish the newsletter and its length. I ts recommended that you publish your newsletter at least quar terly so that it s considered a consistent source of information. Your customers or employees will look forward to its arrival.

B.Cramond, University of Georgia

Prototypical U.S. Industry in 10 years if all goes well

B.Cramond, University of Georgia

Richard Florida, Economist

The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life (2002) The Flight of the Creative Class: The New Global Competition for Talent (2005)

There is a new social class, the creative class, who generate new ideas, new technology, and new creative content that profoundly influence work and lifestyle issues.

Nations are in competition to nurture and retain their most creative talent because they are linked to a nations prosperity.

B.Cramond, University of Georgia

Top Five European Countries and the U.S. in Number of Patents in 2001
Country Germany # of Applications 21,308 % of Total 19.37

France
Netherlands U. K. Switzerland U.S.A.

6,802
5,371 4,853 3,808 Approx. 300,000

6.18
4.88 4.41 3.46 NA

B.Cramond, University of Georgia

Patents filed
in 1998 Per million Per million Per 1000 inhabitants Euro in research R&D ers 263 482 2824
B.Cramond, University of Georgia

EU USA Japan

98,986 132,767 357,379

0.70 0.65 3.48

115 137 591

As the rest of the world becomes more interested in creativity, the U.S. is focusing on basics.

As we focus on leaving no child behind, the rest of the world is leaving us behind.

B.Cramond, University of Georgia

What of Expressive Creativity?

The impetus for the arts Results not from the recognition of a problem, But from the need to communicate with others and/or express oneself

B.Cramond, University of Georgia

Not real dichotomy inventive expressive

Aesthetic experience in the realization of an elegant solution to a problem There are many problems to be solved in the completion any artistic expression
B.Cramond, University of Georgia

Not real dichotomy inventive

Combination-- a new menu item

expressive

makes use of an abundance of a food (inventive) takes care to make the new item as appealing to the senses as possible (expressive).
B.Cramond, University of Georgia

Expressive Creativity Helps Us Understand Our World

By using world events as the subject matter of the creations For example, the Spanish Civil War inspired these:
B.Cramond, University of Georgia

Guernica

Expressive Creativity
Helps us deal with the stresses of modern life
Maya Angelou wrote about the racism and rape she suffered in her life in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

B.Cramond, University of Georgia

Expressive Creativity
Qui ckTi me and a TIFF (Uncompresse d) de co mp re ssor are ne eded to see th is pi cture.

Helps us to express the anguish, longing, and loneliness we sometimes feel, and to relate to others

B.Cramond, University of Georgia

Multiculturalism and Technology

Opportunities for creators to
reach

a wider audience explore alternate avenues of expression Bypass the gatekeepers

B.Cramond, University of Georgia

Hoffer, 1973
In a time of drastic change, it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned find themselves equipped to live only in a world that no longer exists
B.Cramond, University of Georgia

This is a time of drastic change Our children must all be learners...and creative

B.Cramond, University of Georgia