I grew up in India until I was 18 years old. Our method of learning in the school was focused a lot more on memorization and theory. We did have labs in high school, but we did not do much outside projects. There was too much focus on getting the highest grades in the twelfth standard state or central exam so that one can secure an admission in a recognized engineering, medical, commerce or science school. I would like to know if much has changed since 1987 in India. My best memory was though visiting Goa when I was in the eleventh grade, when I attended an Oceanography convention. Not only did I learn about what goes on under the ocean, but also about how large naval ships are made, Goa's rich cultural history and the government (we even met Goa's governor or the top official), Kingfisher, beaches and more. Of course, now Goa has become a major beach city in India and a top tourist destination. That was the first time I went on a cruise from Bombay to Goa (and it was quite an adventure since this ship was really small and we could feel the ocean all around us). And we also stayed overnight at a train station in a small town in Gujarat on the way back to Ahmedabad (when we missed our connecting train). I was one of a handful of students who attended this convention. And I still remember this trip fondly. Learning what goes around outside in the world of oceans is what allowed me to expand my creativity - we had to complete a group project and provide a presentation as well to visiting faculty and students from all over India.
My children go to schools in USA (our daughter is 8 and is a 3rd grader, our son is 13 and is a 8th grader). I love the method of education here that encourages my children to express their creativity - there are projects on various subject matter such as history, sciences, humanities, people, culture and more that they need to work on, presentations they need to give, and field trips that are mostly integrated into their curriculum (on which children need to report also). And there is good access to technology such as computers, software, electronic toys, libraries with Internet connections, computer labs within the schools, and more. But I am seeing some changes already - my son was a lot more creative in his elementary school years than the middle school years (perhaps owing to more studies, and his current passion for Tennis and Basketball where he spends more time). My daughter definitely shows flashes of creativity, and I am quite proud when she thinks outside the box (actually impressed). But would this continue beyond the elementary school? My kids have not entered high school yet... so I want to see if high school education is focused on expanding their creativity and imagination, or becomes narrower towards getting them ready for college. It's not schools alone though - lot of creativity depends on what happens at home, and in your surroundings. Parents have a huge role to play in exposing their children to newer areas of potential interest. Nowadays, when we ask our teenage son to go out to see something interesting, his first answer is "No". He is more interested in his world of computers, Internet, iPhone applications and iPod music, friends, and hanging out. Perhaps we are becoming a bit old school for him. But then when he does go out, he really enjoys it. May be I need to change ways in which I encourage him to go out.
So, I come back to my original question: Are Children More Creative Than Adults?
I believe I am more creative now in certain areas of interest that I love. But there are many areas where I am not, and I would love to get better...
Young children have some amazing qualities about them that perhaps make them more creative: open mind, make connections, playful, curious, expressive, forgetful and forgiving, hands on, direct without reservations, fun to be around, enjoy things, cry out for small things, sleep well, and have a great sense of humor. But perhaps the most important quality of a child as he or she is growing up is asking questions! Not just, "Are we there yet?", but also, "How does this work? What happens when you do this? Why does it go this way? When will something happen? Who is that person on TV? And many many more..." Did we ever tell our children that this is a dumb question? Perhaps not until they grow up to a certain age. And even then, we are always careful in inspiring them to ask more questions and learn more. I remember as my son was growing up, I took him to a baseball game to Oakland. We used to live in Fremont, California. We went to see the Athletics play. From the time we left our home (we drove to the BART station), to walking to the BART station, taking the BART train, going in the train for about 20 minutes, to walking to the baseball park - my son must have asked me about 100 or so questions (and most of them had nothing to do with baseball). Do these qualities make children more creative than adults? Do adults lose some of these qualities as they grow older?
Here are some interesting facts about the childhood of some of the key scientists, thinkers, inventors, entrepreneurs and innovators. What do these facts tell us?
1. Einstein was four years old before he could speak and seven before he could read.
2. Isaac Newton did poorly in grade school.
3. When Thomas Edison was a boy, his teachers told him he was too stupid to learn anything.
4. F.W.Woolworth got a job in a dry goods store when he was 21. But his employers would not let him wait on a customer because he "Didn't have enough sense."
5. A newspaper editor fired Walt Disney because he had "No good ideas"
6. Caruso's music teacher told him "You can't sing, you have no voice at all."
7. Leo Tolstoy flunked out of college.
8. Verner Von Braun flunked 9th grade algebra.
9. Admiral Richard E. Byrd had been retired from the navy, as, "Unfit for service" Until he flew over both poles.
10. Louis Pasteur was rated as mediocre in chemistry when he attended the Royal College
11. Abraham Lincoln entered The Black Hawk War as a captain and came out a private
12. Fred Waring was once rejected from high school chorus.
13. Winston Churchill failed the sixth grade.
14. Dhirubhai Ambani who only studied until 10th grade, sold "bhajias" to pilgrims in Mount Girnar over the weekends.
15. Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard, Steve Jobs dropped out of Reed, Michael Dell dropped out of University of Texas at Austin, Larry Ellison dropped out of University of Chicago and University of Illinois. The list of rich and famous people who dropped out of college or high school is spectacular. The bigger question: Do colleges and high schools make children more or less creative?
I want to learn more from you... Are you more creative today than when you were a child? Did you do some amazing things as a child? Did you have more ideas as a child? Do you still do those amazing things? Is your workplace making you more or less creative? Are you able to create new innovations?
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Selected references:
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