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Creativity Killers
March 25, 2010
... To be a Flower,
is profound
Responsibility
-Emily Dickenson, American Poet (1830-1886)
-Emily Dickenson, American Poet (1830-1886)
- Surveillance — Hovering over kids, making them feel that they're constantly being watched while they are working . . . under constant observation, the risk-taking, creative urge goes underground and hides.
- Evaluation — When we constantly make kids worry about how they are doing, they ignore satisfaction with their accomplishments.
- Rewards — The excessive use of prizes . . . deprives a child of the intrinsic pleasure of creative activity.
- Competition — Putting kids in a win-lose situation, where only one person can come out on top . . . negates the process [that] children progress at their own rates.
- Over-control — Constantly telling kid how to do things . . . often leaves children feeling like their originality is a mistake and any exploration a waste of time.
- Restricting choice — Telling children which activities they should engage in instead of letting them follow where their curiosity and passion lead . . . again restricts active exploration and experimentation that might lead to creative discovery and production.
- Pressure — Establishing grandiose expectations for a child's performance . . . often ends up instilling aversion for a subject or activity. . . . Unreasonably high expectations often pressure children to perform and conform within strictly prescribed guidelines, and, again, deter experimentation, exploration, and innovation. Grandiose expectations are often beyond children's developmental capabilities.
Exchange has packaged seven of its most popular curriculum resources into a single “Curriculum Tool Kit” and is offering the entire set at a 33% discount — separately these resources would cost $166, but we are offering the entire Curriculum Tool Kit for only $112. Resources in the kit include:- Beginnings Workshops Book #4 - Curriculum: Brain Research, Math, Science
- Beginnings Workshops Book #5 - Curriculum: Art, Music, Movement, Drama
- Hearing Everyone’s Voice: Educating Young Children for Peace and a Democratic Community
- Connecting: Friendship in the Lives of Young Children
- More Than Numbers: Mathematical Thinking in the Early Years
- Out of the Box Training Kits (printed version): "Recognizing the Essentials of Developmentally Appropriate Curriculum," and "How Children Build Their Understanding of Numbers"
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Comments (4)
Displaying All 4 CommentsUnited States
You should send a copy to every legislator in the state of Florida. They just want kids to pass tests and punish teachers.
Child Day Care Association
St. Louis, MO, United States
Children’s creativity is a subject very near and dear to my heart. Many years (teaching) in preschool taught me some things the hard way. How many times did I ask a child what they had drawn? Often they don’t know what they’ve drawn – maybe they just like the way it felt to move their hands while holding a crayon or the way a marker sometimes squeaks. Seeing their confused looks told me I’d goofed. How many times did I tell someone their picture was beautiful, just to be polite? I finally learned not to do that, too. My “teacher” was about 4 years old. She showed me her paper - I didn’t know what it was; but I said it was beautiful. She shot me a stern look and said, “No, it’s not” and proceeded to tell me what it was – it was a picture of a nightmare and it most definitely was not beautiful because her memory was not beautiful. Another common mistake adults make is to name what they see in the drawing, without letting the child tell about it. This one I learned quickly: I said something about a horse that was actually a cow. Get the picture?
United States
I totally disagree with the opinion expressed in this article. If you want children to grow up and work in retail then don't give them any opportunities for achievement, competition, success, "working in clothes" for minimum wage or 80 hour a week management is what you will get. Interview some of the top producers, creators, teachers in this country after they have grown and I bet that there was someone "behind them " encouraging them to reach for the stars!
Kathy\'s Child Care
United States
this was an excellent article, especially when I'm going to be training an assistant. I like short, to the point, informational articles because I don't have time to read long, in depth articles. I have saved many of the articles that are short and full of information. I thank you for that.
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