Untapping each child’s creative potential

Recently, a faculty member brought to my attention a CNN.com article entitled, “Why we need to let kids be creative,” by Carolina A. Miranda. The article states that divergent thinking is key to problem solving and is the backbone of creativity ―understanding what is, and then imagining the possibilities of what could be.

Here is an excerpt:

The word "creativity," in our society tends to be applied to artistic endeavors. But divergent thinking is an essential part of everyday life, whether it's navigating office politics or devising a new social-media network. When a toddler figures out that he can climb a strategically placed chair to reach a cookie on the kitchen counter, he has engaged in highly creative problem solving (to the chagrin of his parents). "We all have creative potential," says Mark Runco, Ph.D., director of the University of Georgia's Torrance Center for Creativity & Talent Development. "Our job as parents and teachers is to help kids fulfill it"

…This unique ability [dexterity in generating a wide range of potentially useful ideas] is one that will be crucial to the workforce of the future. Today's toddler faces a universe of rapidly evolving technology, an ever-shifting global economy, and far-reaching health and environmental challenges -- scenarios that will require plenty of creative thinking.”

The article is another confirmation that independent schools like USM have the advantage, as we have the freedom to design curriculum that encourages creativity. Starting in Prekindergarten, teachers are helping children become divergent thinkers by extending their knowledge of what is to what could be. For example, Prekindergarten teacher Muffie MacKedon Browne (known to her students as “Mrs. MacKie”) says, “A “pesky” squirrel was a frequent visitor to one of the bird feeders outside of our classroom. After observing that the squirrel often caused the birds to fly away, the children decided to create a special feeder for the squirrel. We combined the children’s existing knowledge of squirrels with the scientific data we gathered after visiting the library to come up with a plan. Then the children put their creative ideas into action and worked collaboratively to build the squirrel his very own squirrel feeder and playground complete with a small house, monkey bars, and even a “squirrel” pool. This is just one way in which the learning environment at USM stimulates curiosity, discovery, self-expression, and creativity. We strive to empower the children and their many abilities, as well as encourage their sense of what they can achieve.”

Here is the full article if you would like to read more.

Alum invites Upper School faculty to provide input on education at the national level

This week, I am handing over my blog space to Roseann Lyons, Head of Upper School, so that she can share you with you a recent request from an alum:

I hope you watched our recent video (last week’s blog post) including interviews with recent alums recounting the effect of their USM experience on their college success. Every alum highlights the impact of good teachers and that leads me to another alum who has been in the news recently.

Dr. Raj Chetty ’97 just published a much-circulated report on the incredible impact of a strong teacher on student achievement—not just in school, but for life. Chetty’s study reports that students with “high value added” teachers “are more likely to attend college, attend higher-ranked colleges, earn higher salaries, live in higher socio-economic neighborhoods, and save more for retirement.”

In preparation for his upcoming meeting with Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Dr. Chetty contacted his alma mater asking me to poll our teachers for their suggestions about how the federal government can improve education in the United States. Eager to supplement his data-driven material, Dr. Chetty is looking for our real-life classroom stories and anecdotes.