top of the framework is ‘Creating,’ which
requires students to put their knowledge
into action through a process of interpretation, analysis and evaluation. It is
here that we become active and creative
with our ideas, and can bring about
change and growth. This creative action
is significant throughout the IPC, and
here at Keystone. Having students build
upon their knowledge, explore, inquire,
research and present information and
develop their ideas are fundamental to
our learning process.
CREATIVITY ALIVE AND WELL
AT KEYSTONE
Creativity is inexorably linked to the
arts, though not exclusively. While one
may think about being creative in dance,
in art, in drama or in music, it is also a
fundamental part of science, mathematics and language. At Keystone, we want
our students to reach well beyond the
knowledge and remembering phase.
We want them to construct and create
meaning, explore and seek answers and
creatively problem solve. A student who
studies through the IPC should also
have the IPC Personal Goals embedded
in who they are and who they become.
Qualities such as the ability to inquire,
compassion and an understanding for
society and a moral compunction to
bring about positive change are not only
important, but also essential.
Children are fundamentally creative.
They play, draw, act, sing, dance and
move at any given opportunity. They
take risks, make mistakes, and trust their
instincts, but along the way many of
these qualities are slowly quashed. Praise
is often reserved for the right answers,
mistakes are stigmatized, and people are
frightened of being wrong.
If you are not prepared to
be wrong, you’ll never come
up with anything original.
– Ken Robinson
A creative curriculum built upon inquiry
and the development of a culture where
we learn from our mistakes and are praised
for doing so, is the way forward. To go back
to Prof Robinson’s question ‘Do schools
really kill creativity?’ one needs to look at
educational priorities. Are Math and Literacy at the top of the hierarchical ladder and
how does a school redress that balance? A
sound curriculum is certainly a start, and
the core values and goals of the IPC is just
that. More than that, we need to redress
the priorities and develop an education
system where creativity, arts, innovation,
and acceptance of failure are at the heart of
all learning, just like at Keystone.
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