A reflection on a current educational issue in Sydney relating to culture and identity

In a class that I took last semester at my home university in America, we watched a YouTube video regarding education that, in my opinion, is relevant in all parts of the world, including Sydney.  The video discusses how education has changed, and if it continues down the path it is on, what the future of education will be.  I think that this is an issue of great importance in today’s society, and if not addressed, could be detrimental.  Children are the future and education today is limiting their thinking and what they will be able to contribute to the world. 

Here is a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

The YouTube video “Changing Education Paradigms” discusses the topic of education and creativity, and presents the idea that education is stifling children’s creativity from a young age.  I found the manner in which this idea was presented to be very interesting, and agree with what was being said in the video.  Rather than education being an aesthetic experience for children, one which stimulates their senses and allows them to act in the moment, it has become an anesthetic experience, one which shuts off their senses and deadens them.  As the video said, children are getting through education by being anesthetized.  Schools are organized on factory lines and children are being educated by batches (age groups).  Children are forced to follow a mold of what to say, how to act, what to learn, and how to learn.  They are separated and educated by age group with little regard to individual abilities, strengths, and weaknesses.  They are told there are two types of people, academic people and nonacademic people, and if they are not academically gifted that they will not be successful in life.  Academics is the main focus with little or no regard for creativity.  There is no creativity being fostered, which could be detrimental because creativity is very important in children’s growth and development.  We all have the capacity for divergent thinking, yet the ability to do so is not being harnessed.  There are countless ways to interpret questions and develop answers to these questions, but children are taught to think in linear and convergent ways.  The capacity of divergent thinking deteriorates with age, and even more quickly when it is not taken advantage of.  Great learning happens in groups through collaboration, allowing us to grow and expand our minds, however, the habits of institutions and habitats that they occupy are not allowing for this to happen.  Unless we begin to think differently about human capacity, creativity will continue to be stifled. 

References

Wadham, B. Pudsey, J. & Boyd, R. (2007). Culture and education. Sydney:

Pearson Education. Chapter 1: What is culture?