Do Schools Kill Creativity?

By -

Do Schools Kill Creativity? A Conversation We Still Need to Have

By Jason T. Rogers

I’ve watched a lot of TED Talks over the years, but there’s one I keep coming back to. It’s simple, sharp, and deeply human.
Sir Ken Robinson’s “Do Schools Kill Creativity?”

If you haven’t seen it, take 20 minutes and watch it. If you have seen it, watch it again. Not because you forgot what he said—but because his message is more relevant now than ever.

“We don’t grow into creativity. We grow out of it. Or rather, we get educated out of it.”

That line hit me the first time I heard it—and it still does.

A System That’s Lost Its Way

Robinson makes a compelling point: the way we’ve built school systems doesn’t nurture creativity—it systematically squeezes it out.

Children start school with natural curiosity. They explore. They experiment. They make mistakes. And they learn from those mistakes.

But somewhere along the way, we teach them to stop doing that. We tell them there's one right answer. One right way. One right path.

And when a child colors outside the lines—literally or metaphorically—we start nudging them back toward the “proper” way to think.
Over time, they stop taking creative risks. They start playing it safe.

The Real Cost of Playing It Safe

One of Robinson’s stories that stuck with me is about a little girl drawing a picture of God. The teacher says, “But no one knows what God looks like,” and the girl replies, “They will in a minute.”

That’s creativity. That’s boldness. That’s confidence in imagination.
And most systems slowly chip away at it.

We don’t just lose artists and dancers.
We lose innovators. Engineers. Problem-solvers. Leaders.
Because creativity isn’t just for the arts—it’s essential in every field.

What If Education Looked Different?

Robinson doesn’t argue that schools are bad. He argues that the system was designed for another era—a time when jobs were predictable, linear, and industrial. But the world has changed. Fast.

What we need now are people who can adapt. Think differently. Collaborate across disciplines. Build things that don’t exist yet.

And that kind of thinking doesn’t come from memorizing the textbook or prepping for the test.
It comes from learning environments that value creativity as much as literacy. That treat the arts as equal to math and science. That allow space for kids to explore, question, fail—and try again.

What This Means for Us

Whether you’re a teacher, a parent, a mentor, or a lifelong learner—this talk is a reminder:

  • Creativity is not a luxury. It’s a necessity.
  • Children aren’t blank slates—we don’t need to fill them; we need to guide them.
  • Making mistakes is part of the process—not something to avoid.

If we want to prepare the next generation for a world that’s changing faster than ever, we need to stop treating creativity like an extracurricular and start treating it like oxygen.

So yes, schools can kill creativity. But they don’t have to.
Not if we’re willing to rethink what learning really is—and who it's for.

Watch the talk. Reflect on it. Share it with someone who’s part of this conversation too.

Watch here → Do Schools Kill Creativity? – Sir Ken Robinson (TED Talk)

Let’s keep learning forward.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rethinking Memory

By -
Image
Rethinking Memory: What Every Teacher Should Know About How Students Learn By Jason T. Rogers There’s a powerful shift happening in education—one that doesn’t start with curriculum or testing. It starts with something much simpler: how memory actually works . I recently listened to a conversation with Jared Cooney Horvath , an educational neuroscientist and former teacher, who broke down what memory really is—and more importantly, what it isn’t . The talk was packed with wisdom, but not in a complicated, academic way. Just honest, down-to-earth insights that every teacher, parent, and learner needs to hear. Here’s what stuck with me. 📌 1. We Remember Only What We Pay Attention To That might sound obvious. But Jared walks through example after example showing how easily distracted the brain really is —how much we think we’re absorbing, but aren’t. If students aren’t actively tuned in, nothing gets stored . Multitasking? That’s not a strength. It’s a memory killer. Every time ...
Read more

What Game Design Teaches Us About Learning Design

By -
Image
  What Game Design Teaches Us About Learning Design By Jason T. Rogers I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how people learn—not just what they learn, but how the experience is built. And the more I explore that question, the more I find myself circling back to one unexpected source: game designers . That’s right—people who build video games might actually have something important to teach us about building better classrooms, better training environments, and better learning systems overall. I recently watched a video called "Why Game Designers Use Maslow" by Extra Credits. It’s a short, sharp explanation of how good game design lines up with something we usually only hear about in psychology class: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs . Watch here → Why Game Designers Use Maslow – Extra Credits And it got me thinking—maybe it’s time educators started thinking more like game designers. The Levels of Learning… and Why They Matter If you’ve ever seen Maslow’s pyramid, you ...
Read more

Teaching the science of learning - A review of research done by Yana Weinstein, Christopher R. Madan, and Megan A. Sumeracki

By -
Image
  The article "Teaching the Science of Learning" by Yana Weinstein, Christopher R. Madan, and Megan A. Sumeracki ​ , offers a practical guide for educators, focusing on six cognitive strategies backed by decades of research: spaced practice, interleaving, retrieval practice, elaboration, concrete examples, and dual coding. ​ newdocs.opendeved.net +5 ResearchGate +5 PMC +5 Spaced Practice This involves distributing study sessions over time, rather than cramming. For example, reviewing material over several days helps reinforce memory. ​ Interleaving Mixing different topics or subjects during study sessions, rather than focusing on one at a time, can improve learning. For instance, alternating between math and science problems can enhance problem-solving skills. ​ Retrieval Practice Actively recalling information, such as through self-testing, strengthens memory and learning. Instead of rereading notes, testing oneself on the material can be more effective. ​ Elabora...
Read more