In an educational system so focused on the end product (tests, performances,
college-entry rates), where does the process of learning and creating fit in?
The purpose of art is not to produce a product, it’s to create thought.
Art needs to be understood as an active verb, a lens through which we
view the world, not just as staid creations in a museum. Creativity lies
not in the done but in the doing. Because art is active and incomplete,
always shifting and always becoming,
You can’t have a product without the process of introspection and different levels of
contemplation that generate it, whether it’s a painting or an understanding of a time in
history. Once you learn to embrace this process, your creative potential is limitless.
Art should remain a core component of education to develop emotional intelligence. Our
current system focuses on Intellectual intelligence, which is important, but only taps into
half of our minds’ capabilities. Because our world is changing so fast much, of our
intellectual knowledge has become obsolete. Emotional intelligence, self-awareness and
the understanding of how to create and innovate is the future of education.
What do you believe are the most pressing issues or challenges our students
face in the 21st century?
The most pressing issue for students’ is that they’re being taught what
to think, not how to think. They will need to be able to navigate
ambiguity in an increasing social, mobile and automated (artificially
intelligent) world. The must become mentally agile. The majority of
educational institutions set out to create operationally efficient
standardized robot-thinkers, which in turn, become a complacent
work force that doesn’t question authority or value innovation.
The danger for students is that when they are not prepared to adapt to real-time change as
they transition to college or into a career. They need to be able to master the complexities
of our interconnected world.
STEAMed Magazine
23
October 2016 Edition