Statistics blow my mind. I mean how can I become emotionally attached to an idea just by the conclusions that can be drawn by looking at numbers? Case in point: Reading “The Creativity Crisis” the author says about the falling American creativity scores, “Kyung Hee Kim at the College of William & Mary discovered this in May, after analyzing almost 300,000 Torrance scores of children and adults. Kim found creativity scores had been steadily rising, just like IQ scores, until 1990. Since then, creativity scores have consistently inched downward. ‘It’s very clear, and the decrease is very significant,’ Kim says. It is the scores of younger children in America—from kindergarten through sixth grade—for whom the decline is ‘most serious.’ The potential consequences are sweeping.”
Oh, my word, my mind screams. That explains—along with other stated details—why my students have so much difficulty creatively interpreting a story, an idea, a poem, a character, etc., not to mention a writing assignment. Or even asking questions that dig deeper than the literal, the comprehending level. I am convinced and declare, “There’s a nation-wide trend to lose one’s creativity! It’s a ‘reverse trend’ even!”
Okay, breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. Be still my thumping heart. Something seems amiss…in this conclusion. Let’s see now, think creatively. I have never taken the Torrance test, so I know I am not one of the 300,000. I am in class with 19 or 20 people and nobody said, “Ohohoh, I took that test!” At school, I teach with 30 people who didn’t take that test. What are the chances that any of the students I have taught for the past decades have been given that test? Very, very little, I would venture to say.
So, breathe in, breathe out. The thought that I don’t want to let escape in a fluffy pink cloud of my troubled mind is that the people I just referred to are quite creative people—especially the teachers.
And I have proof: Daily in our classroom, we see problems and needs (projects). Working individually or with others, we fact-find to understand the situation/student more comprehensively by asking questions and researching. Then we develop a plan of action, implement it, test it for its reliability and helpfulness, and we reflect on it making adjustments or redoing as needed. We have, as Treffinger’s says in the article, “demonstrated the very definition of creativity: alternating between divergent and convergent thinking…arriving at original and useful ideas.”
Exhale slowly; let the skin slide off my forehead. We aren’t going in reverse. Once again, statistics are just a matter of perspective. I choose not to be a part of this trend. I am going forward—not in reverse. I believe that I can be creative and that I can help my students develop creativity. However, reading the article does help me reach a very valuable conclusion: I need to conscientiously incorporate creativity exercises as often as I can and teach the concepts of creativity directly to help my students and others to realize their creativity.
I think you are correct on two fronts. One, don't trust statistics. Or at least look at them critically and question their validity. Using such a basic test to make such a bold claim about our countries future seems to be a slippery slope. Second, your focus should be, and is, on how you can help kids think creativly in your classroom. No need to jump to conclusions based on this article. Simply do your part to help student learn in your classroom.
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