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Can Creativity Be Taught?
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A lot of people say that creativity is a trait only a select few are born with, that it isn't something that can be taught because, like physical beauty, it's a gift, a privilege, something that is influenced and born by circumstance and other positive preceding factors, rather than something that is introduced only after a person is born. Thus, the conclusion of some that creativity isn't something that can be taught.
However, there are different schools of thought on this matter, especially as the world advances and we begin to see people develop their creative faculties and excel only later in life, when they haven't shown any sign of creativity at all in their earlier days.
Some proponents of the idea that creativity is something that can be taught and learned assert that a person's environment, orientation and background are the ones responsible for diminishing or enhancing one's creativity.
On the other hand, fans of the conservative idea that creativity is innate say that these factors, such as orientation and environment, are merely tools to enhance creativity and that their presence would amount to nothing if there's no creativity to hone in the first place.
This issue has long been the topic of debate among many scientific and social experts all over the world. Some people say perhaps the differences lie in the fact that creativity is an all too general concept that encompasses a variety of ideas and occurences that people have varying definitions for. What may be an indication of creativity for one may not be so for another.
For this article, however, for the sake of uniformity, we'll be tackling creativity as a factor of imagination and innovation.
If creativity, then, is a component of innovation, then perhaps it's something that can be taught and learned in schools and at home. This is because it's seen as an ability to adapt to changes and adjust to them.
When we were born, while we had been equipped with rational faculties, none of these would have been of any use had we not been taught how to use them properly. Therefore, while we were born with certain traits that would make us creative, they would be for naught if no form of education or teaching were involved in the process.
At birth, we were unaware of what the future held for us. Because of this lack of knowledge about future occurences, all our parents and schools could do was to teach us to be resilient and how to think for ourselves, in order to have the ability to make unique decisions when the need arises. We were not taught early on how to spefically respond to changes. What we were taught then was how to be creative and innovative amid behavioral and environment shifts. That being said, yes, creativity can be taught after all.
Today's trend of using standardized tests to determine a person's creativity is not only very innacurate, but actually very limiting and stifling because nobody can really measure how creative a person can be, since this faculty only surfaces when particular situations arise. And because incidents don't happen to everyone, creativity is difficult to measure. So, given this, who's to say who's creative and who is not?
The argument on whether creativity can or cannot be taught is a bottomless pit. For some, education has worked. For others, education is seen as merely a tool.
However which way you choose to see it, you should appreciate that you were born human and given the ability to understand and engage in such debates. It can go on forever. It may not even eventually find a consensus. Ironically, that's where your creativity comes in – in your response to the issue and your decision on how to deal with it. Confusing, isn't it?
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