“Imagination is the source of every form of human achievement. And it’s the one thing that I believe we are systematically jeopardizing in the way we educate our children and ourselves.”
- Ken Robinson
I chose the quote, “Imagination is the source of every form of human achievement. And it’s the one thing that I believe we are systematically jeopardizing in the way we educate our children and ourselves.” by Ken Robinson (Winter). I witnessed this during my first practicum; many students copied my example for the assignment rather than thinking outside the box while following the assignment criteria. This is not to say that there is no lousy imagination; however, one of my goals is to encourage positive creativity and imagination among my students. I want to allow students to express themselves creatively by providing the space to do so.
This quote aligns with my thinking regarding the prevalent lack of imagination and creativity in society because I believe this is a real issue that I want to address. Every person is unique, and that uniqueness should be cultivated by allowing students to learn in ways that they learn best rather than pushing the agenda forward for the sake of the curriculum.
As a teacher, I aim to implement assignments and activities that foster students’ imaginations while addressing the curriculum standards. During my first practicum, I offered students the chance to think of characters outside of the living and non-living realm from the book I read to them by having them write about and draw their characters on cards they could trade. There is always room for creativity and imagination within an assignment, and by incorporating similar activities into my practice, I aim to foster creative minds that will continue to put themselves in the work they accomplish.