Does Education Teach Students to Create?
Creativity is the most important soft skill to have for employers but does education teach students to conform?
Under the clouds of Covid 19 we are waiting in haste to see what brave new world awaits us when the global emergency state starts to recede. If anything, this global pandemic has thrown us into 2020 and the world of tomorrow with modernization being forced onto us. The ‘useless class’ which economists have been predicting due to the automation of labour, has been dragged from future fables and into the present. In a cruel strike people have been made obsolete over night, due to the ability of not being able to work. Remote work and the financial ability to quarantine is definitely a luxury, which I am thankful for each day, however the dawn of the new world brings with it a heavy sense that the division between the haves and the have nots is likely to grow exponentially larger.
Those of us who have lost our jobs are likely to go back to education in order to reskill ourselves for the new world. A logical step would be to look at the biggest professional social network – Linked In and assess what skills are needed for the world we are to return to. Over the past years, there has been more of a corporate focus on ‘soft skills’ (generally innate skills which focuses on the individuals aptitude) and for two years running (2019 and 2020), Linked in has placed ‘Creativity’ as the top soft skill companies are looking for in their candidates. As subjective as the skill is, the market has definitely placed a present objective need for it. If we are to look at education for the answer to provide us the skills and qualifications for the workplace we must assess it’s proficiency in providing them and hence the question arises: Does education facilitate, develop and engage students’ creativity?
At the end of an average student’s academic journey they are left with what I believe is a conformist task. Writing a thesis is extremely exhausting for any student. From a ‘Writeversity’ article aiding students in their thesis writing it states: “Learning the rules of a language and mustering the ability to write it without grammatical errors should be the target of every student across the levels of education”. It continues that academics are looking for a specific style, and a specific referencing system which any other form of writing might likely be ignored. It highlights this issue when stating “A thesis should be the combination of the right words in the right place in the right order.” There seems to be a specific structure and that there is definitely a “right” binary way in order to have a successful thesis. However, with such tight guidelines it seems that a student’s final trial of academic success is a conformist one.
This has been an issue where a lot of companies now are turning their backs on graduates. Believing that they do not have enough creative and soft skills in order to fit their specific business model. In a CareerBuilder survey which was conducted in the UK and India, it found that they are most lacking in:
Problem-solving skills (60%India 40% UK)
Creative Thinking (56%India 39% UK)
Interpersonal skills (50% India 49%UK)
Due to the looming economic crisis and wages predicted to be lowered businesses would likely prefer a minimum wage workforce. They are now likely to not have room for graduate opportunities. It seems they would prefer candidates who they can mould into their own corporate model and not ones who have a high expectation or sense of entitlement. I spoke to a Glaxosmithkline (one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world) manager who dealt with graduates and he verified the same critiques that the Careerbuilder Survey highlighted. He stated that there is a new trend now amongst companies to “Get them while they’re young” at sixteen to eighteen, before they go onto University, and that they can provide their own training in order for the candidate to succeed and be competent in their cooperation. This seems to show that there is a strong vote of no confidence in traditional higher educational institutions to provide companies with creative minds.
With the ‘Gig Economy’ becoming a normality and constant training and education needed, schools have begun to prioritise soft skills and primarily the 4cs in 21st century learning. These are: Creativity; Communication; Critical Thinking and Collaboration. They are key as a student or graduate needs to adapt and mould themselves for the ever-changing work environment.
Unfortunately, in my experience working for the British Council, various universities and private schools, 21st century skills are more an empty mantra than fundamental pillars embedded in the curriculum. This is primarily due to a lack of training and a lack of knowledge in how to implement them. Schools and Education are still cemented to their foundations of conformity with tests, exams, appropriate behaviors and uniform pedagogies and methods. Obligatory education started at the turn of the 20th century and the Industrial Revolution in order to cement national identity and consolidate state power (Ramirez and Boli 1987). It is still an institution locked into its beginnings. However, Covid 19 has changed the way we learn and it might be an opportunity to herald true 21st century learning.
Ofcourse, as teachers and students we all miss the classroom and a digital experience cannot fully replace a tangible learning environment. This could be a ‘Shake-up’ though as however hard it has been to adapt and transition, there have been benefits. The move to a paperless classroom is becoming more of a reality. Digital bureaucracy is easier to manage than paperwork. Teachers are using various sources and media in order to engage students’ intrinsic motivation, and Digital Literacy is needed and taught in order to circumnavigate and create in an online classroom.
In this ‘New Normal’ students, schools, parents and teachers now have the opportunity to ask questions, analyze old practices and together build an educational system which is the most innovative and creative institution in society. Afterall, Education is the beginning for the catalyst of change.
