The education system has long been criticized
for rewarding conformity rather than creativity. As a teacher, I do feel that
conformity is crucial in some areas. However, enabling creativity in young
people propels them to achieve more than teachers and parents expect of them.
Most importantly, enabling and encouraging creativity allows each child to
learn in his/her own style. As educators, it is our duty to tailor our teaching
styles and provide opportunities for children to arrive at their own answers to
life's questions.
There is also the widely held belief that the
content taught in school, or rather the way the content is taught has very
little connect to the outside world. So while our students may understand
theories and principles, they may not be able make the connection between
theories and physical manifestations. This is connected to the idea of
'mindfulness'. Not just children, but adults as well, are not mindful or aware
of their surroundings - why do things happen the way they do, how can we
improve our surroundings, what is my role in the bigger scheme of things -
these are kind of reflective learners we need to nurture. It is important for
parents, teachers, schools and even big businesses to realize this. After all,
creative thinkers are good for business!
As a 'new' teacher, I have been going through
some extensive training. It is encouraging to see that the focus of new
teaching methodology is creativity, individuality and reflection. As a new
generation of teachers takes over, I hope to see a generation of empowered
students who take responsibility of their own learning and are mindful of their
surroundings. It is now also time for big businesses to also step up - invest
in a more creative workforce for the future! Horlicks Pakistan has recently
launched an initiative to do just that.
Horlicks Pakistan in association with WWF brings
#DreamsForTomorrow, an art competition that will take place in
schools across Pakistan, bringing out the creative side of students. The
campaign is focused towards engaging school going kids and their parents in a
creative process of talking about a child’s dreams for the
future. Participating schools will be given books that contain stories
designed separately for each grade, providing the necessary direction for the
creation of the artwork. All schools will be submitting their
entries for the competition. If you are a parent or a child reading this,
contact your school to find out if your school is part of the program. You can
also find more details on this Facebook event page.
Horlicks Pakistan was kind enough to send over a
kit for me to go through and make a mess painting with my nephew. While my 3-year-old
nephew has usurped the art supplies, the books are an invaluable resource for
children in Grade 1 to 10. The books are concise and written in the local
context (there is a severe shortage of such content).
I remember filling in the WWF Sticker Book of
Animals when I was a child. The joy it brought to me was immense – the
agonizing over the Number 1 sticker ‘The Giant Panda’ led to many sleepless
nights; learning about different species, the sense of responsibility and
accomplishment was amazing! I hope that with #DreamsForTomorrow, this generation
of Pakistani children can experience the same wonder and mindfulness that it
instilled in us.
For more information on how I am using the kit,
follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram - @sundusrasheed
Good read!
ReplyDeleteI liked the part about mindfulness, which is totally relatable. All I can say is that in current education system, if you're lucky or naturally curious, only then you can achieve awareness of your surrounding. Somewhere in life, you might look back on the things you were forced taught in elementary or high school and you will want to make connections of real world and books.
I hope we get a system where everybody is trained to look at things analytically.